Sustainability from the Bottom Up

Learning and understaing what a sustainable lifestyle is all about, is the first step a homeowner should undertake. This first step towards sustainability at home is free with an abundant amount of information available through the internet. Just check out the list of websites below. Education is the most important tool in everyone's toolbox when undertaking a new building project or renovation. And remember that a good (passive solar) design shouldn't cost you anymore than a bad (and unsustainable) design.

Tips:

• Start by researching the internet (Google) for 'Sustainable Designs'
• When building a new home, look for a block orientation that allows for a passive solar design
• Look for a designer/builder with 'green' credentials
• When selecting a design, remember: 'Small is beautiful'
• Incorporate, where possible, green or sustainable building materials
• Ensure that your design meets to required energy star rating before finalising your plans
• Include energy and water saving fixtures in your specifications
• Remember that an energy efficient house design doesn't require 'large' heating or cooling systems. Smaller systems are almost always more energy efficient
• Make yourself a 'green & sustainable 'expert. Builders and trades will be impressed about your knowledge and will accept your advice
• Don't be afraid to use an outside expert to ensure that you get the sustainability you're asked for.

A lot can be gained by determining the best possible Northern orientation of your new home. When theliving space faces North, you will gain not only an abundance of natural light in your lounge and kitchen, but also will you get free additional warthm from the winter sun. For maximum benefit allow for large windows facing North and incorporate thermal mass (concrete/tiled floor) right behind these windows. By clever planning and designing it is possible to substantially reduce the heating needs of your home. Always make sure that allthose North facing windows all well shaded during the summer months!

Tips:

• Fixed eaves that shade windows in summer are a cheap investment.
• Avoid in-slab heating on the North side of your home. Let the sun do its job
• South facing bedrooms stay cooler in summer
• Keep shades always on the outside of the windows. Curtains on the inside are not an effective way of keeping heat out

Sealing your house is without any doubt the most efficient way of keeping energy (heat/cool) inside your home. Although many people will think that insulation and double glazing are more effective in keeping the home comfortable and cheap to run, sealing the holes in the walls, ceiling and floor should always be your number one priority. Walk around your home on a windy day and feel with your hand along windows, doors, wall vents and exhaust fans! You also can try this with an incense stick or tissue paper. You be amazed about the amount of air rushing through. All holes and gaps combined amount to roughly a permantly open window of 1.5 squaremeters. Air Genius technicians are well equipped to solve all these problems. Not only will your home be much more comfortable, when the sealing is done by a professional, you also will know that your home's indoor air quality hasn't been compromised.

Tips:

• Check for draughts on windy days: windows, doors, wall vents
• Are your combustible appliances back drafting? Have it checked
• Do you have those old fashioned wall vents? These are holes you don't need
• Down lights and man hole covers can be the cause of major energy leakage
• Renting your home?: Consider heat shrink film as temporary double glazing
• Always call an Air Genius technician to make sure it gets done right!

Insulation and ventilation are two smart ways of controlling temperature and comfort in your house. Insulating your ceiling, external walls and (sometimes) floor can provide a good thermal barrier and minimise temperature transfer between the inside and the outside. Proper placement of insulation is crucial to its performance: If 5% of the area to be insulated is missed, the overall effectiveness is reduced by 50%. Also remember that insulation does not stop air movement, and therefore can not be considered a sealing product ( see step 4). Ventilating your home is important in several ways: In summer it can help getting rid of excess heat. Opening windows and allowing cool breezes to flow through the house is a smart and cheap way of cooling a house down. This is called cross ventilation and should be part of a sustainable design. In winter, mechanical ventilation (or exhaust ventilation) will assist in can rid of kitchen smells and excess moisture from bathrooms & laundry. Toomuch moisture (or high relative humidity) is often the cause of mold growth on walls and dust mite growth. Two of the major triggers of childhood asthma!

Tips:

• Determine the appropriate thickness of insulation for external walls (standard is 90 mm).
• Never insulate over ceiling down lights, but keep a clearance of approx 200 mm around.
• When using blow-in insulation in ceiling, consider installation of fire-rated downlight covers.
• Insulating internal walls only benefits noise reduction. (great for bathrooms & laundry).
• It's the trapped air in batts that provide the insulation: never squash batts to make it fit!
• Make sure that ceilng batts are always fully fitted over the top of the external walls.
• Casement windows and double hung windows provide better cross ventilation than awning windows.
• When designing a home from scratch, determine the prevailing wind direction to maximise cross ventilation.
• Always ensure that ceiling exhaust fans have a draft stopper installed.
• Buy a relative humidity (RH) reader to learn about the humidity in your house: between 30 to 55% RH garantuees good indoor air quality

The last decade has seen a substantial increase in suppliers of double glazed windows and doors. In many cases home owners will pick their windows and doors to suit the design of their home without being aware of their performance. The WERS (window energy rating scheme) is a great tool to find out how efficient these products are. Be aware of the fact that windows and (glazed) doors are rated on their overall performance. This means that glass, frame, weather stripping and hardware are all considered in the rating. Double glazing in a poorly weather stripped, aluminium frame will not perform as well as the same glazing in a timber frame with high quality weather stripping and a good locking system.

