Sustainability
Don’t Forget Curtains!
It’s well known a lot of heat is lost through windows. With single glazing the Thermal Resistance, ‘R’ Value is 0.16. Although they aren’t considered in energy calculations (see this link: Energy Rating) curtains can significantly decrease the heat loss from a…
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What Does The Energy Rating Mean?
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…
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Solar Panel Alignment (Revised 2015)
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…
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Fridge Location
You may be out shopping for a new fridge to go in the new house or You may just want to check your existing fridge fits in the alcove in your new kitchen. Whichever it is . . . ….
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Air Locks
I am away in the UK at the moment. As I have been travelling round I was remembering something I felt was very strange when I first got to Australia. . . . . . It was as soon as you…
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Solar Power – What’s Happening in Australia
I spent a couple of hours last week looking around the Australian Solar Council ‘Solar 2015 Exhibition and Conference‘. So here are a few things which may be of interest if you are planning a new house. Hot Water from…
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Passiv Haus
What is a Passiv Haus (Passive House)? Well as you might have guessed the term originates in Germany, and relates to a method of achieving more sustainable performance (and lower Energy Bills) It’s a technique which doesn’t rely on good orientation, high thermal…
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Solar Electricity To Heat Water
Do you need a separate solar hot water system? Could you just heat the water by electricity generated by your Photo Voltaic (PV) solar cells? I have carried out a desktop exercise to help you review the options. Solar Water…
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Update on Solar Power, and Tariffs
To get the best benefit from Grid Connected Solar Power you need to be up to date with the latest tariffs that apply to your installation. These days the Feed In Tariff (FIT) is much less than a few years ago. Power…
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Solar Power – Inverters
What Are Inverters? Basically an inverter is a device which converts the electricity from your solar panels to a form that can be used by normal domestic appliances, and lights. The electricity generated by the solar panels is Direct Current (DC) but…
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