Browse Forums Windows & Doors 1 Feb 17, 2018 1:51 pm I am after some advise on Double Glazing. I want to replace my windows with double glazing as some of them are the old wooden frame style and are in really bad condition. I also live in Canberra and it is very cold in winter so I was planning on replacing all the windows to save on energy bills. I have got quotes from 25k for aluminium and up to 28k for pvc. (8 windows and 3 sliding doors) . It seems like a lot to spend and I am not sure it is worth it. Is the extra cost for pvc worth it? And By having all double glazed windows will it add value to my house? I am interested to know if anyone else has replaced their windows and if they think it was worth the money. Thanks Double Glazing Advise 2Feb 17, 2018 3:23 pm Mitchd I am interested to know if anyone else has replaced their windows and if they think it was worth the money. We partially replaced windows with double glazing in one house and have used double-glazing in our new build. Before you spend any money on expensive windows, the first thing you should tackle is sealing the house, as any "leaks" are likely to be letting in the most cold/letting out the most warmth. Next is insulation, in the roof, walls and under the floor. Then look at maximising passive cooling and heating available to you. If you have trees and vines blocking that, then think about getting rid of them. Only once you have tackled those jobs, which will cost much less than replacing your windows, can you justify spending money on double-glazing. Even then, don’t forget the frames. Aluminium without a thermal-break is, IMHO, a waste of money. Edit: old house was in Canberra and new build in Cooma. Re: Double Glazing Advise 4Mar 07, 2018 5:48 pm I guess a lot depends on the quality of double glazed windows, too. I have seen some thick (10 mm) single glazed windows which perform better than some of the average quality double gazed ones both acoustically and thermally (e.g. with Uw of 3.0). In the perfect world, we want our windows to perform as close as possible to the walls both thermally and acoustically, however, it is not always possible. Look out for the properties of the windows, not only prices. Expect to pay $350-500 per sqm on average for cheaper but still decent quality Chinese uPVC or thermally broken aluminium windows with German hardware (Uw in 1.8-2.5 range), $1-$1.5K per sqm for top range, e.g. tripple glazed Internorm aluminium+timber or aluminium+uPVC windows with R>1.4 (Uw=~0.7) and with STC of 45+. Unfortunately, when it gets to windows, something which is generally considered as standard in Europe is considered to be top luxury in Australia. R of 1.4 is pretty much close to what you generally get in your walls from standard brick veneer construction with R2 or R2.5 batts in the timber frame (actual R is lower as studs themselves create a strong thermal bridge). Also, as being said above, you would have to also invest in insulating your floors, roof and to make sure your doors are well sealed and windows are installed property with all the gaps sealed. Re: Double Glazing Advise 5Jul 20, 2018 5:47 pm Hi! Without a doubt, go for the double glazed windows! We have updated all the windows in our home a couple of months ago. Part of our home is from the 80's (the kitchen and the living room) and the other part where the bedrooms are is relatively new (around 10yrs old). Since we already installed the new energy efficient double glazed windows in the new section of the home, we wanted to do the same in the old part as well. We decided to call the guys from Magnetite since we were absolutely satisfied with their impeccable service and professionalism the first time. Since the windows are old in the old part, we decided to do the so-called 'retrofitting'. The results are already amazing: far less noise from the street, no more wind blowing through the windows... Beautiful! Re: Double Glazing Advise 6Jul 26, 2018 11:37 pm I'm currently researching double glazed windows. One thing people may not be aware of, the aluminium spacer between the two glass pane. From what I've read, alumunium spacers are excellent heat conductors. Both sides of spacers are touching glass panes, therefore heat will be passing through. In a nutshell, aluminium spacer in double glazed windows will contribute to thermal loss. No doubt insulated spacers will add additional cost, but it will help contribute by decreasing thermal loss. I have asked this question to Ed re: aluminium spacer. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: Double Glazing Advise 7Sep 20, 2018 5:56 pm meowys I'm currently researching double glazed windows. One thing people may not be aware of, the aluminium spacer between the two glass pane. From what I've read, alumunium spacers are excellent heat conductors. Both sides of spacers are touching glass panes, therefore heat will be passing through. In a nutshell, aluminium spacer in double glazed windows will contribute to thermal loss. No doubt insulated spacers will add additional cost, but it will help contribute by decreasing thermal loss. I have asked this question to Ed re: aluminium spacer. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ I agree with your opinion. Warm edge spacer is better than aluminum spacer in heat insulation. The life of a aluminum window is 15-20 years, I think the heating bill will cover the cost of material. Re: Double Glazing Advise 8Oct 08, 2018 11:58 am Feelingtop meowys I'm currently researching double glazed windows. One thing people may not be aware of, the aluminium spacer between the two glass pane. From what I've read, alumunium spacers are excellent heat conductors. Both sides of spacers are touching glass panes, therefore heat will be passing through. In a nutshell, aluminium spacer in double glazed windows will contribute to thermal loss. No doubt insulated spacers will add additional cost, but it will help contribute by decreasing thermal loss. I have asked this question to Ed re: aluminium spacer. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ I agree with your opinion. Warm edge spacer is better than aluminum spacer in heat insulation. The life of a aluminum window is 15-20 years, I think the heating bill will cover the cost of material. When you look at the finite detail in window design, you miss the critical point... what is the Uw i.e. the overall U value of the whole window. There are a million design ways to deliver an energy efficient window, all of them surpass the value that you are talking about. Warm edge spacers will not make an ordinary window into an extraordinary window... they are a feature that will marginally improve a window. Our window without a warm edge spacer will beat all aluminium windows with and without warm edge spacers AND many thermally broken windows, and I am talking clear float glass with clear float glass. Now which would you prefer, an expensive average window with a warm edge spacer, or a top performing window? "ECOECO" At 'EcoEco', we design windows, we design the best windows, we do it for you, so that when you’re happy we are happy. Tel. 1800 326 326 Re: Double Glazing Advise 9Oct 22, 2018 6:41 pm Hello, I have experience with double glazing. While building we have been renting, and the place we were at before we just recently moved to be closer to the build, we rented privately. The owner was doing reno work the last couple of weeks we were there including getting new double glazed windows. I have to say when the boys finished putting the windows in, I felt a difference almost immediately. I went into the room that was normally really cold because it was facing south and it was constantly actually windy in that room (you could see the blinds normally move - like there was a ghost there) so we used it as a storage room for our packing boxes and it was so nice there, and the window seemed bigger but it was the same size. And in the living room that was boiling hot because the sun was on the windows all the time, and the windows were floor to ceiling, that room was really cool and pleasant now and you could actually look out of the windows without sunnies! In the past, when I haven't been comfortable I always tried to get out of the house and kept asking my husband to go out to dinner or go to see friends or go for a walk or go shopping, basically any excuse not to be at home. But when the home is comfortable, you want to spend time there and that in itself actually saves money. So make your home comfortable and you'll not want to leave. Re: Double Glazing Advise 10Oct 22, 2018 6:52 pm Cheers everyone for their replies. we ended up getting pvc windows installed about 6 weeks ago. We have noticed the difference immediately the house has stayed warm longer and with the heating on less. They also look amazing and make the house more modern. This is one of the reasons I decided to go overseas for my double glazed windows. As the builder indicated, he's worked on many upmarket builds, these were the most well… 13 19263 For your reference Performance Labels: Window assemblies in housing, except timber windows, must be labelled so the label can be seen when it is in situ. For timber… 6 7736 I am looking for someone who might have tackled a similar issue as me. I have a few rendered interior walls, the surface condition is hardly flat. I can see all the bumps… 0 7969 |