The ratings are calculated by a NatHERS (Nationwide Housing Energy Rating Scheme) computer simulation of an individual house design to estimate the thermal comfort.
The calculations are based on 69 different ‘Climate Zones” and allows comparison of different properties in the same climate zone.
The following table shows the Energy Load (heating,cooling, lighting and hot water) for various capital cities for each of the star rating band.
6 Star
7 Star
8 Star
9 Star
10 Star
Adelaide
27
19
13
6
1
Brisbane
12
10
7
5
3
Hobart
43
31
20
9
0
Melbourne
32
23
15
7
1
Perth
19
14
9
5
1
Sydney
11
8
6
4
2
The values are in kilo watt hours/m2/annum.
I haven’t shown less than 6 stars as that is the minimum for new houses.
As you can see if you go all the way to 10 stars the energy load will be virtually nil.
Example
If you are building a 200m2 house in Melbourne at the minimum 6 Star Rating your annual energy load will be:
200 x 32 = 6,400 kilo watt hours
By increasing the rating to 8 star the calculation becomes:
At first glance this really does look like a Tumbledown Barn.
In reality it is actually a modern house by Alchemy Architecture an American practice that are very involved in designs that utilise recycled materals.
Follows the following link to see the interior and other interesting projects: Blair Barnhouse.
The front wall would be great for providing shade to the west side of a house!
For more Unusual House Photos, Wins, and Fails, have a look at: What the………………….?
If someone were to say that there are joys in moving houses, many people would consider the person speaking to be a bit bonkers.
It is a natural reaction because we humans tend to focus on the negative experiences rather than the positive.
The fact is, moving into your new home can create a lot of joy during the moving process and for the future that you are planning to build.
The team from Interior Secrets are experts in creating those positive experiences with their interior design range of furniture and home furnishings.
They’ve seen both sides of the coin when it comes to moving house and share the following tips for people that are moving houses.
Keep your eye on the goal that you are working towards.
It is easy to get caught up in the negative aspects when moving house.
There is quite a lot of planning involved and it uses a lot of your mental and physical energy.
There are risks with losing and breaking items as well.
However, we shouldn’t lose focus of our ultimate goal.
Once everything has been moved into the new house, you will be able to build a new environment to your liking and customize it to make it the home that you always wanted it to be.
In a way, it is as though you have to take a few steps back; but in the end, you will be moving forward by leaps and bounds.
Enjoy the thrill of creation.
Moving into your new home, you will be starting from a clean slate.
You have the opportunity to create your new story on a fresh canvas.
How will you build the illustrative environment for your new life in your new home?
Customise your place the way that you want it to be.
It is the perfect opportunity for you to modernise your home with more artistic and creative flair.
Highlight this with rugs, photo frames, wall units, dining and lounge sets, curtains and shutters, just to name a few.
You can even get creative with the walls with wallpaper or wall paint options.
Remember to enjoy the feeling of redecorating and building your new abode.
Enjoy your new sanctuary.
Ultimately, you need to enjoy your new environment.
The aesthetics should compliment your emotions and tap into the five senses.
Create a space that will provide you with a brighter ambiance, enhancing scents, nice views and the furnishings that you love.
Build bonds with the local community.
When moving into your new place, you have the opportunity to forge new friendships with neighbours in your new community.
While you may start off as neighbours, over the years your relationship can build into a strong friendship.
It will give you ‘peace of mind’ to know that there are others in your community that you can trust to look out for your home, and that will add to the positive experience of living in your new neighbourhood.
Remember, this is a spring-cleaning session towards your new life!
When moving houses, you tend to come across a lot of items that have been building up in your home over the years.
We tend not to throw things away, even if we haven’t used them in a while, as we tend to hold onto them for some intrinsic or sentimental value.
Moving into your new home is the perfect opportunity to get rid of unwanted or unnecessary items from your old life.
The author [f ‘The Life-Changing Magic Of Tidying Up’ Marie Kondo, offers a simple solution towards decluttering, simplifying, organising and storing.
She says that the key to success in tidying is to keep those items that give you joy.
If they don’t, then throw it away in the bin or consider selling or donating your items.
These are a few tips that can be used easily by anyone who is moving home, regardless of whether they are moving from a room, an apartment, a house or a mansion.
Focus on the positive aspects that your new home can offer and create the space to become the one youn always desired!
The suns position in the sky varies throughout the year and over each day.
The ideal situation is when the sun is hitting the panels closest to a perfectly perpendicular angle (90°).
So in Australia, what angle and orientation are best?……….. Well when mounting solar panels there are two elements of the alignment that affect the final efficiency of the panels.
Orientation – the compass direction the panel faces
Ideally in the southern Hemisphere solar panels should be facing as close to true North as possible to reduce the impact that the Winter seasons have on efficiency. Once the angle is above 30 degrees from North the efficiency really starts to drop away.
