Water Efficiency
Survey information from the Water Corporation shows that only 32 kilolitres of water is used during a typical construction process. But despite this relatively low water usage, much can be done to reduce water consumption in a new home. The key to reduce poor water usage is to reduce water pressure. Triple A rated showerheads […]
Thermal Mass
Thermal mass is often talked about as vital for good passive-solar design. Thermal mass in WA is easier to provide that you think, purely due to the materials we prefer to build with. The installation of concrete floors and brick walls provides the thermal mass of our buildings. We must make sure that it works […]
Solar Panels
Solar Panels, known as Photovoltaic (P.V.) cells convert sunlight directly into electricity. The first PV silicon cells were invented in 1954 in the United States by 3 men working at the famous telephone company Bell Labs. Since that day PV cells have been used to provide power to everything from satellites in space to remote outback farms. […]
Rainwater Tanks
With downpipes placed strategically around a home you could collect about 80 per cent of rainwater from the roof area. The Water Corporation suggests that with a roof area of around 100 square metres and our recent average rainfall of around 750mm per year, you can collect over 80,000 litres of water, saving money and […]
Solar Systems Installed in Australia
Residential 1kW systems are most common at the moment due to the Federal Government Rebate funding up to a maximum of a 1000 watt (1kW) system. A lot of customers are installing 2 or 3 kW inverters in their systems however so that they can add additional capacity in the future as power get […]
Solar Power System
The Solar Panels collect the sunlight and create energy. They are attached to the roof by high strength rails able to withstand wind, rain and hail. The energy flows through to the Inverter which converts the current from Dc to AC (to usable household power). A Bi-directional meter records the amount of power being […]
Passive Solar Design
Passive solar design techniques often require little or no extra capital outlay but can provide more comfortable living conditions and reduce demand on energy for space heating or cooling. Taking advantage of natural sunlight to provide winter warmth and planning for suitable shading for summer will save money and improve comfort levels in your new […]
Insulation Types
Loose Fill Loose fill materials include cellulose fibre and mineral wool, and is mainly used as ceiling insulation. It is simply pumped into the roof space, or sometimes the wall cavity. Since there’s no cutting, fitting or stapling it’s one of the fastest and easiest insulation types to install. Cellulose has been rated currently (by […]
Greywater
Both the mandatory installation of rainwater tanks and the installation of piping to allow a greywater system in new housing are being considered by the state government as part of its planned 5 Star Plus Stage 2 changes to building regulations. While the installation of rainwater tanks is quite straightforward (except for what size tanks […]
Embodied Energy
Buildings and energy use When we talk about a “sustainable building” we mainly focus on the energy it consumes and how the building can be designed to be more sustainable, but the design and construction of the building impacts the environment well before we occupy it when it is finished. Technical Adviser Romina De Santis […]