What are aluminium windows?
Aluminium windows are lightweight, strong and easily formed into complex shapes. They are available in anodised and powder coat finishes that are extremely durable and need little maintenance.
As a popular and economical frame choice, aluminium windows come in a wide variety of colours to match your home, but it's important to choose carefully as powder coated surfaces cannot be repainted.
The biggest disadvantage of aluminium windows is its poor thermal performance. It readily conducts heat, raising the U-value of the whole window unit. In hot climates aluminium windows easily conduct unwanted heat through the frame.
In addition, the bigger or bulkier the frame, the more heat it absorbs, retains and projects. In cold climates, these frames can easily become cold enough to allow condensation or frost to form on inside surfaces.
This can mean having to wipe them every cold morning to reduce the risk of mould and water damage to curtains or blinds – or even paintwork in severe cases.
Thermally enhanced frames, where the interior and exterior frame components are insulated from each other, can overcome these problems but they do come at a cost. Another method for reducing heat conduction is to use a composite frame - aluminium outside and timber inside.
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