Tips:

• Shade North & West facing glass: 50% of unwated heat gain is through windows
• If shading of windows is not practical, consider toned glass to reduce heat gain
• Size windows appropriate to the room: bedrooms don not need floor to ceiling windows!
• The space between the glass of double glaed windows matters: 6mm spacing is substantially less efficient than 12 mm spacing
• Double glazed, Low E windows allow winter sun in and reduce heat loss at night
• Double glazed skylights are great for living spaces, not for bedrooms

Next step is to look where and how to save on energy in your home. There are a number of no-cost strategies that will reduce your overall power consumption. Start with taking a look at your electrical appliances that are 24/7 on standby. You might not be aware of this, but many appliances like TV's and recorders are always consuming power. If you are just about to replace an old or broken appliance, shop around for one that gives you a high energy star rating. If there is no star label on the appliance, don't buy it! Ratings apply to both electrical and gas appliances. Your last step in this no-charge excercise is to lower the temperature setting on your heating and cooling systems, including the hot water system. Remember the simple rule that a 10 degree temperature difference between inside and outside will provide a good level of comfort. Adjust your thermostat accordingly. Least but not last: turn off that beer fridge in the garage!

Tips:

• Plasma TV's use more energy than LCD TV's
• Use a 'Future Switch' to turn off multiple appliances on standby power
• Purchase an indoor/outdoor thermometer to keep track of temperature changes
• Unplug your rechargeable battery charger once the light turns green
• Charge your mobile phone in the car during travel
• Avoid toys that need batteries

The lighting in your home is more important that you might think. It not only allows you to do things after it gets dark, it also can highlight certain features of your home and create the right kind of atmosphere. The reduce the energy consumption of your lighting, the first thing to do is replacing old lightbulbs with the more energy efficient variaties, such as CFL's and LED's. If you would like to make a big impact on your energy bill, stop using halogen lights. Especially the halogen down lights in your ceiling! Each downlight consumes about 50 to 60 watts and the attached transformer in you ceiling space uses an additional 10 watts or so. Check how many of these are turned on with one single switch! Remember that the more heat comes of your light, the more energy it wastes!

Tips:

• Most halogen down lights can be replaced with CFL's or LED's
• Avoid multiple lights being switched on with a single switch
• Consider fire rated downlight covers to be installed over down lights
• When renovating or building consider ceiling hugging fixturers over recessed lights
• Orientate living spaces to the North. This will reduce the need for artificial lighting
• Light (solar) tubes or light wells in the ceiling offer free natural light

Hot water use in a home accounts for a substantial part of the energy bill. As mentioned in step 5, first install water saving showerheads, water saving taps and water efficient appliances before purchasing an efficient hot water service. Choosing a solar hot water system is not easy. A good starting point are the many government websites where you can find information on the efficiency ratings and the available rebates. If your house is hooked up to natural gas, always choose this energy source as a booster for your system. Instantaneous hot water systems will only use energy when you need hot water, and the lack of a storage tank means that you are not wasting energy keeping water hot 24/7. In a new home design it is recommended to 'cluster' the bathroom/laundry/kitchen areas and install the hot water system nearby. This reduces the lag time of hot water reaching its destination.

Tips:

• Turn down the thermostat on your hot water heater
• Have shorter showers
• Insulate your hot water heater and the connection pipes
• Locate your hot water heater close to where the water is required
• Always put the plug in the sink when using hot water
• Switch off the hot water system when you go on a holiday
• Use efficient shower heads and flow restrictors on taps
• Fix all leaks as soon as possible

It can not be said often enough: It is crucial to undertake all the right steps (steps 1 to 5 ), before deciding on a heating and/or cooling system. A badly orientated, uninsulated and leaky home will require a massive system to condition any space (with an energy bill to match). A small efficient system will have no problem heating or cooling a tightly sealed, well insulated house. Always look for the energy star rating of the system and compare the labelled energy consumption. Remember the rule: Cheap systems are expensive to run and expensive systems are cheap to run. Using renewable heating appliances such as heat pumps are an excellent altenative to the standard ducted gas heaters.

Tips:

• Let your thermostat control your heater. Try adjusting your heat to around 18-21° celcius
• Use the correct size heater for the room. Overheating wastes energy, while small heaterson a maximum setting will struggle to heat your room
• Don't leave your heater running overnight
• Use timers on heaters to make sure they turn on and off when you need them
• Heat only those rooms that are being used
• Carpet on wooden floors minimises heat loss
• Block off any chimneys that are unused or install dampers to stop draughts and prevent heat loss
• Remember to close your curtains to keep the heat in on cool nights
• Install ceiling fans in rooms that have high or cathedral ceilings. The ceiling fan should be running at its lowest speed to slowly push the warm air where it is needed
• Fit automatic door closers to ensure back and front doors are closed after use

You are just about to undertake the final step in becomingfully sustainable! As explained in step 6, first replace that old beer fridge in the garage. It will chew up all the power you will generate with a solar system (also called PV, or Photovoltaic system). Before committing, do your research! Size of system, type of panel, type of inverter and available roof space are just some of the things to consider. It is always good to check the Clean Energy Council's website with a listing of accredited installers by suburb. This accreditation will give you the assurance that you're dealing with a professional company. Government rebates schemes seems to change from year to year. Contact Federal and State Department to find out about rebates you might be eligble for.

Tips:

• Before you buy, check the feed in tariff details with your energy retailer
• Plan for the future and pre-wire for a solar system
• Be aware that there are many different solar panels on the market : look for maximum efficiency
• If possible consider an inverter that allows for future additional panels
• Outdoor mounted inverters need protection from rain and sun
• Some solar systems are designed to accomodate North AND West facing panels
• Visit the Clean Energy Council website for a list of accredited installers