Energy Efficient House Design
What is an energy efficient home? And why is that important?
For many of us, talking about energy efficiency in your dream home isn’t one of the most thrilling parts of the building process, particularly when you could be choosing wall tiles for your bathroom or the cabinetry in your kitchen. But it should be! This important element of the design phase is not just about energy consumption numbers and installing solar panels — by being clever in the design of your sustainable home, you’ll not only lessen your energy use and lower your energy bills, but you’ll also have a more comfortable home all year round. A more comfortable home equals healthier and happier occupants — and that’s exactly what you want!
Looking for a new home with a sustainable house design in Geelong? At Hamlan, we have made it a priority to build more energy-efficient homes so let’s take a look at the sustainable house features in our eco-friendly homes.
Windows and doors
One of Hamlan’s standard inclusions is double-glazed windows and doors from our local supplier Southern Star Group.
Double glazing is an easy way to improve your home’s energy efficiency and comfort — ultimately saving you money and adding value to your sustainable home.
Double-glazed windows and doors are made from two panes of glass that are separated by a layer of air or gas and then sealed. The gap between the layers acts as good insulation by reducing conduction and is designed to provide an even better barrier against outside temperatures.
Thermally broken windows
To improve the efficiency of windows further, thermally broken window frames can be installed which minimize the transfer of cool air that occurs through standard aluminium windows and door frames. Thermally broken windows systems separate the external and internal frame using a non-metallic or plastic material that reduces the transfer of atmospheric conditions of the home.
Thermally broken window frames will be on display in our new display home in the Gen Fyansford estate, which opens in March.
Solar Power with Tesla backup
As part of our commitment to minimising our environmental impact in the Geelong environment, every* Hamlan home comes complete with the Solar ChargePack including Tesla Powerwall, a customised solar-plus-battery solution. We are very proud to be the first Geelong builder to offer the Tesla Powerwall with backup as part of our standard inclusions.
With Powerwall you can store solar energy generated during the day for use at any time.
During the day, the sun shines on your solar panels, charging your battery. At night, your home draws electricity from your battery to power your home with sustainable, renewable energy.
Orientation
Orientation determines how your new home can be positioned on your block to maximise natural light and heat from the northern sun, reducing the need for artificial lighting, heating, and air conditioning. Our house plans have the flexibility of being able to flip living areas and bedrooms while maintaining the location of areas such as the garage to suit a range of orientations that blocks have.
Lighting is another important element that you must get right in a sustainable home design. Every Hamlan home comes with downlights — lighting that creates a clean, sophisticated look to your home while also providing excellent light. Plus, by using energy-efficient lighting like LED downlights over halogen globes, you can brighten your home longer with less energy use.
Another important sustainability element that we take into consideration is how we design a home to retain warmth in winter and keep it cool in summer.
All of Hamlan’s floorplans offer flexible designs that lend themselves to a passive solar-designed home. This means Hamlan’s floorplans have been designed to maximise the amount of solar heat gain in living rooms and zoning and grouping spaces within the floorplan.
Hamlan’s new home consultants get onto these design features by presenting plans at an early stage that show how the home meets the seven-star minimum and then how the home can perform even better!
Building tight and ventilating right
It is common to see a frame go up for a new home and then a wrap be installed around the frame. This wrap is designed to make the home weather tight and reduce the heat gain or loss of a home. Insulation is then installed before the home’s plaster is installed.
You may assume this construction method in new homes creates an energy-efficient home however, the average new Australian home still has a lot of leakage equivalent to a 3m by 3m wall missing, which is a poor performing building envelope.
Air leakage increases the cost of your power bills and makes for a less comfortable home
Building a home with an effective air barrier around the outside of the house is one step to building a tight home, but a vapour permeable barrier installed inside the home can stop moisture from leaking from the home and into the insulation, which can cause mould.
Our new display home in Gen Fyansford has been built with the addition of a vapour permeable barrier. With this, along with the external wrap and installation, the home will be very tightly wrapped which will reduce air leakage. The average leakage of a new built Australian home is equivalent to a 3m by 3m opening. In comparison, our new Gen Fyansford display home will have air leakage equivalent to a small letterbox slot.
Heat recovery mechanical ventilation system
With a tightly wrapped home it’s important to have a system to ventilate the home to ensure healthy air and also regulate the temperature. A heat recovery ventilation system installed into the ceiling of a home, removes air from the rooms and brings fresh air from outside. The home can stay comfortable and warm in winter and cool in summer with this system and is able to regulate the temperature inside the home to around 22 degrees.
When the home has combined double glazing with thermally broken window frames, the right insulation and wrap, and ventilation, then there’s no need for any heating or cooling.
This solves the mould issue, when the internal air has a high relative humidity and comes into contact with a cooler surface, i.e. glazing or internal corner, creating condensation leading to mould, fresh air keeps moisture out of air.
You can come and see how comfortable our sustainable homes can be with these features at our new Gen Fyansford display home.
Learn more about how to heat and cool your home.
If you want to take it up a notch…
All Hamlan homes are quality-built by local trades using locally sourced quality products and durable materials — and that’s before any upgrades! We’re also upfront with our costs, meaning you know exactly what you’re in for before you sign your contract.
If you want to take your eco-sustainable house up a notch, you can choose from our simple design upgrades and energy-efficient appliances or products.
Ceiling height is something that everyone notices when they walk into a home! High ceilings instantly make a home feel big, open and airy. Our homes already come with 2550mm ceilings but you can increase that to 2700 mm to add more space and natural light into your home.
Our standard electrical fittings are from the Clipsal Iconic range, upgradeable to match your home’s colour scheme for a polished look. These fittings are also operational with home automation — another great upgrade that allows you to do things such as turn lights on and off via an App.
Your dream home should always feel comfortable — no matter the season. At Hamlan, there’s a selection of upgrade options to give your home the added comfort of cooling in summer. Take your pick from split-systems, refrigerated cooling and evaporative cooling options. Split systems are considered one of the most energy-efficient options when it comes to heating and cooling. Some split systems also conserve energy by using motion sensors that slow the system down when you’re not using the room.
Read more about our inclusions and upgrades here.
