New Zealand’s climate is changeable and we need to build our homes to suit that. Depending on your location, you could be experiencing minus-zero temperatures, snow, strong winds or the harsh NZ sun and subtropical temperatures. Use of specialised double or triple glazing helps to control your environment and maintain a temperate climate inside, regardless of what’s happening outside.
Double & Triple Glazing
How does double or triple glazing work?
Double and triple glazing work on the same principle—the two or three layers of glass trap a layer of air between them, and Argon gas can be added for greater efficiency. Argon gas has only 67% thermal conductivity compared to air, so it’s a much poorer conductor of heat – which is good!
This means that the heat on the outside stays on the outside, and in the winter, the sub-zero temperatures stay outside. There is a spacer made from a polymer strip, that acts as the separator between the panels. This often contains a drying agent which removes any moisture that becomes trapped in the air space. Our polymer strip is more efficient than the standard issue spacer material you may be used to.
Triple glazing has three layers of glass panels and can include two layers of argon gas, making it incredibly efficient at keeping your home cool or warm.
What are the benefits of double or triple glazing?
Double glazing is now the minimum standard for much of New Zealand to help keep your home warmer in winter, and cooler in summer. Further improving performance through use of specialist glass and even triple glazing can help your home to meet green building standards, as it is a passive way to control heating and cooling of your home and results in a reduction of your energy bills, through not needing to use your electric heaters or air conditioners as much. In fact, heat loss can be halved by installing performance windows.
The benefits of double or triple glazing don’t stop there though. They are also excellent insulators against noise, so you don’t hear the noise from the street inside. The same goes in reverse, keeping the noise from your family contained inside. Again, incorporating specialist glasses such as Acoustic Laminate can provide greater protection over standard double or triple glazing.
Performance windows can also reduce the visibility of condensation. Condensation is excess humidity in the environment and will change to a liquid state on cooler surfaces, such as your windows. Those extra layers of glass and gas help to keep your windows warmer, and therefore less likely to attract condensation.
Double and triple glazing also keeps your home safer than traditional single panes of glass. They can be harder for would-be intruders to break, meaning your home is more secure and less likely to be a target for thieves. Having safety glass will also make your windows more resilient to breakage, accidental or deliberate.
Finally, your home is healthier – a warmer home is a healthier home.
Is triple glazing better than double glazing?
Triple glazing offers far better insulation properties than double glazing, but it’s a lot thicker due to that extra layer so may not be viable in all types of window frames.
The typical space between panes ranges between 6mm to 20mm. Optimal space is 12mm which is easily achieved in new joinery but possibly wider than can be achieved in retro-fit scenarios.
Triple glazing also is more expensive than single or double glazing so should be considered from a cost-benefit perspective, depending on location and requirements.
Why use Thermaseal for your double or triple glazed windows?
Thermaseal have a long history of delivering quality double and triple glazing in Canterbury and NZ.
We offer three glass tints, clear, green and grey, and on application (with some advance notice) it may also be possible to procure a blue tint. We can also package our performance upgrades to suit requirements and budget, with your choice of either Argon gas and/or Low E glass for optimal thermal performance, laminated glass for sound reduction, or a combination of these products.
Further choices include a range of obscure glasses and reflective glasses to give extra privacy, standard and electromagnetic pet doors or digitally printed patterns, photos or designs (more about this later).
We offer a ten year warranty on our double and triple glazed units and are an active member of the Glass and Window Association of NZ and our production plant is fully IGUMA certified (Insulating Glass Unit Manufacturers Association), so you know your windows will be in great condition for many years to come.
Retrofitting double glazing
We are specialists in retrofitting double glazing. We convert existing single glazed aluminium windows to our unique powder coated beading system double glazed windows. Retrofitting can offer significant cost savings compared to complete replacement of your windows, and around 90% of older aluminium frames can be successfully retrofitted.
We can retrofit any window size, shape and colour, matching all joinery colours as closely as possible to the original colour.
Physical Address
Waterloo Business Park
926 Halswell Junction Road
(between Waterloo & Pound Road)
Islington, Christchurch
Consultation Hours
Open 8am – 5pm Mon-Thu,
8am – 4pm Friday
(appointments preferred but not essential)
Contact Us
Part of The Hagley Group
