Windows & Healthy Homes

There are roughly 1.4 Million houses in New Zealand of which 3% are owned by Housing NZ and City Councils. Of these houses 564,000 of them were built pre-1970s. Why is this an issue? The majority of these houses were built with timber window frames and single glazing. While timber is a great natural resource, it is susceptible to damage from the elements – sun and water.

Fast forward to 2009/10 and the picture starts to become clearer.  Houses from the 1970s that still have their original timber frame windows, are coming to the end of their life-cycle and effectiveness. Exposure to rain and sunlight in some cases creates mould and even rotting in wood frame windows. Aesthetically, they are less appealing as the sun may have peeled the paint off over the years (unless the homeowner has been diligent and painted them regularly over the years).

Older houses have also been built with a single layer of glazing. This means that there is only one pane of glass keeping the homeowner’s warm air from seeping out and also stopping the cold air from outside coming in.

In New Zealand from 2007 new minimum insulation requirements were introduced. From mid-2008, new homes in most parts of New Zealand had to be built using double-glazing or other thermal efficiency measures to meet these. Good glazing systems insulate windows, while letting in the sun to encourage heating. The best systems stop the transfer of hot and cold air in and out of the home with a break in the aluminum framing. With double-glazed windows there are now two sheets of glass installed in the window frame creating that extra bit of warmth and comfort.

For further information, contact a window & door fabricator for a free quote and measure, or look up "replacement windows" on the ASL website.