The new Residential Series ThermalHEART™ range positions Altherm, First and Vantage window and door manufacturers to respond creatively to a wider range of customer and regulatory preferences on glazing, thermal conductivity, and product features. Products include fixed, awning and casement windows, sliding, stacking and bi-folding windows and doors, and hinged and French doors.

The new suite is an upgrade to APL’s residential thermal series launched some years ago which has been widely used around New Zealand. Enhanced ThermalHeart+™ will be progressively rolled out nationwide in the next 12 months.

“This updated product offering is the first step in a comprehensive redesign and repositioning of our product portfolio,” said an APL spokesperson. “The updated Building Code H1 Clause offers us an opportunity to review and enhance our ability to meet customer requirements across the board, at all levels of product performance in both residential and commercial applications.”

The tougher insulation requirements are introduced this month (November 2022), though the northern part of the country, including Auckland, will have a two-step approach. The R-value for windows lifts to R0.37 (from the current R0.26) on 3 November, and then moves up to R0.46 from 3 November 2023. Other parts of the country must conform to R0.37 this month, increasing to R0.46 (zones 3-4) and R0.50 (zones 5-6) six months later, on 1 May 2023.

Double glazing with special features is required under the new provisions. Low-E coating (low-emissivity), as in Solux-E from Architectural Glass Products (AGP), will be required on double-glazed units to increase their insulation value. Argon gas within the internal glazing space will also be required to add an extra level of insulation. An air space will not comply.

In preparation for these changes, APL parent company, Profile Group, took steps in 2021 to put in place adequate manufacturing capacity to cope with the nationwide demand for ThermalHEART. Production capacity at the glass subsidiary, AGP, was also expanded to ensure that increased market demand for high quality, high-performance glazing units can be accommodated. AGP’s exclusive high-performance Low-E — Solux E, with its thermally improved spacers and Argon gas fill — meets the highest criteria of Low-E double glazing specified in the Building Code.