Consumer: Things to Consider

Some important areas to consider when selecting your window and door products.

Material

Window material type which could be Timber, Aluminium, uPVC, Fibreglass or some other material. 

Opening

Opening type such as sliding, awning, casement, double hung, louvers, tilt-and-turn, sashless and bi-fold.

Noise

Is your home in a noisy area?  If it is you will need to consider a window product that can reduce the noise and make the home a more comfortable space.  Click here to see AWA member's who are acoustic window suppliers.

Energy

Insulation is a must for a modern home; windows can be part of the insulation of the building envelope. Ensure you choose the right window product to improve the comfort and energy efficiency of your home.  Visit the Window Energy Rating Scheme website to choose the right window for your climate zone at www.wers.net 

Bushfire

Is your home in a bushfire zone?  If it is, there are different requirements for different areas, check with your local council to ensure you are ordering the correct window products.

Ventilation

Do you require good ventilation in your home, a suitable window opening type should be chosen to ensure adequate ventilation.

Daylighting

It is important for health, comfort and energy efficiency that an adequate amount of natural light can enter your home.  Windows and doors can admit an incredible amount of natural daylight into a home.

Safety

For security and confidence choose your window and door products carefully.  Features to look for in windows and doors include appropriate locking systems and safety glass.  Safety can also mean keeping your family safe from accidents.  All windows must be glazed in accordance with Australian Standard AS 1288. There was a need to recognize that accidents involving glass continued at a high rate and at considerable cost to the community.  With these factors in mind, changes have been made that have resulted in the introduction of increased areas of safety glass and the reduction of areas of ordinary glass in locations where accidents are known to occur at greater frequency.

Structural

It is your responsibility to ensure your window manufacturer has compliance to AS 2047 or it will end up costing you a lot of money. The Building Code of Australia calls for windows in all class of buildings to comply with Australian Standard AS 2047. AS 2047 is the mandatory minimum specification for windows and doors used in Australia it includes compliance to the Glass Standard AS 1288.

The following performance tests are undertaken to verify product performance claims.

• AS 4420.2 Deflection Test - positive and negative wind pressures are applied to the face of the window to test the maximum deflection under wind load.
• AS 4420.3 Operating Force Test - to verify that an opening sash is capable of opening and closing without undue effort.
• AS 4420.4 Air Infiltration Test - the air leakage of a window is tested to ensure energy and acoustic efficiency.
• AS 4420.5 Water Penetration Resistance Test - this test is designed to ensure no water leaks through the window into the building.
• AS 4420.6 Ultimate Strength Test - negative and positive wind pressures are applied to the window to at least 1.5 times the design wind pressure to ensure it does not fail in unusual wind conditions.

All windows and doors for homes must have a Performance Label which confirms that they are certified to comply with Australian Standard AS 2047.

 

Design

There are many different designs of windows that all have many features, it is important that you decide which features best suit your needs and then choose a window product that fulfills those needs.  In recent years there has been a significant amount of development from many companies changing the face of window design.