ORIENTATION
Good orientation increases the energy efficiency of a home, making it more comfortable to live in and cheaper to run.
PRINCIPLES OF GOOD ORIENTATION
With good orientation the need for auxiliary cooling is reduced, resulting in lower energy bills and reduced greenhouse emissions.
Choose a site or home with good orientation for our climatic conditions. Build or renovate to maximise the site's potential and to achieve the best possible orientation for living areas.
In hot humid climate, orientation should aim to exclude sun year round and maximise exposure to cooling breezes.
Where ideal orientation is not possible, as it is often the case in higher density urban areas, an energy efficient home can still be achieved with careful attention to design.
Where ideal orientation is not possible, as it is often the case in higher density urban areas, an energy efficient home can still be achieved with careful attention to design.
Deciding the best orientation
Prioritise your cooling needs. We are in a climate that requires mainly, passive cooling, or a combination of active and passive cooling.
We observe the impact of adjacent buildings and existing landscape on your site.
Poor orientation can exclude winter sun, and cause overheating in summer by allowing low angle east or west sun to strike glass surfaces.......
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WHAT IS PASSIVE COOLING?
Is the least expensive means of cooling a home.
Has the lowest environmental impact.
Is appropriate for our southeast coast climate.
Passive cooling maximises the efficiency of the building envelope by minimising heat gain from the external environment and facilitating heat loss to the following natural sources of cooling:
Air movement
Cooling breezes
Evaporation
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Shading
Shading of the building and outdoor spaces reduces temperatures, improves comfort and saves energy. Direct sun can generate the same heat as a single bar radiator over each square metre of a surface. Shading can block up to 90 percent of this heat.
Shading of glass to reduce unwanted heat gain is critical. Unprotected glass is often the greatest source of unwanted heat gain in a home.
Radiant heat from the sun passes through glass and is absorbed by building elements and furnishings, which then re-radiate it. Re-radiated heat has a different wavelength andcannot pass back out through the glass as easily. In most climates, 'trapping' radiant heat is desirable for winter heating but must be avoided in summer.
Shading of wall and roof surfaces is important to reduce summer heat gain, particularly if they are dark coloured and/or heavyweight.
Shading requirements vary according to climate and house orientation. A general rule of thumb is:
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Energy use - Introduction
Choosing the most appropriate energy source can significantly reduce your energy bills of your home. A choice of energy sources is available to new home buyers, existing owners and tenants.
Conventional electricity from the supply grid currently produces the largest amount of CO2 of any energy source per unit of energy used, except where hydro electric power is used.
Renewable energy sources produce no greenhouse gases in operation and reduce or eliminate the need for additional coal fired power stations and large hydro-electric dams.
Minimising demand for energy through conservation and efficiency is the most cost effective means of reducing operational and environmental costs for all home owners and tenants.
Space cooling and water heating account for nearly 70 percent of household energy use.
Water heating, refrigeration and space cooling produce the most greenhouse gases. Other major sources are cooking, lighting and stand-by energy use.
Look for ways to reduce consumption through efficient use.
Monitor your energy bills and check for unexpected increases and how they can be reduced through more efficient energy use.
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Renewable electricity overview
Electricity accounts for about 80 percent of the energy used in Eastern Seabord households.
Renewable electricity power systems (REPS) use renewable energy sources to produce electricity with very low greenhouse gas emissions.
Renewable energy sources such as the sun, wind and water are continuously replenished from natural sources.
When fossil-fuelled generators are used as back up, some greenhouse gases will be produced.
REPS usually operate at low cost but can be expensive to install. The cost per kWh for the system life includes the installation and maintenance costs and remains unaffected by future energy price rises.
The design and installation of a REPS is a complex task requires special knowledge.
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Solar hot water
Water heating accounts for about 30 percent of an average household's total greenhouse gas emissions and about the same proportion of total household energy use.Installing a solar water heater can greatly reduce your energy bills as it will use energy from the sun to heat water at zero cost.
Using solar energy to heat water produces no harmful greenhouse gas emissions. A solar water heater can provide 90 percent of your total hot water requirements.
The upfront cost of a solar water heater (including installation) is higher than electric water heaters but energy bill savings will compensate for this over time.
Most solar hot water systems use solar collectors or panels to absorb energy from the sun. Water is heated by the sun as it passes through the collectors. It then flows into an insulated storage tank for later use.
In passive systems, water flows unassisted between the collectors and the tank. In active systems, water is pumped between the collectors and the tank.
The storage tank ca be fitted with an electric, booster that heats the water when sunlight is insufficient.
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Feng Shui
Modern Feng Shui can help to better understand, how our environment affects us. According to the ancient Chinese the world is composed of two elements: Yin and Yang. Yin (the passive) and Yang (the active) contradict and complement each other. Everything on earth is composed of these elements and no one things is 100% of either. Yin represents passivity, receptiveness, silence, darkness and inwardness. Yang is active, hard, projecting and bright. With Feng Shui we seek to complement areas with your home and their associated yin and yang. For instance, a bedroom should have yin elements or you won't be able to sleep well and an office should have mostly yang elements to help you get your work done.
Feng Shui can help us find the room position, best colours, furniture and object placements to bring you happiness, luck, good health and success!
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