Too many windows

by Leah
(Queensland, Australia)

Lounge room windows

We are in the process of building a new house. We have great views and love the idea of each bedroom having french doors opening onto the deck/veranda.

As I walk around the house now I'm thinking, "holy cow" how am I going to keep this house warm in winter.

I live in sunny Queensland, Australia. But in winter it can get below 0 degrees. (For the 2-3 months we actually have cold weather).

We only have normal windows - not double glazed or anything fancy. Window coverings will have to be thought out very carefully and more so for their functional use rather than just looking good.

I have heard of using pelmets above the window but didn't think much about the closeness of the curtain to the glass. I read this on one of your pages so this will be a great help. I also read here about a product like plastic you can put on the windows to act as insulation, that sounds great too.

I'm off to read more on your site, so much good advice and will be very helpful for our new house.

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Too many windows

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Apr 07, 2010
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New Home = Efficient Windows
by: S. Mark Florence

Leah,

If your building a new home, as indicated in your post, I would recommend you install the most energy efficient windows you can afford. Here in the United States, I would start looking for windows with the Energy Star label; however I'm not sure what type of label to look for in Australia. For reducing heat loss during the winter, look for windows with a low U-Factor (at least 0.35). The lower you can get this number the better, but as the U-Factor gets lower the price will also increase.

During new construction, spending a little extra on better quality products will save you more money on your heating costs than just using a plastic sheet or pelmets. Like the say goes, "You get what you pay for."

Hope this helps.

Mark - BrawnHumus.com

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Too many windows

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Too many windows