What can I do for the environment?

"What can I do for the environment” is a much asked question from our clients planning their home. Everyone genuinely wants to do what is best for “Mother Earth” but find the information available confusing and sometimes conflicting.

How many of these initiates can I afford and what affect will they have both to help the environment and make my new home more comfortable to live in and save me money on running costs?

This is a very complex and confusing question and the advice you receive will vary depending on the source.

The biggest problem we find with environmental products is many are great ideas but do they genuinely make the difference you wanted in comparison to their cost i.e. is the outcome worth the price or is there a more cost effective alternative?
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It is important to accept it is not only price that should be considered here, the environment is worth helping, but put your money where you feel you can make the biggest difference for your budget. No one has an unlimited spend for anything.

As a HIA accredited GreenSmart Professional, we are qualified to guide your design and recommend good environmental initiates and practices. Our aim is to achieve for you the most liveable home with maximum environmental outcome within your budget.

We are neutral i.e. we do not have an agenda of selling you any particular product to put in your home to “make it better”. We will provide a common sense approach, supported by research where available or known to us.

This is not a research paper but a “list” of ideas broadly based on cost. There are new and exciting initiatives & improvements coming out all the time, so this gives you some of the more achievable initiatives.

These will create very good outcomes for the environment, make your home more liveable and over time reduce your spend on electricity, water etc and create a financial benefit for you that continues into the future.

We have generalised the initiates based on cost:

1. Near nil additional cost items, or in some cases initiates required under law.
2. Moderate cost items.
3. Big ticket items.

There are a number of environmental areas we cover with this discussion:

1. Green house gas emissions - most of the discussion and products are linked to this area and generally relate to the reduction in electricity consumption (which translates to less cost to you).
2. Water conservation - this is an often-overlooked area but we recommend considering it for the environment and the increasing cost of water in our area.
3. Waste disposal reduction and recycling - another important environmental consideration that can all help with and will become a cost to all should we keep on our current path in Australia.

There are several initiates that are not addressed here such as material life cycle analysis, construction material,  embodied energy, site recycling of materials etc.

They are very individual to each person building their new home and hard to generalise on as I have done with other topics.

Using your home.
The most environmentally responsible home is only as good as it is used.

If the first thing that happens when you arrive home is the airconditioners goes on, instead of opening the windows, most of the benefit and budget will be wasted and most operating savings will not materialise.

Learning to use your home efficiently, maximising the built-in concepts is an important part of helping the environment and saving money.

Build a new home or buy an established house (there is a big difference).
The modern home is inherently more environmentally friendly then older homes (even home 5 to 10 years old).

The many improvements in areas such as star ratings, insulation, water saving devices, improved technology in airconditioners, appliances, hot water systems etc. make modern homes far more environmentally sensitive, more liveable and provide future saving with electricity and water.

Often the consideration of whether to build a new home or buy an established one is based on presentation, location of the home & price.

As with a car, an old one is not a new one and the maintenance costs associated with either are different.

Also, the technology built into new homes is extensive and for those serious about the environment, this makes the decision “black & white”.

Near nil Cost Items.
These are the initiates that, in effect, cost you nothing (or close to) either because they are clever design etc, or are required under law to go into modern homes, so are not an additional cost with your home.

1. Harness natural breezes: Good home design to take advantage of the natural breezes. This method of cooling your home, if done correctly will cost you nothing into the future. Keep your home cool using natures breezes and avoiding the excess use of airconditioners. It doesn’t get any better (or cheaper) then that.
2. Correct solar orientation on your site to keep your home cool: Position your home to avoid the hot western sun “pouring” into your living areas and heating them up. Some sites offer a challenge to achieve this, but an open mind and good home design will achieve this.
   
3. Sufficient roof insulation to keep your home at an optional temperature: Make sure the home you are considering has your total roof insulated i.e. patio and garage. Missing these areas will be a false economy during those hot summers. Legislation allows (in most cases) these areas to be left not insulated, but the minimal cost to do these areas outweighs the financial gain.
4. Ceiling batts: If you select this system ensure you have recessed lights covers between the insulation and the light as it is common practice for builders to cut a hole around 500mm wide around recessed lights which avoids the requirement of using covers that keeps the insulation away from the heat of the recessed light. Having numerous 500mm holes in your ceiling insulation is not helpful with the effectiveness of the insulation. Also make sure you have your patio and garage insulated - very little cost for the far cooler effect for your home.
5. Window size and types do matter: This is a design issue & the size, type and location of windows have a very large bearing on the coolness of your home during those hot months.
6. Natural shading of western (and eastern) walls: This can be done through landscaping, with appropriate trees correctly located if your site allows.
7. Roof overhang to protect windows and walls from hot sun: Shading western (and eastern) walls and windows using shade structures, particularly over windows will reduce internal home temperatures dramatically.
8. Light, cool colours on your roof and external walls, increases reflection and less absorption of the sun’s heat: This reduces the internal temperature of your home, as against using dark colours that do the opposite. This will reduce the need for running airconditioning and the electricity consumed by them.
9. Use a fan not an airconditioner: Good home design will provide a cool environment to live in and using a fan costs nearly nothing to run (unlike airconditioners which are expensive to run - if they can be avoided). This also can be a habit to turn on the airconditioners in summer instead of relying on fans (when appropriate).
10. Lighting types reduce power consumption...legislation require 80% of internal lights to new homes must be florescent, or LED or other low energy type light fittings. These lights use a fraction of the electricity use by the old fashion incandescent light bulbs....so dramatically reducing the use of electricity.
11. Reduce air-conditioned areas in your home. This can be achieved with good design & the savings on electricity consumption means money in your pocket.
12. Tap fitting to be low pressure...required under legislation so as to reduce the unnecessary waste of water
13. Dual flush toilets & low water reservoir volume type...these systems have very low use of water in comparison to old systems that used up to 4 times the water.
14. Landscaping...reduce amount of grassed area to reduce use of water to maintain. Replace turfed areas with stone, bark chip or mulch gardens. These use far less water to maintain when planted out with appropriate shrubs.
15. Drought resistant turf & landscaping… Using native & drought resistant species will reduce the amount of water needed to keep them flourishing. This is particularly important in Townsville.
16. Recycle waste…very easy to achieve at home with the waste collection system provided by the Townsville City Council. Land fill sites are creating huge greenhouse gas emissions, adding to land contamination, & is escalation in Australia at an alarming pace. This is something for the whole family to get involved in.
17. Grow veggies…having your own garden at home for veggies, herbs etc allows you to compost any organic item from grass clipping to table scraps (if the dog doesn’t want then). It is a lot of fun for the kids to get involved in & growing fresh produce is its own reward.
    
