ECO BUILDING
We encourage and assist you to incorporate principles of energy efficiency
and environmental sustainability in your project. More and more, these are
factors to consider in any building, not just “alternative” options.
The biggest energy users in homes are water heating, space heating/cooling
and refrigeration. Therefore some things to consider are:
- Solar Hot Water – Take advantage of the sun’s free rays
to subsidise your hot water costs. Enjoy guilt free showers while the
cost of power goes up annually!!
- Passive Solar Gain – Making good use of materials correctly
orientated to the sun to reduce your heating costs. For example thermal
mass walls and insulated concrete floors collect warmth during the
day and disperse it at night.
- Insulation – Use the maximum insulation available to the roof,
wall and floor cavities. This will make a great difference in reducing
your costs for heating and cooling by improving the balance of temperature
in your home between night and day and between the seasons.
- Double Glazing – This is essential if you want to achieve
good thermal performance for your home. It works in association with
good insulation and helps control humidity and noise. Well fitting
curtains and blinds also improve thermal performance.
- Lighting – Avoid excessive numbers of down-lights. They use
a lot more electricity and can allow heat to escape. Use ceiling mounted
or wall lights with long life bulbs.
- Appliances – Your choice of appliances makes a difference.
There are now many modern appliances available with good energy and
water efficiency ratings.
- Heating and ventilation – there are many options to adequately
heat your home. It is important to also provide ventilation without
changing the interior temperature. Heat pumps provide this technology
and are becoming more efficient all the time.
Other Considerations
- Grey water recycling - Installing a “Water-smart” gully
system allows your grey water to be reused for garden irrigation. This
reduces sewerage waste and irrigation costs.
- Rainwater Storage – Install a rainwater storage tank for irrigation
purposes. This can be as an alternative or in addition to the Watersmart
gully. You can also add components to make it safe for household
use should the town supply be variable or unavailable. There are a
range of options from standard storage tanks (above or below ground)
to modern below floor installations
- Building Materials – Choosing locally manufactured products
not only encourages New Zealand enterprise, but also are good for the
environment. Transportation is the single biggest user of fossil fuels
and contributor to global warming. Consideration of the lifecycle of
products is also important. How will these materials eventually be
disposed of? Demolition materials make up a large proportion of all
solid waste.
- Recycling facilities – A major part of recycling is sorting
at the source, so planning a place to sort and store recycling ready
for collection/disposal is a positive starting point.
- There are many more considerations that will be particular to your
requirements and location. We discuss these in depth with you in conjunction
with all the elements that make up the design of your new home. In
choosing to be “eco” in
some way, you can still have an aesthetically pleasing modern house.
Initial capital cost may be higher at the time of building, but over
the life of the building will produce savings. We also encourage you
to look at what is really important. A well-designed house that is
say 20sq.m smaller may cover the cost of extra insulation, solar hot
water, water storage and double-glazing.
- If you are planning to build in a remote location, we can also advise
on ‘off-the-grid’ options. These are seldom economical
in urban or semi-rural locations.
Links
Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority
www.energywise.co.nz
Solar Industries Association of NZ
www.solarindustries.org.nz
Watersmart
www.watersmart.co.nz
Building Research Association of NZ
www.branz.co.nz/main.php?page=Sustainable%20Construction
