Thermally broken Residential Series ThermalHEART was used in a wide variety of products in a rural Waikato home that was comprehensively designed to achieve outstanding energy efficiency. Master builder Grant Stewart Building, working with the owners and Andrew Bydder Creative Designs, constructed a sleek, solar-powered contemporary dwelling that earned Grant the national award. The house earlier won the Waikato new home award in the $600,000-750,000 category.

Coincidentally, APL Window Solutions are the sponsor for the regional and national sustainability prizes in the annual competition, having commenced a multi-year arrangement with the Registered Master Builders organisation early in mid-2020.

The national prize-winning home, which sits amid 3.6ha of farmland, incorporated walls and floor pad designed to achieve maximum thermal gain and heat retention in the frosty South Waikato winters. Thermal mass was provided by polished concrete running inside all north-facing glazing and by an internal tilt slab running through the spine of the house. Programmable infrared heating panels throughout the house connect to a 3.2kw solar array on the roof, which also contributes to hot water heating.

The ThermalHEART units, supplied by Origin Windows, of Hamilton, had double glazing with Low-E coating and Argon gas fill for extra resistance to cold. Expansive glazing to the north, including two large sets of sliding doors, were designed for thermal gain, with smaller windows in south facing walls to reduce heat loss in winter. Thermally broken roof windows were included in the main passageway.