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Certifications, Accreditations & Australian Standards

Every window company says its products are high quality. None of them say the opposite. So the claim tells you nothing.

What tells you something is who verified it. Accreditation, independent testing and published performance ratings are the difference between a supplier asserting quality and a supplier able to demonstrate it – and they’re all things you can check for yourself.

This page explains what each accreditation and standard means, how to read a performance rating, and how to verify any supplier’s claims, including ours.

The accreditations we hold

AGWA – Australian Glass & Window Association

The industry body for glass and window manufacturers in Australia. AGWA develops technical guidance for the sector, contributes to the Australian Standards that govern our products, and administers the WERS energy rating scheme.

What it means for you: AGWA members work to the association’s technical standards and have access to its accreditation programs. It also means the manufacturer is engaged with the standards side of the industry rather than operating outside it.

 

HIA – Housing Industry Association

Australia’s residential building industry association. Membership connects manufacturers, builders and trades working in residential construction.

What it means for you: we work to residential construction requirements as a matter of course, and we’re accountable within the industry body that represents that sector.

 

NATA-accredited testing

NATA is the National Association of Testing Authorities – the body that accredits laboratories in Australia. A NATA-accredited laboratory has been independently assessed as technically competent to carry out the specific tests it performs.

This is the part that matters most, and it’s the easiest to gloss over.

When a window system is tested at a NATA-accredited laboratory, the result is produced by a third party with no commercial interest in the outcome. When a manufacturer says its products are “tested,” ask where. In-house testing and NATA-accredited testing are not the same claim.

 

WERS – The Window Energy Rating Scheme

WERS is Australia’s energy rating system for windows and glazed doors. It’s administered by AGWA and accredited by the Australian Fenestration Rating Council (AFRC), with ratings third-party certified to AFRC protocols and compliant with the National Construction Code.

It exists so you can compare two windows on the same basis rather than on marketing language.

How to read a WERS rating

A WERS rating carries more than one number, and they answer different questions.

Two star ratings, not one

Every rated product gets separate star ratings for heating and for cooling, each on a 10-star scale. A window can be good at one and mediocre at the other.

This matters in Sydney. Our climate is cooling-dominated for much of the year, so the cooling star rating and the SHGC figure behind it often deserve more weight than the heating rating — the opposite of how you’d choose in Hobart or Canberra.

U-value (Uw)

The rate of heat transfer through the whole window — frame and glass together, not just the glass. Lower is better. A low U-value means the window resists heat moving through it in either direction.

SHGC – Solar Heat Gain Coefficient

How much of the sun’s heat passes through the window, expressed between 0 and 1. Lower means less solar heat gets in.

Lower isn’t automatically better. On a north-facing living room in a cool climate, some solar gain is useful in winter. On a west-facing Sydney window taking late afternoon summer sun, a low SHGC is exactly what you want. Orientation changes the answer.

Air infiltration

How much air leaks through the closed window. Drives draughts, and contributes to acoustic performance.

 

A realistic benchmark

High-performance aluminium windows in Australia typically sit around 6–7 stars for heating and 4–5 stars for cooling. Ten stars represents a theoretically perfect window that doesn’t exist in production. If someone quotes you a number well outside that range, ask to see the certificate.

 

The standards behind the products

AS 2047 — Windows and external glazed doors in buildings

The core product standard. It sets requirements for materials, construction, installation and glazing, and requires physical testing for structural performance under serviceability load, operating force, air infiltration, water penetration resistance and ultimate strength.

Compliance isn’t optional — it’s referenced by the National Construction Code.

AS 1288 — Glass in buildings: selection and installation

Governs which glass type and thickness is required for a given application, and how it must be installed. It’s what determines whether an opening needs toughened or laminated glass, and it covers human impact safety requirements for doors and low-level glazing.

AS 4055 — Wind loads for housing

Determines the wind classification for your site — N1 to N6 in non-cyclonic regions like Sydney. It drives which window systems are suitable for your openings.

We’ve covered this in detail on our wind and weather performance page.

Where these fit together

AS 4055 tells you what your site demands. AS 2047 tells you what the window can withstand. AS 1288 tells you what glass goes in it. WERS tells you how it will perform thermally once installed. A supplier who can speak to all four is specifying your windows. One who can’t is selling you a size.

 

How to verify any supplier’s claims

You don’t have to take our word for any of this, and you shouldn’t take anyone else’s either. Most of it is publicly checkable:

  • WERS ratings are published in AGWA’s Certified Product Directory, listed against the manufacturer’s name. If a product is rated, the figures are there to look up.
  • AGWA membership can be confirmed through the association directly.
  • HIA membership is verifiable through it’s respective member listings.
  • NATA-accredited laboratories are listed publicly by NATA. If a supplier names the lab that tested their systems, you can confirm its accreditation and scope.
  • Test certificates should be available on request. A manufacturer who can’t produce one for a system they’re quoting is worth a second question.

If a supplier is reluctant to name a lab, produce a certificate, or give you a WERS figure, that reluctance is itself information.

 

What to ask when comparing quotes

Six questions that will separate quotes faster than comparing prices:

  1. What wind classification is my site, and what did you base it on?
  2. Is this system AS 2047 tested, and to what serviceability pressure?
  3. What’s the water penetration resistance rating?
  4. Who tested it — which NATA-accredited laboratory?
  5. What’s the WERS rating, and the U-value and SHGC?
  6. Does the glazing meet my BASIX certificate requirements?

These aren’t gotcha questions. Any manufacturer specifying properly will have the answers to hand. The point is that most quotes are compared on price and delivery time, and those six questions surface differences that price alone hides.

 

Frequently asked questions

What is a WERS rating?

WERS is the Window Energy Rating Scheme, administered by AGWA and accredited by the Australian Fenestration Rating Council. It gives windows separate star ratings for heating and cooling on a 10-star scale, along with U-value, SHGC and air infiltration figures.

What’s the difference between U-value and SHGC?

U-value measures how much heat transfers through the whole window — lower is better. SHGC measures how much solar heat passes through — lower means less heat gets in. In Sydney’s cooling-dominated climate, SHGC often matters more, particularly on west-facing openings.

What is AS 2047?

The Australian standard for windows and external glazed doors in buildings. It requires physical testing for structural performance, operating force, air infiltration, water penetration resistance and ultimate strength. It’s referenced by the National Construction Code, so compliance is mandatory.

What does NATA-accredited testing mean?

NATA is the National Association of Testing Authorities. A NATA-accredited laboratory has been independently assessed as competent to perform specific tests. It means the result came from a third party, not from the manufacturer’s own bench.

How do I check if a window company is accredited?

AGWA, HIA and Master Builders all maintain member listings. WERS ratings are published in AGWA’s Certified Product Directory against the manufacturer’s name. NATA publishes its accredited laboratories. Most claims in this industry are checkable in a few minutes.

Do I need WERS-rated windows?

In NSW, residential work carries a BASIX certificate setting U-value and SHGC targets your glazing has to meet. WERS ratings are the standard way of demonstrating those figures, so in practice you’ll need rated products for most new builds and major renovations.

 

Talk to us about your project

We’re happy to walk through the specification for your site – wind classification, glazing performance and what your BASIX certificate requires – before you’re anywhere near committing to an order.

 

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