New Zealand’s largest glass plant, AGP (Architectural Glass Products), are producing high-performance glazing units designed for New Zealand conditions and thermal performance. So much so, The AGP System units and Solux-E low-E coating already meet the specifications required under the government’s strengthened Building Code H1 energy efficiency standards that will be fully phased in over the next year or so.

A sister company of APL Window Solutions, AGP opened its doors in 2020 as a custom-built, world class facility at Hautapu, near Cambridge. Their focus is on the manufacture of insulated, high-performance double-glazed units (The AGP System) with Argon gas fill, an Architectural Thermal Spacer and Solux-E Low-E coating for optimum thermal efficiency. All of these product features will be requirements when the H1 standards are fully phased in. The changes will see high performing Low-E double glazing become the norm around New Zealand along with thermally broken window frames.

‘The AGP System’ describes a multi-faceted insulated glass unit which incorporates panes of glass that are made using a highly automated, precision process to ensure their consistent, distortion-free appearance. A warm-edge spacer (ATS – Architectural Thermal Spacer) bonds the two glass panes to create an airtight seal to ensure the best retention of Argon gas used in the system. Argon gas is used as an insulator to create an additional barrier to heat loss and heat absorption, improving the system’s thermal performance.

The new H1 code requirements are part of the long-term vision to reduce the energy needed to heat new homes and achieve carbon net zero 2050. AGP’s low-emissivity coating, Solux-E, has been specially formulated for New Zealand conditions, to not just optimise household heat retention but also to reduce solar overheating in the summer. Solux-E reduces winter heat loss by 59% better when compared to standard double glazing and is already being used to create warmer, healthier homes.

David Bunting, of AGP, said that the plant’s operation had been designed to produce high performance double-glazed units including the specification that the H1 changes entail. “We are already producing the products that the new code requires. It’s straightforward to ramp up production to meet the expanded demand.”

The company has high production capacity and anticipates no problems in supplying the New Zealand market as it grows.