In Canberra, you can bank on two things: a winter that’ll bite your ankles and a summer that’s hot enough to fry an egg on the footpath. The go-to was just to flog the heater or the air-con. But now, with the National Construction Code making a 7-star energy rating the law of the land for new builds, that old way of thinking is a thing of the past.
So, how do you design a home with those massive, sun-drenched windows everyone loves without your power bills going through the roof?
It’s about more than just beefing up the insulation. For architects, builders and homeowners, it comes down to finding window suppliers who understand how to build right for the Canberra climate.
This guide is your cheat sheet.
What Are Passive House Windows Anyway?
Think of a standard window as a weak link in your home’s thermal armour. A Passive House window is a piece of high-performance engineering designed to solve Canberra’s tricky climate.
Originally developed in Germany, the Passive House standard is a rigorous, performance-based approach to building. These windows are an important component and they perform three main jobs with precision:
- They provide superior insulation. This is usually achieved with triple glazing. The gaps between the panes are filled with an inert gas like argon and the glass is treated with a microscopic low-emissivity (Low-E) coating. This combination acts like a transparent shield, reflecting heat back inside during winter and keeping it out during summer.
- They are phenomenally airtight. High-quality compression seals create a perfect barrier against drafts. To put it in perspective, the average new Australian home has an air leakage rate of 15.4 air changes per hour at 50 Pascals of pressure (ACH50). A certified Passive House must be 0.6 ACH50 or lower – a significant difference in unwanted air leakage.
- They eliminate thermal bridging. This is the big one for our climate. A standard aluminium frame is a superhighway for heat and cold. “Thermal bridging” is when the outside temperature conducts straight through the metal frame into your house. Thermally broken frames insert a non-conductive material between the interior and exterior aluminium, effectively breaking that bridge and keeping your indoor temperature stable.
The Payoff – Living Without Compromise in a Canberra Climate
So, what does this actually look like for a new home in Gungahlin, a high-end build in Red Hill, or a knockdown-rebuild in the Woden Valley?
Well, it’s the end of your ‘Canberra compromise’ – that choice between stunning, floor-to-ceiling glass and a home that’s actually liveable. It means no more huddling away from the windows in July just to avoid the chill. It means your air-con isn’t screaming in protest every January.
For architects and builders, it’s the smart solution to hitting that non-negotiable 7-star rating without sacrificing aesthetics. For homeowners, it’s simpler: it’s the feeling of a consistently comfortable home and the relief of seeing much smaller figures on your energy bills, year after year.
Coming to You From Supaglass Industries
At Supaglass, the trusted window suppliers in Canberra, we’re a 100% locally owned team of manufacturers who design and build for what the Bush Capital’s climate throws at us.
We developed our exclusive Astral Window Suites (Astral Ultra, Astral Plus and Astral Edge) for this very reason. Designed and made by our in-house team, these suites offer tailored performance levels to help you hit that 7-star rating without breaking the budget.
The range includes thermally broken awnings and tilt-and-turn windows, as well as impressive lift-and-slide doors. Because they’re our designs, we handle the entire process, including the important residential window installation.
Let’s talk about how our Astral Series can complement your next project. Or, you can visit our showroom and we will show you first-hand!