09 Feb Energy Efficient Homes Blue Mountains
Looking at how to save some money with rising interest rates?
…. more energy-efficient homes in the Blue Mountains & Western Sydney may soon be here 🕺💃.
The more energy efficient your home is, the less you need to turn your heater on in winter or air con in summer.
That means lower power bills and big savings to your monthly budget. Imagine halving your power bills and reduce carbon emissions and temperatures around the world.
Good one Blue Mountains Councillors who have signed up to climate action proposals. We congratulate you on being proactive and investing in our future.
Homes may have to adopt a minimum 7 star energy rating in the national construction code. Even though passive homes are rated well above 7 stars, we’re stoked… there’s change in the wind.
How to achieve 7 stars + and reduce your power bills
For new or existing homes it’s not just one thing that makes an energy efficient home and improve the energy star rating.
Here are some simple things you can do to new or existing homes:
1 – Be aware of the size and the orientation of the building in regards to the daylight sun eg long side of the house is ideally facing north (not always possible). Winter sun will naturally warm your home and keep the summer sun out of your home. The layout of the house, the positioning of the living and sleeping areas is also important.
2 – The biggest bang for your dollar by far is having adequate insulation in your ceiling. In the Blue Mountains a minimum of R4 in the ceilings we’ve found, can change the temperature inside the home substantially. Insulating the external walls is a game changer as most mountains homes are uninsulated.
3 – Draughts and gaps should be minimal to reduce heat transfer into and out of a home. This is a big feature of passive homes and the number of exchanges of air in and out of a home. This includes the services going into and out of the home such as electrics, plumbing, stoves with chimneys. Sealing gaps is also relatively cheap compared with more windows or double glazing.
4 – Is double or triple glazed glass used and what’s the size and positioning of the windows (to allow solar gain or are they shaded by trees or eaves throughout the year).
5 – Ideally you want windows to be shaded in summer (with eaves, pergolas, deciduous plants) and allow the winter sun in. If your site doesn’t have this then passive house features will assist
6 – Then your choice in materials and construction method of the roof, walls, windows and flooring will affect the energy efficiency of your home.
These are simple things to consider, and all the more challenging when you’re in a bushfire zone, or a tricky Blue Mountains and Western Sydney blocks.
They are often with views not facing north! Or with trees, on a slope, or in bushfire or nature zones with limited winter sun.
This is why getting an experienced energy efficient / solar passive / passive house designer can help you design a home that’s comfy all year round and save you money on your power bills with some simple design elements.
Damir says “Understanding that these features are a long term investment makes me sleep well at night. Because I’m being proactive about saving energy and reducing my power bill. I won’t get bill shock in my home as it has passive house features, even with increases in energy prices, inflation or interest rate hikes”.