NZ H1 window procurement should connect the ordered window construction to the thermal envelope design and the compliance route selected for the building. Start with the project team’s window schedule and design assumptions, then compare those references with the proposed frame, glazing and opening arrangement. A glass description or a supplier’s general thermal claim cannot establish how the complete window fits the building’s H1 assessment.
As at 2 October 2026, the version question also matters. MBIE’s H1/AS1 sixth edition is effective from 27 November 2025, but MBIE states that the previous edition of H1/AS1 can continue to be used to demonstrate compliance until 26 November 2026. This guide focuses on the purchasing documents and that transition. It does not prescribe project thermal values or replace the local designer’s assessment.
NZ H1 window procurement starts with the chosen edition
The official H1/AS1 sixth-edition page identifies its scope as all housing and other buildings up to 300 square metres. It describes the thermal-envelope calculation method and states that the schedule method has been removed from this sixth edition. Read those statements together with the edition date rather than treating a search snippet as a complete description of the current project options.
The MBIE sixth-edition transition information says the previous edition of H1/AS1 can be used to demonstrate compliance until 26 November 2026. Consequently, it would be misleading to say the schedule method is already prohibited for every project today. Have the project designer identify the edition and pathway actually being used, including whether the previous-version transition applies to the proposed consent documentation.
Do not decide the compliance route from the supplier quotation
The buying company should obtain the building’s compliance basis from its responsible local team. A quotation can describe products and supporting evidence, but it does not decide whether a particular acceptable solution, verification method or other route is appropriate for the project. Keep the identified document edition and the design reference beside the window schedule so that product comparison uses the same assumptions.
This article explains H1/AS1 version scope and procurement coordination. It does not set out H1/VM1 modelling rules, because those details need a separate review of the applicable official text and the actual building design. If the designer uses another route, request the purchasing information relevant to that route rather than adapting an H1/AS1 description into a substitute calculation without technical review.
Keep thermal procurement distinct from the wider window package
H1 is the energy-efficiency part of the discussion. Window selection also depends on the project’s other requirements and its installation conditions. Our broader guide to windows from China for New Zealand projects discusses the wider procurement question. This page has a narrower purpose: connecting the proposed window construction with the H1 design documents and the current H1/AS1 transition.
Do not present an Australian window report or an Australian rating label as automatic proof of New Zealand H1 compliance. Likewise, a statement that a window is suitable for New Zealand needs to be connected to the particular project requirements. Keep thermal evidence, other performance evidence and installation details separately identifiable so that one document is not used to imply it resolves every approval question.
Identify every scheduled opening
Begin with a schedule containing an item code, location, quantity, overall dimensions, opening configuration and drawing reference. Identify fixed and opening portions clearly. Where similar windows appear in different rooms or elevations, retain their separate codes if the design assumptions or configurations differ. This makes it easier to connect the purchasing proposal with the information used by the project designer.
Include unusual openings and changed versions instead of hiding them in a general series description. A large fixed window, a smaller opening window and a combined arrangement may share an external appearance but still need separate review. Ask the local team which distinctions matter to the thermal assessment. Do not invent a universal rule that one product report covers every size and opening arrangement in a project schedule.
Describe the glazing construction precisely
Record the proposed glazing construction using the product information required by the designer. Identify the panes, coatings, cavity arrangement and other specified components without replacing them with a broad marketing term such as energy-efficient glass. Where the supplier proposes a different construction, show the original and proposed descriptions side by side so that the design team can review the change.
A sample can show appearance, including colour or reflection, but it is not a complete thermal document. Keep appearance review separate from the evidence used in the design assessment. If a coating description, cavity detail or product reference is unconfirmed, leave that field open until it is resolved. Do not fill the gap with an assumed construction simply because it is common in another supplier’s range.
Keep frame and opening details beside glass details
Request the proposed frame description and the drawing that identifies the actual opening arrangement. Where thermal performance information is supplied, ask the project designer to confirm which construction and configuration it addresses. The connection between the documents and the ordered product is more useful than a general claim about an entire window series. Record any limitations instead of assigning the same statement to every scheduled item.
Opening hardware can also change what is being ordered. Our window hardware specification guide discusses the information needed to identify hardware. Keep handles, hinges, locking arrangements and operating descriptions aligned with the accepted drawing. A product selected for its thermal evidence should not later acquire a different opening arrangement without the responsible team reviewing whether the associated information remains applicable.
Sourcing this for a construction project?
FBM Sourcing works with Developers · General Contractors · Builders · Commercial Project Owners · Interior Design & Construction Companies · FF&E Solution Providers. Send us your BOQ, drawings or product list — our team will review it and get back to you.
Read thermal evidence as product information
Ask for the document that supports the performance information proposed for the window, together with its stated product description and scope. The responsible technical reviewer should be able to identify how it relates to the frame, glazing and configuration in the purchase proposal. A detached number copied into an email can lose that connection and may conceal whether it describes glass or an assembled product.
Do not confuse a glazing-only value with a whole-window description. Ask the designer to specify the evidence needed for the chosen pathway and how it is to be presented. This guide supplies no generic thermal threshold, no assumed conversion and no claim that one value proves the building satisfies H1. The project assessment must use the relevant design assumptions and evidence for the actual building.
Keep the calculation assumptions traceable
For a project using H1/AS1 sixth edition, connect the product comparison with the designer’s calculation-method documents. Request the window references and assumptions that need to remain consistent when a product is selected. The buying team does not need to reproduce the entire design calculation in the supplier enquiry, but it does need enough information to avoid ordering a materially different assembly.
If a proposed change affects the information used by the designer, ask for that effect to be reviewed before acceptance. Do not describe it as a harmless substitution just because the overall window dimensions remain the same. A comparison should identify the changed construction, the evidence offered for it and the decision still needed from the project team. The accepted calculation and product description should tell the same story.
