Summer is when New South Wales comes alive.
The harbour glistens, the beaches fill with tourists … and the residents wonder how much hotter it can possible get.
Every year, temperatures are rising, and any new home buyer has to consider how they’re going to keep their house cool not just now, but during then even hotter years ahead.
We all know we should think of the environment when making new home decisions. However, when it’s so hot that the sweat from your fingertips is making the print blur as you read this article, it can be tempting to simply put your head in the fridge, and leave the environment to be someone else’s problem.
The problem with this approach is that it just makes things worse. Cooling and heating is going to account for about 39% of your new home’s energy use, and home energy use is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions from Australian households. Greenhouse gas emissions contribute to global warming, making it even hotter… and making you use more energy to cool your home.
To stop this frustrating and dangerous cycle, we need to find energy efficient ways to cool new homes. In NSW, we have legislation that aims to ensure we do this. BASIX requires that homes in Sydney and its surrounds use 40% less energy than the average NSW home. It uses sophisticated software tools to evaluate the location, plans and materials suggested for each home, and estimate how much energy a new home is going to require. If the proposed new home doesn’t meet BASIX requirements, then it can be adjusted until it does. Common measures taken to meet the energy requirements of BASIX include adding insulation, changing hot water systems and reducing window sizes.
The problem with legislation like BASIX is that it makes you think compliance is all you need to aim for. Also, it can easily be ignored until quite late in the design process. If cooling requirements are considered right from the beginning of the new home buying process, then you can make smart decisions that will minimise any unexpected costs resulting from your BASIX certificate.
This article gives new home buyers a quick insight into selecting the design and materials that will cool your house without warming the planet. The first section details passive design. Passive design is about building a home that is as naturally comfortable as possible before you even think about using energy sucking appliances to artificially cool it. The recurring subject in this section is windows. In new homes, windows and other glazed areas like glass sliding doors and bi-folds are where most heat will enter and leave.
