How to improve the comfort, value and performance of your property

Australian homeowners are missing out on the opportunity to add real value to their homes by not making the most of their renovations.

The current consumer appetite for renovation is reflected in data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, which highlights the number of people across Australia pouring money into their properties, with New South Wales homeowners spending $1.9 billion on home renovations¹.

High performance homes use fewer resources by using smart, energy efficient design and technology and sustainable, environmentally friendly products. Once considered ‘unaffordable’, energy efficient products are now more commonly available, so pricing has improved significantly helping make high performance homes more attainable.

“The rising interest in home renovations is visible everywhere. You can’t turn on the TV without seeing a renovation show, as people become more conscious of upgrading their properties,” explains Viridian’s Home Comfort General Manager, Daniel Black.

“While much of the focus of TV renovation shows is on quick fix solutions and aesthetic benefits, Australians looking to transform their properties into high performing homes need to consider changes that offer long term benefits.”

“Renovators need to look beyond the obvious options such as painting walls and installing solar panels and consider changes that impact the long term comfort, value and performance of their property,” Daniel adds.

To make the most of your home renovations it’s crucial to understand the different glazing solutions and how they impact your living space, these include:

• Low E single glazed products set the benchmark for good glazing. Low E glass offers improved insulation over ordinary glass by around a third, and can typically deliver a 10 per cent to 25 per cent reduction in heating and cooling costs depending on the climate and design.

• Double glazed windows have two glass panels in the same frame, separated by a small gap filled with either air or a nontoxic gas such as argon. This sealed gap between the two panes acts as an added layer of insulation reducing the amount of heat that can escape. As double glazing is now more commonly available, its pricing has improved significantly, so it’s well worth considering to help maintain comfortable temperatures in your home all year round

• High performance double glazing is the best option in terms of enhancing your property’s insulation. High performance insulating glass units (IGU) work by keeping the cold outside and reflecting the warmth from the fire or heater back inside your home. An example of high performance double glazing is Viridian’s new LightBridge™ range which offers a combination of enhanced insulation, security and noise reduction properties for residential windows

For more information on the options available to you with Viridian’s LightBridge™ range, click here

¹Australian Bureau of Statistics December 2014

The Living Space is brought to you by Viridian New World Glass.