Explore - Why Do Passive Houses Need to Be Built Airtight?

The air tightness of a building is its resistance to air leakage in or out through unwanted parts or sections of the passive house. Air leakage can occur through windows, doors, cabinets, joinery, beams, pipes, insulation, electrical wiring, fireplaces, etc. In simple terms, air sealing is about controlling the flow of air inside a building. 

Building an airtight house is one of the keys to building an energy-efficient home. Passive houses are designed to prevent unexpected air leaks, e.g., loss of warm air in winter and infiltration of hot or cold air. Careful design and correct construction are essential to meeting passive house standards. That is why passive house builders in Melbourne offer passive houses with an airtight cover. 

Triple Glazed Windows

The use of triple-glazed windows is compatible. For those who are not aware, three panes of glass are sealed inside the window frame. Usually, there are only one or two panes of glass. So why triple-glazed windows instead of single or double-glazed windows?

Triple-glazed windows are more energy efficient than single or double-glazed windows. They keep the heat in during the summer and keep it out during the winter. Passive house windows are designed to provide high thermal comfort even in the most extreme weather conditions. 

•  The windows are surprisingly resistant to breakage, making them burglar-proof. 
• They are quiet and provide good sound insulation from the road and neighbouring houses. 
• Insulation, careful sealing and high-performance windows significantly reduce external noise. 

According to the passive house builders in Melbourne, all the advantages ultimately increase the value of your passive house. 

Air Changes Rate

When it comes to measuring air tightness, there are many approaches. The most commonly used measurement method is the air change rate. This refers to the number of times the air inside a home is completely replaced when all doors and windows are closed, measured per hour using pressure. A quick search on the internet shows that the average new home has 7-20 air changes per hour. This means that on a windy day, the air changes from hot to cold about 7-10 times per hour. This means that the air heats up 1-10 times per hour. This means that a typical new house in Australia leaks 20 times more than a passive house! This is even when looking at the lower limit of the average allowable value for a typical new build.

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What Is the Best Shape for a Passive House?

A passive house has currently become the talk of the town with their efficacy and little use of energy for heating and cooling. It is mainly characterised by airtight construction and adequate insulation. During the tough winter, it uses solar energy to keep the house warm. This is how passive homes are beneficial for homeowners.

However, did you know that different shapes affect the efficacy of passive homes? Let us list down a few shapes and how they affect your passive home –

Different Shapes for Passive Homes

Before we begin with anything else, let us learn about the different shapes suitable for passive homes –

Cubes

This is the simplest and most efficient shape for passive homes. In fact, it is the most energy-efficient shape possible to maximise the benefits of passive homes. It is known for having a low surface area to volume ratio that helps in minimising heat loss. 

Rectangles

Rectangles are considered a bit more complex than cubes. Nonetheless, it is also a good choice for your passive homes. 

L-Shaped 

Lastly, another popular choice is only when they’re designed properly. To optimise solar gain, the house's long axis should be facing east-west. It is best to hire reputed passive house builders in Melbourne to get an idea of how the L-shaped system works. 

Advantages of a Compact Shape for Passive Homes

• Reduced heat loss: Because the walls and roof of a compact design have less surface area exposed to the outside air, they lose less heat. This is really important in the winter when the house is trying to retain heat.
• Improved insulation: Insulating a compact building is easier than a complex one. This is because there are fewer crevices and openings via which heat may escape.
• Increased solar gain: A compact design that faces south helps to maximise solar gain during the winter. Solar radiation can assist with natural home heating.

This is how a good shape and design play a crucial role in maximising the efficiency of passive homes. Make sure you hire reputed builders who can guide you through the right size and shape for your property. 

How Can a Passive House Benefit Your Health?

Are you looking forward to building a passive house for yourself and your family? You are undoubtedly investing in the right thing. But if you have second thoughts about it, consider knowing about the health benefits of such a house and encouraging yourself in the best manner possible. Once you have set your mind, you should only focus on building your passive house the right way. To achieve perfection in this, get the best energy-efficient home builders on board and get started.

Everyone looks for energy efficiency in their home. So, if a passive house makes it possible, why shouldn’t you consider building one? It is meant to be the perfect contribution to a better and healthier life.

Health Benefits of an Energy-Efficient House

When building a passive house, ventilators are used in different places, which work as suppliers of fresh air within. So, if there are any odours and pollutants inside the building, they are meant to be eliminated in no time. This way, a comfortable indoor air temperature is maintained throughout. Your home can also remain quiet at the same time due to the use of high-performance windows and insulation. This means that if you are staying in a busy area, you can easily prevent noise pollution.

