MultiFunction wins National Award

Thursday, November 19, 2020

This project has just received the 2020 Design Matters National Building Design Awards - Winner – Commercial – under $2M. The building includes a new double height timber framed glazed facade overlooking a garden setting with mature Melia (white cedar) tree. In order to keep the double height glazed façade as expansive & simple as possible, laminated Victorian Ash timber was used to provide structural strength to act as both glazing & structural frame, resulting in no visible structure - just a timber framed façade. The Paarhammer ECO-façade also offers the highest level of thermal efficiency for a double height

Claiming energy stars

Tuesday, November 10, 2020

In a recent article in ‘The Conversation’ some builders are said to use the star rating system in a way that could mislead customers. The same can be said of the window industry. If you are looking for highly energy efficient windows, do not believe claims like ‘best energy efficient windows in Australia’ if this claim cannot be independently proven.WERS – Window Energy Rating Scheme – is the Australian rating system that gives windows stars for cooling and for heating. It also rates windows for their U-value and air-infiltration. The lower the U-value, the higher the energy efficiency of the

Paarhammer featured on Small Business Secrets - SBS

Monday, March 02, 2020

An exciting day of filming wrapped up last week here at the Paarhammer facility for an upcoming episode of ‘Small Business Secrets’ to air on SBS. Small Business Secrets focuses on the stories of migrant entrepreneurs who have turned their business dreams into reality. It all started out of necessity when Tony and Edith were planning to build their own house here in Victoria and were unable to find high performing European style windows and doors similar to those in Austria where they had grown up. From there the dream of helping others to live in a comfortable house with

New Windows for your Renovation

Friday, January 10, 2020

Increase energy-efficiency, security and sound protection in existing buildings. Windows play a very important role in buildings. They let in light but at the same time protect the home from wind, rain and cold, as well as noise and emissions. If your windows don’t perform well anymore it might be time to think about replacing them. Modern double or triple glazed products can save up to 75% of heating bills, or even up to 84% of cooling costs. The warmer months are the best time for renovations, including to change over windows and doors. Some companies have long waiting lists,

Energy Standards

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

A recent study has shown that Australia is still building 4 in every 5 new houses to no more than the minimum energy standard. Increase the mandatory 6-star rating by just one star however, and you will reduce your heating and cooling needs – and your energy bills – by about 30 percent. The Nationwide House Energy Rating (NatHERS) is a star rating from 0 to 10 that measures how energy efficient a house is, based on its design. The rating applies to the building envelope: the roof, walls, floor and windows. Houses with higher HERs are more naturally comfortable

New lower U-values

Thursday, July 11, 2019

   The Window Energy Rating Scheme (WERS) enables windows to be rated and labelled for their energy impact on a whole house, in any climate of Australia. Paarhammer recently had some of their windows and doors re-tested with different glazing options and achieved excellent results. A Custom Rating on WERS provides an exact rating for a window product, based on its exact materials and specifications for frame, glazing and other components. Weather tightness is based on reported air infiltration data obtained according to the AS 2047 performance test. WERS is independent of any one manufacturer and acts as a fair,

Window Trends

Thursday, October 11, 2018

The recent Fenestration conference of the Australian Windows Association has again featured excellent guest speakers on a variety of topics, including future trends for windows and doors which include larger sizes, better insulation and automation. Size One main change, according to what customers want, are ever larger and larger products. No longer are standard window and door sizes on the ‘want’ list of customers but whole walls of glass. To add to this, the need to lower energy use as energy prices rise brings us to the next trend, which is - better insulated products. Insulation Single glazed aluminium windows

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

RACV Tiny Home Open this weekend

Wednesday, July 25, 2018

The RACV Tiny Home is on display this weekend from 10am to 4pm behind Her Majesty’s Theatre as part of Open House Melbourne. Designed by architect Peter Maddison from Grand Designs Australia, it features a Paarhammer bi-fold door as part of sustainable living. Using smart design principles and carefully chosen materials, this concept showcases what contributes to creating a home that is not only comfortable to live in but more affordable to run. The floor space of the Tiny Home is just 18.75 square meter with a head space of 3.6 meter, the weight is 7.5 tonnes and it features

Energy Performance of Buildings

Thursday, July 05, 2018

New rules by the European Commission will make existing buildings in Europe smarter and more energy efficient, saving money and creating jobs in the renovation and construction sector. How about in Australia? Like the EU countries, Australia has signed the Paris Agreement, promising to decrease emissions and energy use. Buildings are the culprit everywhere and windows are a big part of that. As the population increases, Australia needs an additional 185,000 new dwellings every year. We also have a large stock of existing dwellings that have been built without energy efficiency in mind. The recently ratified rules of the European

Correct Ventilation and Energy Efficiency

Thursday, June 07, 2018

Well sealed windows and high energy glazing save energy and provide a comfortable living environment – and that’s how the danger of mould growth increases. This seeming contrast is easy to explain. During the normal use of a living space large amounts of steam are released, e.g. through cooking, washing, showering or washing dishes. Also every human dispenses about ½ litre of water through the skin and even more than 1 litre through breathing into the air. On average we release about 10 litres of humidity into the air each day per person, including our activities. But the air cannot

Keep warm this winter

Tuesday, May 22, 2018

Paarhammer run their window manufacturing facilities sustainably, including their waste reduction system. All sawdust and offcuts are shredded and compressed into wood briquettes. No glue is used, only high pressure, and the outcome are briquettes with a density and heat output equal to Redgum. These briquettes are offered to the public in spud crates of around 800-900kg. They are suitable for all wood heaters, so why not stay warm this winter and do something for the environment at the same time. Get your box of wood-briquettes for just $72 per around 1m3 including GST. Pick-up only, please call 03 53681999