Feature #5 from our SMALL method is L for Low Energy Consumption. Low energy consumption represents a home that is energy efficient and less expensive to run.
What are the elements that make a home energy-efficient?
- Passive Design Principle
The orientation of your home in relation to the sun’s rotation throughout the year will give you rooms that are passively and naturally heated, minimizing the need for mechanical heating/cooling. Elements such as sunlight and natural ventilation are free energy which we can leverage on to increase the energy-efficiency of our home.
- Passivhaus standard
Passivhaus standard is a high-performance, air-tight building standard originating in Germany. It is different from passive design principle. Passivhaus standard involves a rigorous building method and an internationally recognised certification process. The benefit of building using Passivhaus standard is it uses 90% less heating and cooling than most conventional building methods.
- High energy rating
Homes with a high energy rating use less energy than homes with a low energy rating. It means comfortable indoor temperature throughout the year and low energy bills to pay.
We have a new Building Code, NCC 2022 coming into effect by October 2023 for all new houses to have a 7-star rating instead of the 6-star rating.
We are continually increasing the standard of the energy rating to improve our homes’ energy efficiency. While this is a great move on the regulatory side, I discover there is a setback in just emphasizing this area.
I talked about this topic in my book, Future Home Design under the section Industry Secrets, Chapter 9. Grab a copy of the book on Amazon if you want to know the implications of this new code for you as a homeowner. https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B09KGW89K9
This concludes our series on how to future-proof your home using Future Home Design concept, SMALL.
Head over to our website to book a FREE consultation if you need clarity on how to plan for your future home design project. We would love to help you!
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