You and your family can undoubtedly stay healthy in a passive house. But you need to make sure that the ventilation systems installed in it are properly done. Otherwise, you may face various problems down the line. You can make the installations proper and perfect by hiring the best energy-efficient home builders.

Investing in and relying on passive house builders can be one of the best decisions of your life. If you are serious about contributing to a better and healthier life, you should consider having them on board for the construction job. Thus, find them now and get started!

What Is the Speciality of Passive Houses and Why Are They Getting Popular?

 Sustainable houses are one of the most incredible things that will help you to achieve maximum energy sufficiency and help you to sustain the environment. That is why sustainable houses are becoming more popular with each passing day because it helps develop the internal energy sources of nature, and you will not require the help of any artificial heating or cooling regulator to change the room's temperature. In these passive houses, you will not require additional energy to sustain the house, and you will be able to save more energy than an average home. That is why these types of houses are getting more popular. These homes can be warmed with passive sources like the sun, and you can use occupants to keep the household warm by using different appliances. Thermal insulation and mechanical ventilation can be used to maintain the heating and cooling effects inside the house. With the help of professional passive house suppliers, you will get the desired passive house that will help you save the environment and consume less energy.

Let's see the specialty of passive houses and why they are getting more popular.

Doing the right thing for the environment:

The first thing that should come to your mind is saving the environment. Due to global warming, the environment is getting hotter every single day, which is why the increase of creating passive houses is getting more popular because they consume much less energy than an average house. You can save a lot of energy by building the house in a way that will not increase your carbon footprint. The highly effective equipment and appliances used in these houses will help you to reference any outside disturbance. 

Use of highly efficient tools:

These houses are unique because there are mechanical ventilation systems that eliminate pollution, like traffic fumes and smoke. This way, your house will not get pollutants from outside pollution. Solar panels and batteries will help you consume natural energy that will not impact climate change. When you are incorporating professional passive house suppliers, you will be able to get the best tools to protect the house. They will use double and triple-glazed windows to make the passive how is much quieter than an average house.

Aesthetic and sustainable:

If you want to match the house's aesthetic with all modern facilities that will help you consume less energy, then passive houses are the solution. It is an excellent way of combining the aesthetic of a modern house with all amenities of sustainability. That is the reason this combination is working well with house occupants.

Passive houses can be an excellent option for bringing positive environmental changes, and with the help of suitable passive house suppliers, you will be able to achieve a beautiful house.

 

What Are the Main Principles of Building a Passive Net Zero Building?

A passive building is the result of increasing awareness of energy efficiency and climate change that has led to the development in the building sector. The passive buildings cause low carbon emissions along with having green design techniques, strategies and use of modern technology. These buildings use renewable energy sources and highly airtight structures to keep the interiors naturally cool. If you wish to build such a house, the best passive house builders in Melbourne will help you with their expert techniques.

Let’s see the principles of building a passive house.

Thermal Control:

Thermal control means the inside of the house will remain colder during hot months, and the interior will remain warm during colder months. The building entirely helps keep the temperature comfortable according to the weather. Using a thermal bridge-free enclosure minimises mould growth by eliminating the cold corners.

Air Control:

For air control, strategic and mechanical air ventilation processes need to be used, which will seal the enclosure and cause air tightness within the house to keep the air quality pure. This also saves energy by minimising outside filtration. With the help of high performance building supplies, you can exhaust stale air from the bathroom and kitchen to maintain fresh air inside the building. With balanced and controlled air quality inside the house, you can incorporate heat and moisture recovery that restricts mould growth.

Moisture Control:

The passive buildings provide special attention to moisture and vapour control to balance appropriate moisture levels. You should give detailed attention to the strategic mechanic system to maintain the moisture level inside the house. 

Radiation Control:

Solar radiation controlling feature of the passive buildings prevents overheating. Installing high-performing windows and doors puts additional focus on proper balance of heating and cooling the interior. Their improved environmental control technology keeps the indoors cool if the outside weather is hotter. The expert passive house builders in Melbourne maintain appropriate heating and cooling strategies for better energy efficiency.

The various unique features of the passive buildings call for the benefit of being energy efficient and taking a holistic approach to the environmental factor. Having these buildings will take you to the next step of energy efficiency.

What Are the Main Standards of a Passive House Design?

