Flexing our green credentials #3 - windows

Not only are they beautiful, our windows will be working to keep us warm and cool as well. They were made in Geelong by Pickering windows out of western red cedar. We chose timber over aluminium and plastic because it is a good thermal insulator (which aluminium isn't) and is a sustainable resource (which plastic isn't).

Children's desk area:

The windows and sliding doors in the main living areas (kitchen, meals, lounge & family room) are double glazed to keep the Winter warmth in, and the rest are low E glass cos our budget didn't quite stretch to double glazed throughout. We expect that combined with drapes in the bedroom they will be quite satisfactory!

The windows to the North are expansive to let as much Winter light in as possible, while they are kept smaller to the South to reduce heat loss. In the Summer, the Northern windows will be shaded by a pergola covered (in perhaps a few years) by a deciduous vine of some sort or another. The windows are primarily sliders so they can be opened as wide as possible to capture the cool breezes on Summer evenings.

Kitchen window over the sink :

Finally, the windows have been designed to be roughly opposite each other on North and South sides to get those cross-breezes flowing. Also, the door onto the deck at the top of the stairs can be opened to act as a bit of a thermal chimney to draw hot air up the stairwell and out the door. We must be confident as we are not installing an air conditioner - though they could be famous last words!