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Green Living: Sustainable Homes

I know my home isn't energy efficient or eco friendly! Where do I start?

Take some time to find out where and how energy and water is wasted in your home and you could save thousands of dollars in electricity, gas and water bills – not to mention reducing your overall carbon footprint.

Here are general answers to green living questions we are often asked:

Where do I start? Here are some quick easy tips to improve your home energy efficiency.

Fix leaky taps, showers and toilet cisterns
Turn lights off when you leave the room
Don't leave computers or appliances on standby
Re-set the thermostats on your heating and cooling (18° in winter and 24° in summer)
Install low-energy light globes
Fit weather-seals to your windows and doors
Install external blinds
Put in ceiling fans
Change to low-flow shower heads
Plant a drought-tolerant garden

What should I do? Checklist of improvements for your home.

Insulate the ceiling
Buy high star-rated appliances
Install solar panels
Replace your toilet cisterns with modern ones
Upgrade your heating system to a more efficient design
Put in a water tank
Upgrade your hot water service
Fit a grey-water diversion system
Upgrade your windows using double glazing or other high tech glass
Build a pergola or veranda to provide shade when needed

Finally, if you're planning to renovate make sure it's properly designed! Archicentre Accredited Architects understand the importance of orientation, zoning, construction and ventilation and can design a home for you that will be comfortable to live in, inexpensive to run, cost-effective to build and will ultimately add value. Read more about Archicentre's Design Concepts or talk to us about your renovation!

How much will it cost? A cost guide to budget for sustainable home improvements.

We have prepared the following guide to help people understand and budget for a selection of common sustainable home improvements. The guide can be used as a short-term 'shopping list' for example, or to plan longer-term improvements.

The top 10 tips to Home Water Saving Improvements

Rainwater Tank (approx. $2,500- $4,000)
Downpipe Diverters (approx. $300 - $500)
Grey Water Diversion System (approx. $2,000 - $3,000)
AAA rated Shower Head/s (approx. $200 - $300)
Dual Flush Toilet Cistern/s (approx. $500 - $800)
Flow Reducer on Meter (approx. $300 - $400)
Low-Flow Tap/s (approx. $600 - $800)
Fix Leading Fixtures (approx. $200 - $300)
Water-Efficient Appliances (approx. $1,000 - $2,000)
Drip Watering System (approx. $300 - $500)

These estimates are based on the installed cost of a variety of common household upgrades. They range from improvements to a typical two bedroom unit up to more substantial improvements to a four bedroom family home. The message is simple:

Make improvements now and reap the savings in the long term.

Archicentre delivers beautiful sustainable home designs.

Global warming, climate-change and sustainability are words that we hear regularly these days, but what do they all mean for home owners or home buyers? A sustainable home is one that is more liveable, healthier, saves you money on water and energy bills, is constructed using environmentally efficient materials and thereby reduces its environmental impact and is useable for you throughout all of your life stages.

Sustainable homes are resource efficient. They incorporate passive solar design features such as house orientation, good ventilation, insulation and shading as well as having water, waste and energy efficiencies, as well as considering the appropriate use of building materials. Appropriate house orientation maximises the use of passive solar design features that bring warmth to living areas in winter and shade protection in summer, therefore limiting energy costs in running the home.

Sustainable homes start with good design features and the use of low-maintenance materials in order to make the home more liveable and cost-efficient over time.
Areas of design to consider are the form of the home, the layout, the construction and the landscaping. Archicentre Accredited Architects are experts in building design and have designed sustainable Australian homes for years. Architects enjoy designing these homes and always have the home owners' best interest at heart.

There are new regulations on sustainable Architecture

If you are building a new home, you are required by law for it to incorporate some sustainable design features. The Government regulations vary from state to state, however one thing is consistent throughout Australia: you can no longer build a house or undertake a renovation without first demonstrating that it will meet the minimum state energy-efficiency requirements. These are usually measured in terms of a star rating system – the higher the number of stars, the more energy efficient the home.

New energy-efficient sustainable homes require clever design, accurate specifications and meticulous construction, all of which lead to the creation of a comfortable building that is cost effective to live in, more enjoyable to live in and will increase in value over time. It can be a challenging task as there are many variables to consider such as the home orientation, zoning, ventilation, shading, construction materials, glazing, insulation, heating and cooling.

Home designs and allotment orientations have to be considered together to ensure the most energy-efficient buildings. A "5-star" home on one allotment may be a "4-star" home on another and simply upgrading the window specifications, for example, is unlikely to be the most cost-effective solution. Similarly, a "water-wise" home is more easily created during the design process than by adding tanks or grey water re-use systems later.

Established Homes are not sustainable, and you know it.

Most established homes were neither designed nor built considering energy efficiency or water conservation. Ironically, many of our earliest homes came complete with verandas and water tanks, but recently these features have been abandoned as homes have become bigger, more energy hungry and more water thirsty than ever before. Our challenge is to improve the performance of our existing homes, to reduce the home's demand for energy and water and at the same time improve our quality of life.

The good news is that many Australian home owners want to make their homes more sustainable. A recent Archicentre survey found that:

Approximately 80% of our architects' clients were keen to install a solar-boosted hot water service
Approximately 75% were interested in energy-efficient lighting
Over 90% wanted a water tank

Need more information? The federal government website, www.yourhome.gov.au is a great resource for further information.

Contact Archicentre on 1300 134 513 to talk to us about making your home or renovation sustainable for years.