Passive House Design is a term that refers to conscious design techniques that help reduce a building's energy consumption and often use reusable energy. Passive Houses accomplish their objective of hyper-efficiency by creating and developing highly insulated building envelopes. Passive House Designs should also include other components that help limit emissions while still generating energy-efficient heating and cooling for its residents, such as solar energy and geothermal energy. Reducing energy usage is good for cutting energy and appliance costs. It is possible to cut energy consumption as well as your energy bill with an energy-efficient home while staying environmentally aware. The following are the primary passive house design criteria:

• Proper insulation - Proper insulation reduces the amount of energy and heat that leaves the house through places such as window glass. Passive house builders in Melbourne seek to trap as much heat as possible to reduce the need for heating systems that circulate hot air inside, wasting energy.

• No air leakages - Similarly to the concept above, the objective here is to confine air & heat that is better used within the house rather than allowing it to escape.

• Proper positioning - This standard governs the location of windows and ventilation systems. The strategy makes use of the sun's natural heat to allow heat to enter a home, and when it's warm outside, it also helps keep cool air inside.

• No thermal bridges - In this instance, architects and engineers must be aware of the heat that may quickly pass through walls and other boundaries. This may be addressed by making good use of design.

• HRV (Heat Recovery Ventilation) - This component allows fresh air to flow while blocking heat from escaping. Some buildings have even incorporated advanced ventilation systems that circulate air inside and outside of homes by extracting and transferring hot air to different portions of the building. This revolutionary method is used by passive home suppliers to create pleasant heating while emitting CO2.
• Proper windows - Windows are great attractions for heat to dissipate, and adding triple-pane glass windows will provide insulation not only for warm days but also for cold winter days.

This in-depth study of passive house design standards should be of great use to you. If you find this piece of content useful, don’t forget to share it with your friends, and get back to us for more exciting posts! 

Telltale Signs That Give You a Clear Idea About Hiring Passive House Builders

In the current scenario, the quality of living is affected to a great extent by the choice of homes where people reside. Transforming your home into a passive house can be an excellent idea in terms of upgrading your quality of living in the best possible manner. There are certain signs that your house provides you with to make sure that you are in dire need of hiring passive house builders and transforming your house in the right manner.

Here is a look at a few of the most important signs that provide you with a clear idea about hiring the right house builders for the job of transforming your home into a passive house. So if you are confused about upgrading your quality of living via the construction of a passive house, make sure to keep these points in the back of your mind.

Your home doesn’t have a good ventilation system

This is the first and foremost sign that tells you to hire passive house builders in Melbourne to transform your home into a passive house. Proper ventilation in a house is highly necessary for sustainable living and if there is lack of the same in the house where you live with your family, you should definitely opt for passive house builders to get the job done.

The insulation system of your house is faulty

Another obvious sign that tells you to hire passive house builders in Melbourne for your home transformation is the presence of a faulty insulation system. In a passive house, the insulation needs to be of high quality. So make sure to hire a company for the job of transforming your house into a passive one if you see this particular sign in your home.

Your electric bill is very high

When you live in a normal house, you might find that the electricity consumption is very high, which eventually affects your electric bill in an adverse manner. This is why it is extremely important for you to make sure that you opt for transforming your home into a passive house, which will help you to get proper heating and cooling in your home without burning a hole in your pocket.

From the above lines, we get a clear idea of the various signs that tell you to hire passive house suppliers to get all the materials that are required to build a passive house in the best possible manner. So make sure to keep these points in your mind and upgrade your quality of living.

Important Aspects Concerning Passive Houses and Their Significance

 

Do you know what makes passive homes really interesting and most in demand? They are energy efficient. That’s why anyone living in a passive house can feel the warmth during winter and cooler in warmer months. However, there are certain things that go beyond the energy efficient thing. There are health benefits along with environmental perks which are main reasons why a huge number of investors and prospective homebuyers are interested in this passive concept. Let’s check. 

What does passive building mean? 

Passive buildings are common nowadays. The term passive is described in a different way. Passive living is referred to as healthier and comfortable living where you don’t have to spend hugely on HVAC systems because you can earn perks of living in a passive house that’s extremely energy efficient. 

Passive house suppliers build these exceptionally environment friendly homes which are dependent hugely on the movement of the sun. The innovative designs implemented for building passive homes are impeccable. They have smartly engineered insulation along with ventilation benefits where inmates can benefit from controlled temperature levels with little requirement for air conditioning. They come with a lot of features which speak of energy efficiency. 

Wondering why passive homes are so efficient? 

