Sustainable Design
Energy Efficient, Sustainable Windows and Doors
Every journey to a sustainable home is unique.
Paying attention to the principles of good passive design suitable for your climate effectively; ‘locks in’ thermal comfort, lowers heating and cooling bills, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions for the life span of your home.
Thermotek Windows has been designing and specifying products that consider Australia’s diverse landscape and local climatic conditions for more than 8 years.
Designing for climate
Energy efficiency
Energy Efficient building design considers the specific climatic conditions of a given site. Broadly, the general idea of energy efficiency is to achieve something with the least amount of energy usage possible.
Windows
In relation to windows, energy efficiency usually refers to a product’s ability to maximise the conditions you create in your home through heating or cooling, while minimising energy expenditure.
Passive Design
Good passive design ensures that the occupants remain thermally comfortable with minimal auxiliary heating or cooling in the climate where they are built.
Australian homes and buildings amount to nearly a quarter of our greenhouse gas emissions.
Insulation
- Insulation acts as a barrier to heat flow and is essential for keeping your home warm in winter and cool in summer.
- Double glazing is the most cost-effective way to minimise heat transfer through windows and glazed doors and can be even more effective when they feature high performing glass within the insulated glass unit (IGU).
- Also known as DGUs (Double Glazed Units) IGUs are window units made of multiple glass panels, sealed with a spacer and gas between them. Thermotek’s products use an inert gas – argon – for greater thermal performance.
- Climatic conditions influence the appropriate level and type of insulation. With over eight climate zones defined by the National Construction Code (NCC), establish whether the insulation is predominantly needed to keep heat out or in (or both).
- Thermotek’s window sashes are glued to the pane – increasing the window’s impermeability, thermal insulation, and enhancing their stability. Bonding inside, windows no longer need to be reinforced with steel profiles. Being steel free eliminates its unfavourable thermal properties from our products.
0
%
of a home’s heating energy can be lost through windows and doors.
0
%
of a home’s heat can be gained through its doors and windows.
Controlled airflow
Heat is transferred through windows and glazed doors as air moves through gaps. This transfer can be minimised by installing good seals, however ventilation is equally important to keep dampness out, it can be a difficult balance.
Thermotek’s products feature at least two seals on every opening element. Ventilation systems are also installed at the top of your window, between the frame and the sash.
They create a permanent yet controlled flow of air so that you don’t have to do it yourself.
A ventilation opening can be fitted not only in the frame/sash but also in the transverse mullions. These simple and highly effective systems create a pleasant atmosphere in a dwelling.
Passive design resources
With so many complex variables, the building design process
is best considered by an appropriately trained professional.
See below for a list of useful resources.
Insulated Glass Units
Passive Design for homes
Why uPVC?
Thermotek’s USP
Design Matters
Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS)
YourHome Resources
Australian Institute of Architects
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