Glazing
Skylights

Thinking about putting some skylights in the roof? Planning one of those rooms with a glazed roof panel? You really need to think very carefully before you go ahead! Summer In summer the heat gain and glare can be enormous causing major…
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Daylight Tubes

If you have a gloomy smaller room (for example bathroom, WIR, or hallway) consider a daylight tube. They are a more energy efficient alternative to conventional skylights or having to keep putting the lights on. Daylight tubes have three parts: Roof mounted clear,…
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The Risk Of Too Much Security

As I visit lots of houses I often wonder if some houses have too much security. I see lots of houses with roller shutters or even steel gratings over the windows like these. Quite often when I ring the bell…
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Upstairs Windows

Have you got visions of being able to look out of your upstairs bedroom windows like this lady. Not anymore if you are building a new house. New laws to protect children falling out of windows have come into…
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Roller Shutters – Fail

Sorry if you like them……….. but I just don’t get roller shutters! To me they just say someone has got it wrong. You have a house built with nice big windows and then you install shutters. Either the orientation is…
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Double Glazing or Smaller Windows?
I’ve posted on Double Glazing but that not the only way to save heat loss through windows so I thought I would do a numerical comparison of the various options for glazing treatment of windows. In a bedroom of our current…
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Window Size

The Building Code of Australia requires you to have at least 10% of the floor area as windows with at least 5% of the floor area being able to be opened. If you go in many show houses you will…
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West, or East, Facing Windows

Well the first rule is to avoid West, or East, facing windows or at least keep them as small as possible….and here is why: Summer West windows get direct sunlight from mid-afternoon to late in the evening in summer causing…
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Insulation Basics – Double Glazing
Large single glazed windows are one of the biggest reasons for heat loss in a modern house. It is also a major source of heat coming into the house in summer. So what can you do?……………here is a comparison between…
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