Don’t get me wrong - I love this country. But there are things about it that are just beyond me. Which is why I thought maybe some of you can help me make sense of it all.

Enigma # 1 - double glazed windows.

I don’t get why they didn’t become a standard thing any house can’t be imagined without. Initially I thought that only the old houses still have the regular windows because people won’t be bothered replacing them, but I’ve checked and the majority of new projects don’t have double-glazed windows included, it’s an expensive extra - when it should be the standard.

Australian climate has such extreme temperatures and the houses have such big windows that it’s doesn’t make any sense to use regular windows as all the heat escapes through them quickly in winter and in the summer it’s the opposite, they don’t protect the house from sun.

Dare I say that a good way to start would be for our government to introduce rebates, same as they did for the solar systems and insulation. If we’re talking about conservation of energy - it would save tons because we’d use less gas and electricity to heat and cool our houses.

Enigma # 2 - automated window furnishings.

I didn’t come up with this one myself, a letter I received from a reader gave me a push, but nonetheless - why aren’t motorized shutters and blinds popular? Rum Charles, the principal consultant from Indigo Training says that according to his research only 0.5% (not even one percent!) of all the shutters in Australia are motorized.

Thinking about this, it would make so much sense, especially for the external shutters - why do we need to go outside, when it’s blazing hot, and use some kind of hook to pull the thing down, why not just press a button?

Is it about the money? Rum doesn’t think so and I agree - all the other things in the house evolved and the hi-tech version costs more. Still, we now have microwaves in addition to ovens, we have dishwashers in addition to sinks, we have air conditioning in addition to fans, and the list goes on.

I understand that it might not occur to people that motorized shutters can me so much more convenient and safe - but why doesn’t it occur to the professionals, the designers, the building companies, people who make living designing and building our houses?

And now I would love to hear what you think. If you have any insight, or simply want to speak up and be heard - leave a comment on this post or email me to chris@homeiown.com. You opinion matters.

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