Comet Awning Windows — Our 50mm Residential Workhorse
Comet is the system most Melbourne homes we supply end up with — a 50mm residential range covering awning sashes, casements and fixed lites that balances tested performance against cost. Every figure below comes from our AS 2047 test reports and certified WERS ratings.
What it is and where we use it
Comet is our 50mm residential workhorse — awning and casement sashes and fixed lites off shared sections, plus bay configurations using 135-degree couplers and 90-degree corner posts. Alongside Apollo and Titan it's one of three residential awning systems we build that share hardware and glazing options but sit at different performance points. In our experience the choice between the three is usually driven by the wind rating your engineer specifies and the sightline you want, not by the energy numbers, which are close across the three.
Wind rating and tested performance
Our Comet awning tested to N4 in the general position under AS 2047, with serviceability of 800 Pa, ultimate of 2000 Pa and 300 Pa water resistance. In the corner position it rated N3.
The test report also records a second general-position figure of N3, which reflects a different position and exposure condition on the house. We'd rather tell you that plainly than quote you the higher number and have it not apply: which rating governs depends on where the window sits and how exposed it is, so we confirm it against your site classification and the window's position before we commit to it on a compliance certificate.
Energy performance and glazing options
Double glazed, a Comet awning reaches a whole-window U-value of about 3.0 with a good Low-E unit, and a Comet fixed lite reaches 2.2 — the standard-frame end of the like-for-like comparison on our thermally broken page, where the same glass in our 50mm thermally broken frame gains a further 1.0 to 1.1 on an awning.
Sashes take 4, 5 or 6mm single glazing, 8 to 12mm wet glazed, or double glazed units from 18 up to 24mm. Fixed lites take 4 to 12mm single glazing and double glazed units up to 24.76mm.
Sizes and configurations
Awning sash sizes are governed by stay hardware and glass weight rather than the frame — we work to roughly 40kg on a hook head, and double glazing is significantly heavier than single, so a sash that works single glazed may need splitting when double glazed. Bay windows are available using the 135-degree bay coupler, and square bays with the 90-degree corner post. We'd confirm maximums against your specific configuration before quoting.
Hardware
Chain winders are the standard operator — a single winder for sashes from roughly 635mm up to 1000mm and a double winder above that, in silver, brown, white, black, primrose and white birch, plus a stainless-steel-chain option. Cam handles are the alternative where a project prefers them.
What we'd recommend it for
Typical Melbourne residential work up to an N4 general-position requirement: bedrooms, bathrooms and kitchens where an awning's rain-shedding and sealing suit the room, with fixed Comet lites for the large picture openings where energy performance matters most. If your site classification pushes past what Comet's corner rating covers, Apollo or Titan is usually the next conversation.