I've been reading a lot of old posts on this forum regarding double glazing etc and am seeking advice on what the best window option for our new house could be.
We're building on a rural property in the Hunter, NSW (40+ in summer, -2 in winter), the house will face west (not great I know but has awesome views), will be buffetted by strong westerly winds sometimes and will have 2m wide surround verandahs. I'm mostly concerned with optimising the energy requirements and comfort levels of the house but some noise proofing as a side benefit won't hurt as we're in the flight path of the local (non-jet) airport.
I'd rather spend the money now to get a good window solution as its too hard to fix this later but still have budget constraints.
At this stage I've got quotes on single and basic double glazed aluminium sliding windows (from my builders preferred supplier who isn't that helpful) but now wonder whether Low-E would be better on some or all of the windows or if I should include this with some double glazing. There are a couple of windows where I really want louvres to maximise cross breezes and let some indirect air in on windy days.
I love the look of timber windows and these seem to get great U values but really don't want the maintenance hassle and haven't heard enough yet to convince me on uPVC over aluminium.
So if anyone has any suggestions on the type of windows that might suit or even a good supplier / consultant to our area who could help work this out they'd be much appreciated.
Thanks