Heating and cooling are the most energy hungry activities in a home. Effectively managing your household's heating and cooling can save you a lot of money. Getting passive solar design correct is vital. Find out more about household heating and cooling solutions that can make a big difference all year round
Building a new home is a great opportunity to be able to design your home so as that you can limit the amount of energy you need to use on air conditioning. By following solar passive design principles, installing insulation and by shading your home you can make your home more energy efficient and can then minimise the size of the air conditioner needed.
Mechanical cooling isn't a substitute for good passive design, but when you've exhausted your design pallet a cooling fan can make the difference between loving summers and loathing them. Ceiling fans should be the first choice over evaporative coolers and air conditioners, for reasons of energy efficiency and cost savings.
The ideal surrounding air temperature for the human body is around 23°C. However, this is for a body at rest, with light clothing, so there is no reason to run a heating system at this temperature. Generally a home will be comfortable with the thermostat set to around 20°C or even a bit lower, depending on what you are doing and what you are wearing. For every degree above 20°C that you set the thermostat, you use around 15% more energy to maintain that temperature.
Wood can be an excellent fuel because it is a renewable energy source, if sustainably harvested. However, air pollution from wood fires and the transport of firewood to urban areas are environmentally detrimental. About 20% of Australian homes use wood for heating, but the wood is often obtained from unsustainable sources. If you have a wood heater, use only sustainably-harvested wood to avoid habitat destruction and rare species extinction, and do not use treated timbers that may give off toxic pollutants when burned.
These are simple fans or fan and duct combinations that take the excess heat that accumulates near the ceiling in one room and use it to heat a second room. They actually work quite well, and almost heat the second room for free. You can buy them as kits, or make them up yourself from a fan, a bit of ducting and a vent cover or two.
Solar hydronic heating warms your home by taking advantage of an environmentally friendly energy source-the sun. Hydronic heating systems are typically gas-fired and have been used in Europe for almost a century. Solar hydronic heating systems that use evacuated tube solar collectors as the primary method of heating the water needed for the hydronic circuit are now available on the market.
Relatively unknown in Australia, ground-source heat pumps are one way to reduce the amount of energy used in cooling and heating while still maintaining a comfortable home. Heat pumps are not a new technology and most households already have one-the fridge. The pipes at the back are hot compared to the inside of the fridge, as these pipes emit heat removed from inside. Usually heat moves from the hotter area to the cooler area but a heat pump reverses this direction.
One of the best ways to save money on energy bills is to insulate your home. Insulation is like a barrier, preventing heat passing in and out of the house. By reducing heat flow you can maintain a comfortable temperature inside, regardless of the temperature outside. In winter, once the dwelling has been heated to a comfortable level, it will stay that way with less energy input than an uninsulated home. In summer the insulated home will take longer to heat up, and air conditioners will need less energy for cooling.
With a little strategically placed shading, you can block up to 90% of all heat coming through your windows and still enjoy the view. Shade structures can range from awnings to eaves, shutters, shade sails or trees. There is no one-size-fits-all solution.
Poorly planned or wrongly sized windows can either let in unwanted heat, or hamper the flow of fresh air into your home. However, thanks to some clever new technologies, windows no longer have to be a compromise between getting enough light and keeping the house at a comfortable temperature. Some types of glass can help make your windows more energy efficient.
Listed suppliers are a guide and are not endorsed by Green Cross Australia or the Alternative Technology Association.
Les' home is an inspiring example of smart green building, and his plans for living green will maximise energy savings and comfort. But it wasn't easy.
Andrew Ash, Director of CSIRO's Climate Adaptation Flagship talks to Mara Bun, CEO of Green Cross Australia about the severe heat climate models and community and infrastructure risk.
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