So how do you choose an energy efficient home design that’s perfect for your lifestyle and everyday comfort of living?
Let us help you…
What is an energy efficient home?
You are probably thinking all new homes are energy efficient, right? Unfortunately the answer is no.
Luckily, you don’t have to compromise in terms of beauty, functionality and budget when building a sustainable home. The concept of an energy efficient home is pretty simple – a home that uses less energy to run.
The principles of energy efficient homes are also pretty basic;
1. Use smart orientation to take advantage of warmth from the sun and cool from the breeze;
2. Heavily insulate and seal gaps to provide a barrier to heat flow;
3. Use our greatest natural resource – the sun – to provide power through solar energy;
4. Given heating and cooling chew up around 40% of energy use in the home in Canberra, use proper orientation and insulation to minimise the need for cooling;
5. Use energy efficient heating/cooling, appliances and lighting.
Why do I need an energy efficient house in Canberra?
Due to extreme temperature fluctuations, Canberra homes require substantially more energy to achieve thermal comfort and are therefore perfectly suited to energy efficient design and building practices. It means that our homes need to take advantage of insulation, orientation, passive heating and cooling, glazing and thermal mass.
How to maximise natural lighting with your design orientation
There are a number of benefits that come with designing a home to accommodate natural light into living areas and bedrooms. The more natural light you have in your home, the less lights you have to turn on, and the less electricity you use. It may surprise you, but about 10% of household electricity usage comes from lighting alone! Another benefit, which is also related to energy use, is that natural light can also help heat homes by way of storing the heat from sunlight into a thermal mass such as your slab, concrete or brick wall; this then allows the heat in the thermal mass to be distributed throughout the house day and night.
So what is the ideal orientation?
How to stay warm in winter and cool in summer
Proper insulation is extremely important in Canberra to ensure a barrier between you and the outside world. In a home without insulation, the heat will flow into the home during summer and out of the home during winter. The right insulation protects your house from the elements, makes your home more comfortable to live in all year round, uses less energy to maintain comfortable temperatures and can also help control moisture.
Our home designs
We offer a choice of sophisticated home designs featuring open plan living and the latest energy saving and sustainable benefits. This is a perfect option that offers you the flexibility to choose a design that is right for you and most importantly, suitable for your block of land.
Our team can help you select the home design that best suits your requirements and enhance sustainable living by capturing as much natural sunlight as possible and taking advantage of northerly aspects. We’re here to guide you all the way through our 7-Step Element Building Method™.
Browse our selection of new release home designs below.