    

Moderate Cost Items.

1. Hot water system type...Heat pump, solar or gas...vs electric HWS. The cost of operation of these systems is very cost effective over the years in comparison to electric HWS’s. It will take some years to recoup the purchase cost of a heat pump, solar or gas HWS but from then on, the saving continue.
2. Roof ventilation...venting your roof eaves will allow heat in your ceiling to escape so reducing the heat build up in your home.
3. Mechanical Roof ventilators remove the heat trapped inside your roof cavity. This reduces the penetration of heat into your home, so decreasing airconditioner running costs.
4. LED light fitting have a slightly higher cost up front, but have strong light output for very low energy use, & will last far longer than most other types of fitting available.
5. Airlocks on doors & windows to airconditioned spaces in home can be used. This reduces the escape of the cool air generated by airconditioning...so reducing the electricity used to continually replace the cool air escaping.
6. High star rates airconditioners… more efficient air conditioners will reduce electricity consumption. The technology of quality airconditioners not only equates to longer & quieter running of your airconditioners... also with Inverter Technology the units operate at the optimum efficiency using less electricity. This all saves over time.
7. Efficient cooking appliances to reduce electricity consumption...higher star ratings reduce the use of electricity so saving over time.
8. Higher star ratings on refrigerators, washing machines, dryers, etc again will reduce the consumption of electricity & cost to operate.
9. Sun protection to windows using external screens will reduce the access of sunlight & heat into your home. This reduces the heating up of rooms & decreases the need for airconditioning.
10. A “green switch” is a system, with one switch that will turn off (when you go to bed or away) all the appliances you have plugged in on standby mode. This can reduce your power consumption for these appliances by up to 5%.
11. Window glass colours…(grey tint right up to specialty glasses) are designed to reduce the access of UV radiation into your home, keeping your home cooler & reducing the need for airconditioning…saving you money.
12. Low energy pool pump can reduce electricity consumption of your pump by up to 80%. This is a big saving on electricity & reduction of greenhouse gas emission.
13. A pool cover reduces evaporation from your pool by up to 75% in summer...so dramatically reducing the water loss in this area…great concept in our area.
    
    

Big Ticket Items. 

1. Photovoltaic (PV) power generation...electricity generation system on your roof. This is a great way to reduce your need to buy electricity by generating your own. With some adjustment of how you use electricity, you can greatly reduce your reliance on the Ergon supply & can actually sell your surplus electricity back to Ergon.
2. Battery Storage System (e.g. Tesla Smart Wall) - As PV systems only work while the sun is out.... battery storage systems can store electricity from your PV system until you need it. This is fairly new technology, developing quickly and very exciting. Ergon also have lower cost tariffs that are worth looking into, that are targeted at battery backup systems.
3. C-Bus automation...to reduce use of electricity. These systems will allow you to be more efficient with many daily activities...they are very complex & generally of significant cost.
4. Grey water treatment system will treat your grey waters (shower, washing machines etc) so it can be reused for irrigation etc. This greatly reduces the water consumption of your household. Legislation mainly only allows their use on larger acreage building sites.
5. Rain water tanks are great for catching & storage of rainwater that would usually go down the gutters. Depending on the size (which is usually dictated by the cost & space you have available) will determine how many times they need to be refilled, which in turn is dependent on rain fall patterns in your area.
6. Light weight construction is another alternative to consider when looking for methods of developing a cooler structure. The consideration of the cost efficiency & superior strength of masonry structure external walls makes alternatives noticeably more expensive.
7. Double glazed windows can be effectively used on the “hot” side of your home to dramatically reduce the penetration of heat into your home. This again reduces the need for airconditioning & the cost to run them.
   
   

As mentioned in the introduction this is a very general list.

Your NHS Design Consultant can provide more information on individual items you may have an interest in & the cost associated with them as applied to your home.

Ultimately the savings you can achieve with many of these, with efficient use of your home, will pay for the environmental benefit you have created, & ultimately pay dividends for your initial investment.
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As mentioned, technology is rapidly moving forward with constant changes expected.
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