Geelong’s Southern Star Windows & Doors, which counts Metricon homes among its many customers, has launched its new Thermal Star™ range to meet Australia’s new home energy efficiency standards.
The local team set out to address the market’s needs by creating a product that both meets the new 7-star energy efficiency standards which came into force in May, while remaining cost effective for builders.
Headquartered in North Geelong, with manufacturing branches in Clayton South, Adelaide, Brisbane, Newcastle and Port Macquarie, the family-owned GMC member company specialises in quality timber (sold under the Canterbury Timber Windows & Doors brand) and aluminium window and door systems.
Manufacturing locally has advantages, says Group Marketing Manager Stephen Keane, who has lived in the region in Ocean Grove for the past five years.
“A huge part of home efficiency ratings is tied up with the quality of the windows and doors, because they represent the weakest spot thermally in your house. On a hot or a cold day, you will always feel the temperature most when you’re standing near your windows,” he says.
“The challenge for builders is the cost of improving windows and glazed doors – and often resorting to complete double glazing – to meet the new regulations. And that’s why we’ve created the Thermal Star™ aluminium range.
“We’ve made a product that helps builders achieve 7-star energy efficiency, while remaining cost competitive, through a combination of clever product design, and vertical integration of our manufacturing facilities.’
Southern Star Windows and Doors was established in 2002 with the purchase of Geelong Windows on Kelly Court off Separation Street. The residential housing boom has seen demand soar and the company employs more than 600, with more than a third of that number based in Geelong.
“We’re probably the largest window and door manufacturer in Victoria and one of the four biggest in the country,” Mr Keane said. He attributes this to the business really getting the the “four P’s of marketing” right: price, product, place and promotion.”
Southern Star Windows & Doors supply many of the largest builders in Australia, including Metricon Homes, Sherridon Homes, and more locally, Geelong Homes and Hamlan Homes.
Keane puts the ‘clever design’ of the Thermal Star™ range down to the inclusion of thermal breaks and inline reveals. Inline reveals are a design feature where the window frame is set flush with the interior wall or architrave, limiting heat or cold transfer. A thermal break is a material inserted between the inner and outer parts of a window frame – again limiting heat transfer.
Timber windows and doors are far better insulators that aluminium and don’t typically require a great deal of design change (beyond double glazing) to meet the new regulations.
But as they’re typically more expensive than aluminium windows and doors, the Canterbury Timber Windows & Doors brand enjoys much greater popularity with renovators and small builders than Southern Star Aluminium, which is more popular with volume builders.
Mr Keane recently replaced all the windows in his 1970s-built home.
“I’m reasonably close to the ocean, so aluminium was going to be always the best option for me just because the salt air tends to wear away the timber, whereas I think if I was a bit further inland I probably would have gone timber because I think they look really nice, and they tend to insulate a little better” he says.
Mr Keane says he came to work in Geelong “just expecting a couple of days a week sort of thing” but things took off and he is now the group marketing manager. “I love it here. I found out that it was actually much more interesting and fun than a window factory sounded.”
“Especially for the eco-conscious, in passive house design the windows and doors are such an important element and traditionally an area where Australia’s lagged behind a bit compared to the rest of the world.”