Q+A: Difference in temperature between different roof colours
I live on the Sunshine Coast and am building a double storey house. I was wondering what the temperature difference would be between a Colorbond Windspray roof versus a Shale Grey roof?
Q+A: Am I overthinking the energy rating for my new home?
We are building a 7.3 provisionally star rated home in Duncraig, Perth.
I have been heavily invested on making this home thermally comfortable as I’ve never been so cold as I have in Australian homes in winter!
Q+A: Help with essay on sustainable housing
I’m 17 years old and from The Netherlands. I am writing my final essay about Sustainable Housing. I would like to become an architect one day and was hoping you could answer some questions.
Q+A: Retrofitting and Air Quality Advice
We are in a 1907 double brick federation house on a limestone foundation with a badly built 1980s extension on a concrete slab at the back. It has badly sealed doors and windows (single glazing), limited window fittings, two electric fans venting into the attic.
Why I (probably) won’t enter awards anymore
While winning awards are good for my ego, there’s a few reasons why I probably won’t be entering them for the time-being.
Part 4: Under the Hood of NatHERS
This content is restricted to buyers of: Part 4: Under the Hood of NatHERS Under the hood of NatHERS, Parts 1-4
Part 3: Under the Hood of NatHERS
This content is restricted to buyers of: Part 3: Under the Hood on NatHERS Under the hood of NatHERS, Parts 1-4
Part 2: Under the Hood of NatHERS
This content is restricted to buyers of: Part 2: Under the Hood of NatHERS Under the hood of NatHERS, Parts 1-4
Part 1: Under the Hood of NatHERS
This content is restricted to buyers of: Part 1: Under the Hood of NatHERS Under the hood of NatHERS, Parts 1-4
Full Bundle: Under the Hood of NatHERS
This content is restricted to buyers of Under the hood of NatHERS, Parts 1-4.
Mount Lawley Retrofit Case Study
In 2018 we assisted with a retrofit project to an existing house in Mount Lawley, Western Australia. Our client was seeking to improve the thermal comfort and available daylight in the house, particularly during winter.
NCC Energy Efficiency Compliance Checklist
This checklist has been produced to assist building and construction industry professionals to determine if satisfactory information and evidence has been provided to demonstrate that a Class 1 and/or 10a building satisfies the energy efficiency performance provisions of the National Construction Code 2019 edition Volume 2.
Beyond the Stars – Energy ratings as a design tool
There’s much more to be gained from an energy rating tool than the number of Stars. Sid Thoo and Alex Raynes-Goldie demonstrate how an energy rating tool can help tweak the building’s orientation, materials, shading and more. THE Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) ranks a home’s potential thermal performance
Confessions of a NatHERS assessor
In addition to being an architect and consultant that specialises in eco-effective building design, I am also a NatHERS accredited assessor. NatHERS refers to the Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme, which is used throughout Australia to rate the thermal performance of residential buildings. NatHERS software is used to calculate the heating
Q+A: Design Advice for an Outdoor Living Area?
We’re looking to build a new outdoor entertaining area applying passive solar techniques. We want to make sure that it doesn’t get too hot in summer – would a whirlybird in the roof help? We also like lots of winter sun for warmth, but also want the area to be
Taking a performance-based approach to Deemed to Satisfy
There are two pathways for demonstrating a residential building meets the energy efficiency requirements of the National Construction Code: Performance Solutions and Deemed to Satisfy. Many of you will already be familiar with the Deemed to Satisfy provisions for energy efficiency. It consists of a prescriptive “how to” list of acceptable construction practices that have to
Thoughts on Sustainability
Lately I’ve been wondering – when and how did we forget about sustainability?
Building for our changing climate
We can stabilise energy prices while addressing climate change if we are prepared to reconsider the way we build our cities.
8 STAR vs 6 STAR
8 STAR vs 6 STAR So obviously an 8 star energy efficient house will perform better than a 6 star one. But by how much? I’ve recently been involved in some consulting work for a housing design competition in the Pilbara where we attempted to illustrate exactly that. We settled
Does roof colour affect the energy efficiency of my house?
This is actually a loaded question – the answer is yes, it does affect the energy efficiency of your house, with respect to the energy required to heat and cool it. But not how you might think; it’s not as simple as light coloured roofs are better. This blog post
Are stars and dollars enough to win the sustainable housing debate?
Having recently witnessed my fellow eTool director Alex Bruce engaged in another animated discussion (ie. argument) over the relative benefits of six star ratings for most new homes in Australia as of 1st May 2012,
