Understanding energy efficiency

With up to 40% of a home’s energy for cooling or heating being gained or lost through its windows and doors, selecting the right energy-efficient products and finishes for your home can help to increase comfort, reduce your energy costs and create a cleaner and healthier environment for the future.

How is energy efficiency measured?

The Window Energy Rating Scheme (WERS) provides an independent rating system that gauges the annual energy efficiency of windows and doors in any climate across Australia. Easy to understand and nationally standardized, the WERS rating of an available window or door is a great way of selecting the right product for your home’s energy performance needs.

Using a ten-star scale, WERS rates the annual energy impact of windows and doors in a similar manner to electronics and white goods. Whilst a low star rating indicates a poor energy performance, the achievement of a high star ranking indicates an outstanding thermal performance and energy efficiency that can help to reduce your home’s energy costs and Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions. Within Australia, the achievement of a 7-star heating rating and a 4-5 star cooling rating indicates the highest possible national performance for windows and doors when exposed to our unique and challenging climate conditions.

For more details regarding WERS and Stegbar’s product performance ratings, click here.

Other common energy efficiency measures are U-Value and the Solar Heat Gain Coefficeint (SHGC): 

U-Value

U-value measures how well a window or door prevents heat from escaping. The lower the U-value, the better job a window does in keeping out the heat and cold. 

SHGC

SHGC measures how well a window or door blocks the heat caused by sunlight. The lower a window's SHGC, the less solar heat it transmits. 

What affects my home’s energy efficiency?

Door and Window Placement

The location of doors and windows in your home and their proximity to other openings can drastically affect your home’s energy efficiency and thermal performance. While strategically placed openings throughout the home can encourage airflow and provide necessary ventilation, energy loss and heat capture from badly placed windows and doors can drastically affect the habitability of your home.

Materials and Type

While there are numerous window and door styles each with their own distinct advantages, the suitability of materials and frame types is often dependent upon its intended purpose, orientation and security requirements within the home. While aluminium frames with large openings are a cost-effective solution for airflow and ventilation concerns, the high conductivity of the material make it a less than ideal choice in cold climates where heat loss is a concern. Here at Stegbar, we can help you select the right frame and style of window and door to meet the unique needs of your home.

Air Infiltration

Referring to the leakage of air through unsealed structural joints around window and door openings, air infiltration can account for up to 40% of energy loss in the typical Australian home. A leaky home can allow unwanted cold air and warm temperatures to enter the home throughout the year, often driving up the heating and cooling costs in otherwise well-insulated homes.