Tilt – the angle from the horizontal
The tilt is the angle that the panels are facing up into the sky. On a flat roof, the tilt is 0°, whereas if the panels were on a wall, it would be 90°.
The best tilt angle for more even efficiency throughout the year is generally the same angle as the degree of latitude of the site. Best for if your only power supply is solar.
Flatter tilt angles increase the power generated during summer, but reduce the winter power generation. If you have a system connected to the grid then you can go 15 degrees flatter than the degree of latitude without losing annual efficiency. (It can even help if your roof doesn’t face directly North)
Alignment Efficiency Table
The table below provides an indication of the approximate solar panel efficiency levels for Melbourne for various alignments.
Orientation
Tilt
15 degrees flatter
Angle of latitude
15 degrees steeper
North
100
100
94
30 from North
98
96
90
60 from North
93
89
82
90 from North
86
79
71
The following site will carry out calculations for sites around the world:
Over the last couple of months there have been a couple of separate News Items, which are really connected.
Excavation Collapse Puts House On Edge!
The photo shows a house hanging over the edge of an excavation in a Melbourne suburb.
This in spite of the builders excavation proposals being approved by a Building Surveyor.
How Did This Happen?
Well you don’t need to do much more than read the following summary of the Auditor General’s Report on Victoria’s Consumer Protection Framework for Building Construction published in May this year.
“This audit examined the performance of the Victorian Building Authority, the Building Practitioners Board, Consumer Affairs Victoria (CAV) and the Victorian Managed Insurance Authority as they provide functions key to building regulation and to the consumer protection framework in domestic building.
I found that the existing framework does not adequately protect consumers and that there is a pressing need to improve consumer understanding of the system.
The registration system does not ensure that the only practitioners who are registered are qualified, competent and of good character and the disciplinary system is not protecting consumers, as current sanctions are ineffective in deterring practitioner misconduct.
CAV’s conciliation and dispute resolution functions provide only limited consumer protection because it cannot compel parties to conciliate or enforce compliance with conciliation outcomes.
Domestic building insurance is widely misunderstood, provides only limited protection for consumers and is significantly more costly than it needs to be.“
The Italics are a direct quote, although I have underlined some of the more significant parts.
Other States
Don’t think because you live in other states you are going to be safe. The customer protection isn’t too different around Australia.
One of the best protections, to quote the report is for you “to improve (your) consumer understanding of the system”.
Some of the display houses I see do look light and airy. . . . but to me have all the character of an airport terminal, unlike this smaller living room.
One of the things about smaller rooms is they need a lot more thought about getting things in.
The various features add interest.
The same furniture would look lost in a bigger room and the features would not be as apparent.
What do you think?
Eclectic Living Room by Alexandra
Torre Design & Interiors
The Dispute Settlement Centre of Victoria (DSCV) has revealed the consistent No 1 dispute has been fencing.
In fact fencing counts for around one third of all of their top ten disputes.
In 2013-4 there were fence 6,489 disputes, slightly above the long term average of 6,301.
So how can you minimise the chance of a dispute?
Get Agreement
Make sure you try to get agreement from your neighbour when planning to build a fence. . . . even if you intend to cover the whole cost yourself.
Both parties are generally required to contribute equally to construction costs for a fence that meets the minimum standard.
If the land is vacant, or a tenant won’t provide details of the landowner, then local councils are allowed to provide landowner contact details on fencing matters.
Type of Fence
The minimum standard is “sufficient” based on one or more of the following
Purpose for which you and your neighbours are using the land
If you want a more expensive fence then you will have to meet extra costs.
Legally
If you can’t reach agreement, either you or your neighbour will be able seek an order from a Magistrates’ Court specifying what fence will be built, and how costs will be shared.
Check Your State’s Laws
The above was built based on Victorian Legislation but most states have fairly similar laws.
No I am not a ‘Brony’ (male who enjoys ‘My Little Pony’ ) but I had to watch plenty of those cartoons with my daughter. . . . And soon to watch again with my grandaughter.
This photo did remind me of those times.
The picture is from a website called Ugly Belgian Houseswhich does feature some shockers.
For more Unusual House Photos, Wins, and Fails, have a look at: What the………………….?
I have just completed the 4th edition of this best selling E Book.
This Revision includes:
Extra Check Lists
Even more advice on what to look for
New Section on removals with Checklists
OVER 1,800 HAPPY CUSTOMERS!
Previous Purchasers
All those who bought the previous edition between 1st July 2015 and today should have already received a Free Update by Email.
If you have bought the E-book before 1st July 2015 and would like a Free Copy of this edition send an Email to brian.anewhouse@gmail.com with a copy of the file for the previous edition attached and I will send you a Free Copy.
