Get Started With The Perfect Design
Decide what your goals are and create an outline for what you want to achieve. Work dose, with your architect, designer and builder, to plan and create a home that is not Just functional but also energy efficient. With some careful research and planning you can design a home that will grow with your family's needs for many years to come.
Passive Housing
Make the most of your solar gain opportunities with a north facing orientation. Not having access to the sun in the winter months, particularly in your living areas, will have a surprising effect on your power bill. Positioning your garage and utility areas — which are used for small amounts of time — on the south facing side of your home will allow you more north facing living area.
Insulation
Good quality insulation helps keep the heat in during winter and out during summer. This makes your house easier an cheaper to heat properly, and more comfortable and healthy to live in. The priority for insulating your home should be to invest as much as you can into installing a high level of insulation. The comfort levels and cost savings over time will more than pay back the investment.
Glazing Options
There are plenty of options these days for aluminum windows in your new home. Glazing choices are an important option to consider. Options to reduce UV and minimize heat loss will impact upon your year-round comfort in your new home. Thermal performance is becoming increasing, important to many home owners. You can upgrade your double glazing with added extras Iike argon gas, low E options, max or thermally broken aluminum to maximise your R-Value.
Flooring
While the type of flooring you choose in your home can make a small amount of difference in keeping your home warm or cool depending on the season, the best way to increase your R-value is by upgrading your concrete slab. Maximising the insulation inside your foundation can save you a lot of money on power bills, by stopping the heat loss through the slabs perimeter and giving your home a comfortable temperature all year round.
Water Heating
There are several different types of water heating options available. You have the choice of electric hot water cylinders, gas hot water options, wetback and solar powered hot water cylinders. All of these have their pros and cons so this area deserves some careful consideration when choosing the best type of hot water system for your family's needs.
Solar Power
Photovoltaic (PV), solar panels can seem an attractive option — who doesn't want lower elect bills and clean green energy? However, before you can enjoy a sun-powered home, you'll want to find out if solar panels stack up for you. You will need to look at things like how much power the panels generate (which is greatly influenced by pitch and position of your roof), how much of that you use, how much power prices and buy-back rates rise or fall over the lifetime of your panels, and the lifetime cost of the system, including any repairs. Assessing your property for PV suitability essentially comes down to two factors: the power a system can generate and how much of that power you can use.
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