We know our clients are definitely asking more and more about thermal and energy efficiency when considering building a new home. In turn, more of our clients are definitely making better choices to build a more thermal and efficient home.
Improving the efficiency of your home can be done in many ways including choosing the right home design for your block of land, using efficient materials, installing solar panels and other modifications.
If you’re interested in learning more about building an efficient home, King Homes NSW can assist you with this process. Here are our top tips to help guide you through the process to improve the thermal and energy efficiency of your new home.
Consider your main building materials
Traditionally, most homeowners thought brick is best however as the building industry advances, there are alternatives to brick available which can improve the overall thermal efficiency of your home. We are proud to work with CSR to offer CSR Hebel homes for our clients.
CSR Hebel uses Hebel panels in lieu of bricks as the main building material. Not only does CSR Hebel improve the build time and reduce the waste created on site, it also works well to improve the overall efficiency of your new home. Hebel panels perform very well thermally, helping to keep your house cool from the heat in summer, and keeping it warm and cosy in winter. That means less reliance on heating and cooling, and can lead to savings on energy costs.
Choosing the right home design for your block of land
Your block of land will have its own natural features which you should consider before choosing a home design. King Homes NSW offers a wide variety of standard home designs which work well with most blocks across Sydney. Our floor plans can also be modified to suit your block of land.
Some top considerations are to reduce the living space in the West facing side of the home. The West facing side of the home is typically which will invite most heat into the home so consider placing wet areas; bathroom and laundry along with your garage on this side.
North facing sides should include main living areas or perhaps your Master Suite as these parts of the home will enjoy lots of sunlight and therefore reduce the need for any heating throughout the year.
Windows to support your land orientation
Sometimes it might not be feasible or possible to have certain parts of your home in the West facing areas and others in the North facing and if that’s the case, then it is a good idea to consider the type of windows you use.
A great consideration is to invest in double glazed windows in the areas where to have extra large windows or that face West. This can reduce the heat absorption into the home and provide better thermal efficiency by using less to cool the home.
Installing solar panels on your roof
By now, you would have heard about the benefits of having solar panels on your roof connected to a solar system. This way, you can generate power to support the consumption in your home.
Our tip is to ensure you engage a qualified installer who offers a good warranty on both their product and their workmanship. A common issue may be the disturbance to the roof, so you’d want to ensure the Solar contractor does not cause any damage to the roof which may cause issues in the future.
