Energy Costs versus House Prices

Tuesday, September 18, 2018

You want to be comfortable in your home, right? To have a fairly even temperature is one of the things which make a house a healthy, comfortable place to live in. If your house is insulated the costs for heating and cooling are low, meanwhile, if your house is not insulated your costs for heating and cooling are high. Home-ownership is still the goal of many Australians. Many get into the housing market by buying a relatively ‘cheaply’ built house. But those are the ones who will be out of pocket for high energy costs the rest of their lives

Compare windows and makers

Friday, June 15, 2018

In days gone by the builder often chose the different components for your home, but that was then. Now, thanks to our greater understanding of the choices available many of us research all aspects of our proposed build or renovating project, from the latest building products to bathtubs and low flow shower heads. We google, we read blogs, we compare. And what about windows? Windows and doors are a major investment, so you want to get it right the first time. But this is not so easy. Windows and doors have many different components, just as a couch is made

Watch Videos of the Forever House

Thursday, May 31, 2018

Inspiration for the Forever House came from a 300 year old Moonah tree which takes centre-stage in the design by Bellemo & Cat Architects. The tree being so close to the building meant that this elevation needed to comply with bushfire attack level BAL-40. Easy to achieve with the tested and compliant Paarhammer ‘Bushfire Safe Range’ windows and doors, combined with Viridian PyroGuard 40 double glazing units. In addition to highly energy efficient windows and doors, the home has many sustainable features, including solar panels, a solar hydronic heat system, heat pumps for water, water tanks and fans. Featuring bluestone

Windows with Quality Assurance

Tuesday, March 13, 2018

Windows and doors of a building carry many responsibilities and are used every day. They ensure inhabitants can get in and out of the building, and take in the view of a garden or the street, and allow light and fresh air to enter the rooms. But in the background they work hard as the link between inside and outside. Windows and doors must insulate from the heat or cold, reduce noise, provide security, and on top of that – also look good! These are many tasks all at the same time. Only those consumers who receive a quality product

New Building Regulations coming soon

Sunday, October 08, 2017

At the recent conference of the Australian Windows Association (AWA), new upcoming building regulations were announced. Policy changes to enable greenhouse gas reductions are being discussed with changes for commercial buildings possible as early as 2019 as per the Australian Building Codes Board 2017. Residential building requirement changes may be introduced in 2022. Other key points are to recognise NABERS Energy and Green Star as compliance options, and ensuring that residential buildings perform well year round. These will soon be reflected in the National Construction Code, and State and Territory specific regulations.  Buildings are responsible for 30% of greenhouse gas

Bushfire - Policy Changes NSW RFS

Thursday, June 29, 2017

The latest fact sheet by the NSW Rural Fire Service (NSW RFS) details their policy changes in relation to Combustible Construction in Bush Fire-Prone Areas. Paarhammer fire resistant windows and doors, tested to and compliant with AS1530.8.1 and AS1530.8.2 respectively, are permitted to be used in BAL-FZ areas in NSW. The factsheet states that ‘for building elements subject to a radiant heat flux of greater than 29kW/m2, the use of exposed timber is generally not suitable without specific testing in accordance with suitable protocols.’ Paarhammer windows, doors, sliding doors and fixed glass units have been tested to BAL-40 in 2010

Tony Paarhammer voted onto AWA Board

Thursday, March 30, 2017

Tony Paarhammer, Managing Director of Paarhammer Windows & Doors, has recently been voted onto the Board of the Australian Windows Association (AWA). With his vast experience in the industry, Tony is looking forward to representing window makers on the AWA board in times of big changes and great challenges. Now comprising of more than 600 window manufacturers and industry suppliers throughout Australia, the AWA continues to drive product conformity and compliance, and advocate to both governments and regulators. The AWA keeps members up-to-date with the latest news in the industry, and provides advice and support. Further training in the industry

Do your Windows comply? - Update

Tuesday, January 17, 2017

'Safety is not a matter of good luck'    The Building Ministers' Forum (BMF) recognises that the issue of non-conforming / non-compliant building products (NCBP), whether domestically manufactured or imported, is important and complex. It can have economic, health, legal, safety, and social consequences, not to mention, life and death consequences. A non-complying product can pose serious risks to the building itself, people on the construction site and ultimately those who live in it. Non-conforming building products are 'products and materials that claim to be something they are not; do not meet required standards for their intended use; or are marketed

Residential Scorecard for Victoria

Monday, November 28, 2016

The Victorian Government has been moving ahead with the development of a Residential Efficiency Scorecard (the Scorecard). While the Scorecard is targeted at existing homes, it can also be used to assess new homes. The Scorecard is a web based tool that will enable a trained assessor to identify and record information about the fabric of a home (including fixed appliances) where it affects the energy or hot weather performance. The Scorecard tool will then produce a rating for the home, a hot weather rating, rate individual home features and provide recommendations on upgrade options. The Scorecard is currently being

U-values, European versus Australian

Monday, September 12, 2016

U-value calculations are not the same the world over. Australia has decided to follow the American NFRC (National Fenestration Rating Council) system when making calculations for the Window Energy Rating System – WERS. U-value measures how well a product allows heat to pass through. It is a measure of the rate of non-solar heat loss or gain through a material or assembly. The lower the U-value, the greater a window's resistance to heat flow and the better its insulating value. The whole window assembly is tested which includes the effect of the frame, glass, seals and any spacers. What does

Bushfire ready

Thursday, January 28, 2016

With the bushfire season well and truly started, it might be timely to investigate the Australian Standard for building in bushfire areas, as well as doing research on suitable building materials if you are planning to build or extend in a bushfire prone area. Each state government provides current and new development information for building in bushfire prone areas on their websites, e.g. the Government of Western Australia has recently announced a package of reforms to help protect lives and property against the threat of bushfires throughout Western Australia. These reforms introduce new requirements for people intending to develop and/or

Top 5 Renovation Regrets

Sunday, November 15, 2015

Insufficient insulation, air leakage, poor lighting, not selecting double glazing, and poor design are the Top 5 renovation regrets, according to the research of the Victorian Government. Let’s look at those renovation regrets in the context of Paarhammer windows and doors: 1. Insufficient insulation: Paarhammer windows provide excellent insulation with U-values from as low as 0.8, the lowest made in Australia 2. Air leakage: there are no drafts, and air infiltration is from a low 0.05% 3. Poor lighting: well insulated energy efficient windows can be made much larger, while still out performing a smaller single paned uninsulated window, hence