Sustainability
Energy Through The Windows
Ever wondered how much actual benefit you get from the sun shining in? How The Sun’s Energy Warms Your Home. Basically when the suns energy (which includes both visible and invisible energy such as Infra Red and Ultra Violet [UV] radiation)…
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Garage Door Insulation
Most garages are too hot in Summer and too cold in Winter. If you want to use the garage as a workshop . . or even a man cave, it will be much more comfortable if its insulated. Maintaining a…
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Tank House – Win!
For all you water collecting enthusiasts can you beat this home? Two sides of the house are lined with plastic rainwater tanks! Not surprisingly its called the ‘Tank House’ and is located in Port Melbourne. Although there are a considerable number…
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Energy From Sun.
Have you ever wondered why it gets so HOT in the roof space on a sunny day? Well there is a lot of Energy coming from the Sun . . . .approximately 1.37 kw /m2 shines on the Earth By the…
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Sustainability Modifications to a Standard Design
Lots of people say you can’t get a sustainable house from a standard builder . . . . but I disagree! As an example I have started with this standard floor plan from the ‘MYPAD’ design of HomeStart, Perth first home buyer…
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Light Bulb Comparison
In a previous post on Lighting Levels I talked about using lumens to plan lighting. . . . . but which type of bulb should you use? There are now 3 types of bulbs in common use Halogen (A more…
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Solar is Winning
Electricity demand has dropped so much that Australia currently has at least 3 major coal fired power stations more than it needs! (This year the surplus capacity at peak demand is estimated to be around 8,000 megawatts) In early July this year…
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Sisalation or Sarking
Sarking is the sheet material which can be put over the roof trusses before the final roof covering is installed. It’s normally standard on a metal roof as it prevents condensation on the underside of a roof from dropping onto the ceiling below….
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Solar Power – No North Facing Roof
Conventional wisdom has been that you needed a North facing roof to mount your solar panels . . . . . . but it might be time to re-think! Cost of Panels In the early 1990 when people first really…
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Build A Sustainable House & Save Money
When the stricter energy standards came in the big builders all complained that it would make houses more expensive. Well a recent CSIRO report ‘The Evaluation of the 5-Star Energy Efficiency Standard for Residential Buildings‘ has found it can actually be…
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