 Energy Efficient Windows
Beautiful windows are possibly the most complex and interesting elements in the fabric of our homes. They provide light and fresh air and offer views that connect our interior living spaces with the great outdoors. However, ordinary windows can also represent a major source of unwanted heat gain in summer and significant heat loss in winter.
Today, remarkable new framing, glazing materials and window film have changed the energy performance of windows in a radical way.
Energy efficient windows will make your home more comfortable, dramatically reduce your energy costs and help to create a brighter, cleaner, healthier environment by reducing Australia’s gas emissions.
Window Rating
The Window Energy Rating Scheme (WERS) enables windows to be rated and labelled for their annual energy impact on a whole house, in any climate of Australia.
The aim of the scheme is to help consumers evaluate the relative energy performance of different types of windows and then make an informed decision suited to their needs. WERS is a program implemented by industry and underpinned by the Australian Window Association’s Accreditation Program. Independent of any one manufacturer, WERS is a fair, rigorous and credible system for rating the energy performance of windows.
 Why you should choose Energy Rated Windows
Energy Rating for Windows is here to stay. The federal government’s Australian Greenhouse Office helped to underwrite WERS as part of its commitment to improving energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the built environment.
Home resale value, comfort and amenity are improved by the use of high-performance windows. We have moved from an industry traditionally considered as providing a commodity building material to be sold on price alone into offering true consumer goods viewed as performance appliances for energy, noise and security.
WERS conforms to the alternative solution path for energy efficiency within the Building Code of Australia.
Window Energy Rating Scheme (WERS)
- Frequently Asked Questions
Terminology:
WERS Window Film Accreditation - Individual (WERS Accredited Individual)
WERS Window Film Accredited Licencee - Company (WERS Licencee)
Window films - Supplier WFAANZ Distributor (Film Pacific)
What is WERS?
The Window Energy Rating Scheme enables residential films to be rated and labelled for their energy and comfort impact on a whole house in any climate of Australia.
How does WERS work?
WERS ranks residential films for the energy performance in typical housing across Australia. Some window films are better in heating (cold) climates, some are better in cooling (warm) climates, while others are all-rounders. Custom-rated films get from zero to 5 stars for each of cooling and heating performance, depending on how much they rank against the alternatives.
WERS is independent of any one manufacturer and acts as a fair, rigorous and credible system for testing performance claims. WERS-rated films must meet all relevant Australian standards. The scheme forms part of the quality assurance that smart manufacturers offer their customers. It is all about certified performance.
Who is the association responsible for WERS?
The Australian Window Association (AWA) manages the Window Energy Rating Scheme.
Why should I get my products rated?
Energy rating for windows and films is here to stay. Certified energy performance is an essential part of the information that professional companies provide to their customers. The federal government's Australian Greenhouse Office is helping to underwrite WERS as part of its commitment to improving energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse emissions from the built environment. The market profile and returns from high-performance windows are increasing rapidly. Gone are the days when windows and films were just a commodity to be sold on price alone. WERS will be referenced by AS 2047 and the Building Code of Australia.
How do I get WERS accredited?
As a window tinter, you can get WERS accredited by firstly becoming a paying member of the WFAANZ and the companies that the WERS Accredited Individual works for must be a WFAANZ member. Memberships can be made in both on an individual and on a business level. Then you and your staff members who want individual accreditation must have passed the Flat Glass Tinting exam. After that, you and your staff are required to attend a WERS for Film Accreditation course, which will complete your WERS accreditation. The WFAANZ member (company) at which the WERS Accredited Individual works will be issued with a certificate for use in the office, which advertises that the company is a WERS Window Film Accredited Licencee.
How much does it cost?
WERS Licencee membership will be renewable annually ($300 plus GST)
WERS Accredited Individual will be renewable annually ($100 plus GST)
Isn't Australia's climate so mild that window energy efficiency doesn't matter?
Not at all, Australia has many climates, hot and cold. Unwanted heat gain is just as big an issue as heat loss and most windows still lag far behind other parts of the building envelope. New tint film, glazing and frame technologies enable performance that was impossible a decade ago. Energy efficiency is closely connected with comfort and amenity. Building owners want products that enhance the value of their properties.
What about highly ventilated houses - Does WERS assume windows are closed?
Not necessarily, the star ratings are based on the amount of energy a house is likely to use over a whole year, for heating and/or cooling. The NatHERS (National House Energy Rating Scheme) computer program makes this prediction. Even if you do not actually heat or cool, a good rating indicates comfortable conditions. A poor rating means comfort comes at a cost.
NatHERS uses real weather data and commonsense assumptions about the way people are likely to operate their windows. For example, if opening a window will help to cool a house in the summer, NatHERS will factor this in.
What about commercial glazing?
A non-residential, commercial building version of WERS (c-WERS) is planned. There are many technical similarities between WERS and c-WERS. If your company serves both markets, it makes sense to 'cut your teeth' on WERS now.
How are custom energy ratings produced?
The information needed to generate a WERS rating is furnished on a commercial-in-confidence basis to the rating agency by the manufacturer. This takes the form of drawings, computer CAD files and material specifications for the window components. Most windows can be rated entirely by a two-stage process of computer simulation. This is the preferred and most economical option.
The computer modelling software is the same as that used by the US National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC). It has been thoroughly validated against laboratory tests in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom - in all climates, hot and cold. WERS is truly international in its heritage and draws on over 100 person-years of R&D in 15 countries over the last decade.
Occasionally, unusual or complex products may need to be measured by physical testing to establish their basic thermal behaviour. After initial modelling or testing, a second stage of computer simulation follows using NatHERS, from which the final WERS rating is generated.
What film-specific properties does WERS take into account?
WERS takes account of
thermal transmittance (U-value or U-factor)
solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC)
What WERS Rating are available?
The WERS Program offers two levels of ratings so that all members of the residential window industry can afford to have their products rated.
Generic rating - The simplest and most economical method
A Generic rating assigns default, conservative star ratings and basic solar/thermal data to your product according to the closest match in the Generic Rating List of 27 products. The match is based only on a simple material description of the product.
The WERS Table of Window Performance, which assigns the Generic Ratings for your products, is part of the cost of the Basic Entry Package.
Custom Rating - The rating of choice for high-performance products
The cost of Custom Rating for specific products will be advised on request.
What are the other things I should know about WERS?
The WERS Accrediated Individual and the WERS Licencee will have to abide by the WFAANZ Code of Conduct. A breach of the Code of Conduct or audit compliance may result in the cancellation of the WERS accreditation.
The WERS accreditation is cross-linked between the WERS Accredited Individual and the WERS Licencee but the Licencee must have a current WERS Accrediated Individual working for it to display this certificate.
The WERS Licencee issues WERS for Film Rating Certificates to their customers that verify the WERS for film rating - which takes into account that the window complies with AS2047 standard.
The use of a WERS for Film Rating Certificate will be recorded, whether distributed with a quote or with an order, the Licencee’s accreditation number must be evident on the paperwork given to their client. The following records are kept:
Reference Code of Certificate and number of each certificate used
Name of Client
Client's Site address
Client's Contact details (address/phone/fax)
Date issued
The WERS Licencee will be audited annually by NATA accredited auditors.
Where can I find more information on WERS?
More information can be found on the following websites:
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