Installation interfaces remain part of the purchase discussion
Show the wall opening and the proposed installation interface on drawings that can be read alongside the window schedule. Identify which dimensions are confirmed and which need local measurement. The product proposal should make its fixing and surrounding-work assumptions visible rather than implying that a window delivered to site is a complete building-envelope design.
Ask the local designer and contractor to resolve the relevant junctions, adjacent materials and installation responsibilities. This is a coordination recommendation, not a list of additional H1 rules invented for the project. Where the window drawing shows surrounding work only for reference, label that boundary. Keep the purchasing description clear about the supplied assembly while the local team confirms how it will be integrated into the actual building.
Review alternatives without losing the original reference
If an alternative frame or glazing assembly is proposed, retain the original specification and mark the differences explicitly. Identify the affected item codes and the reason for considering the change. Ask the project designer to decide whether the change affects the thermal documents or other requirements. An alternative should remain a proposal until the responsible review has resolved those questions.
For New Zealand-specific context, MBIE product substitution guidance explains that applicants should describe the substituted product’s Building Code performance and its effect on other building work, and that the building consent authority considers the proposal. That guidance also warns about changed components in proprietary systems and certificate conditions. Do not turn a supplier’s assurance of equivalence into a substitute for the project’s review and approval requirements.
Use the transition date carefully
The previous-version transition is a document and project question, not a product characteristic. A window does not become suitable merely because it is ordered before a date. Have the local team confirm the edition being relied on and the applicable project treatment. Record that decision in the procurement brief so that every product proposal is compared against the same basis.
The date in MBIE’s information is 26 November 2026 for using the previous edition of H1/AS1 to demonstrate compliance. Keep that wording distinct from a delivery deadline or a promise that all projects can continue under an older method indefinitely. As projects and guidance change, the buying company should return to the official document rather than carrying an old date statement into later quotations without review.
Reconcile the drawings before confirming quantities
A window package often includes repeated units, handed versions and particular end conditions. Reconcile these with the latest elevations and schedule before confirming quantities. If a product proposal combines several item codes under one description, ask whether the construction and evidence are actually the same for each code. The schedule should keep important exceptions visible instead of treating similarity as proof of identity.
Our CAD and shop drawing guide explains how technical drawings support procurement enquiries. For H1-related window purchasing, the drawings should connect the accepted configuration with the product description supplied to the project designer. If a drawing revision changes the opening arrangement or glazing construction, carry that revision through the quotation and schedule rather than retaining an obsolete reference in one of the documents.
Make the enquiry understandable to the procurement team
Send the project location, building description, window schedule and current drawings with the identified H1 document edition and any thermal information the designer requires. Flag unresolved items clearly. Our guide to sending project BOQs and drawings explains the general enquiry package. A short, clear account of what has been decided is more useful than a folder of reports that are not linked to any scheduled product.
For the quotation, describe the supplied window construction and identify exclusions or locally completed work. Our BOQ quotation scope guide discusses these boundaries. Keep acceptance of a price separate from acceptance of an unresolved technical change. The final purchasing description should reflect the configuration reviewed by the project team, not an earlier illustration that happens to remain attached to the enquiry.
Carry the accepted construction into the order records
After the project team has accepted the product proposal, align the drawing revision, window schedule and purchase description. Identify the accepted frame and glazing references, configurations and evidence documents. Retain superseded proposals as project records, but mark which version is current. That makes later communication about the ordered product more precise without claiming a formal approval process that has not been established.
If a supplier proposes another adjustment after acceptance, show it as a changed proposal. Do not assume the earlier thermal review covers it. Ask the responsible designer which documents need to be revisited and record the resulting decision. This advice applies to keeping procurement information consistent; it does not assert that FBM Sourcing certifies H1 compliance or acts as the building consent authority.
Get a China procurement quote for your New Zealand project
FBM Sourcing manages the entire China procurement package for overseas construction projects. Send the window schedule, current drawings, quantities, project location and the H1 design references identified by your local team. Explain which product decisions have been resolved and which alternatives remain under review. For loose furniture in the same construction project, see our project furniture sourcing site.
All quotations, invoices and shipping documents are issued by FBM Sourcing — you deal with us, and we carry the responsibility. For suppliers you nominate, we charge a 5% commission; for products we source for you, we quote a direct price. QC consists of one inspection by our own team at the factory once bulk production is finished, before shipment, with photo and video records. Your own project team is welcome to attend the inspection with us.
Sourcing this for a construction project?
FBM Sourcing works with Developers · General Contractors · Builders · Commercial Project Owners · Interior Design & Construction Companies · FF&E Solution Providers. Send us your BOQ, drawings or product list — our team will review it and get back to you.
Frequently asked questions
When did H1/AS1 sixth edition take effect?
MBIE identifies 27 November 2025 as the effective date. Its published scope is all housing and other buildings up to 300 square metres.
Has the schedule method already been prohibited for every project?
No. It has been removed from H1/AS1 sixth edition, while MBIE states that the previous edition of H1/AS1 may be used to demonstrate compliance until 26 November 2026. The project team should confirm its applicable edition and pathway.
Does a glazing value establish the whole window performance?
Do not assume that it does. Have the designer identify the evidence needed for the selected route and connect it to the ordered frame, glazing and configuration.
Can Australian window documents establish New Zealand H1 compliance automatically?
No. Keep destination requirements and the project thermal assessment explicit. Evidence from another market should not be presented as automatic proof of New Zealand H1 compliance.
What should accompany an NZ window enquiry?
Send the window schedule, current drawings, quantities, location and the H1 edition and thermal information identified by the local project team. Mark proposed alternatives and unresolved decisions clearly.