The passive home is different from standard homes. It functions more or less like how a thermos bottle does; only with better ventilation. Now who wouldn’t want that. Irrespective of their size, the passive building demands for continuous insulation for which builders need to incorporate features triple pane windows, effective air circulation systems and air-tight sealing facility. A passive home is also designed for preventing thermal bridging where the temperature of one material transfers to other materials with the help of physical contact. As the interiors are thermally sealed off the temperature inside remains more stable and also less dependent during certain outside conditions. These are what make the passive home more efficient than standard homes. 

Choosing a site

The site and various surrounding features are firstly considered during building of a passive house. A passive home is built around to capitalise the solar gains and they must ideally be oriented towards the southern direction where the exposure to light is maximum. There should be no obstruction in the south. Passive builders will install maximum number of glazed surfaces to the south in order to rea maximum from solar exposure. The terrain, the neighbouring buildings and greenery need to be considered as these factors dictate exposure to sunlight. 

Now, these are chiefly the most important aspects concerning passive building and their significance which you must know about. 

Factors That You Should Consider While Hiring Passive House Builders

  

Building a passive house takes a lot of time, money and energy. So while building it, you should make sure to hire the best possible building expert to get the job done properly. You need to do a lot of research as well to ensure that you get the right person to build an energy efficient house. This research will enhance your knowledge about energy efficient buildings and there are a number of factors that you should consider while hiring the house builder for the job.

These factors are very essential to be kept in mind as they help you to ensure that you get the right company at your disposal with complete knowledge about building passive houses. Here are a few of the factors that will help you to get your hands on the right candidate to get the job done. So make sure to consider them while hiring a company for building a passive house.

Experience

When it comes to building a passive house, it is always better to hire someone who has a considerable amount of experience in the same sphere. This will help you to get the right company at your disposal while hiring passive house builders in Melbourne without much hassle.

References

It is very important that you look for a few references while hiring a passive builder for your new home. These references help you to understand how the builder has fared in his responsibilities and how his performances have been during the previous jobs, which is necessary in case of hiring a building contractor.

Rules and regulations

Every region has its own set of rules and regulations when it comes to building a house. It is important that you know whether the passive house suppliers you are hiring have a clear idea of these regulations or not. It will make your job easy in terms of hiring the right candidate to get the job done without any hassle. So make sure to keep this particular factor in mind in order to get the right passive builder for your home at your disposal in the best possible manner.

From the above discussion, we get a complete idea of the various questions that you should keep in mind while hiring passive house builders in Melbourne. It will not only help you to get the right candidate at your disposal but will also ensure that you get the job done within the right time and in the best possible manner.

How Local Climate Affects the Planning of Energy Efficient Home?

 

The consumption of energy is increasing day by day due to the increase in urbanization and population. In the coming days, we need to produce more energy to fulfill all our home requirements. The requirements of energy vary from place to place, depending on the type of dwelling, climate, and level of development. The building location determines the microclimate conditions, which plays a critical and important role in the development of energy efficiency, as it is very much vital for the planning, climatic values such as air temperature, solar radiation, humidity, and air circulation that affects your energy costs. If you are planning to develop a building on hilly land, you know you must depend on the climatic conditions and the type of building to get your job done right.

For planning an Energy Efficient Home in cold climates, you need to make use of the south slopes to increase the rate of solar collection. You need to avoid the low-lying places and windy hilltops that accumulate cold air. For hot and humid climatic conditions, you need to develop your energy efficient home in a way that increases the rate of natural ventilation. You can achieve this by building your energy efficient home on a hilltop, but make sure you avoid the west side to get rid of the hot afternoon sun rays.

Your building shape is very essential to develop an energy efficient home in places that consist of different climatic conditions. In cold regions, you need to make use of compact forms to reduce the rate of heat loss, while for the hot and dry climatic regions you can make use of compact forms to reduce the rate of heat gain that will help you to enjoy cool living spaces. 

Hence, climate plays a big part in your development plan of energy efficient home. Also, you need to make sure the structure of your home and cooling, heating, and hot water systems are built in a way that supports the energy efficiency factor. Make sure you follow expert recommendations that will help you to improve the energy efficiency of your home and save a lot of money on electric bills. 

Hope, you have understood how local climatic conditions can affect the planning of your energy efficient home. If you find the post useful, make sure you share it with your friends, and give thumbs up! 

Mistakes To Avoid While Acquiring High Performance Building Supplies

 Building a home is never an easy task, especially when you need to build an energy efficient home. There are a number of companies that provide you with the requisite items that you need to build such a home in the best possible manner. Acquiring these building supplies can help you build an energy efficient home in the right way so as to ensure that you can upgrade your living style to a great extent. 

However, there are a number of mistakes that can make it difficult for you to get the right materials for the job. This is a problem that can eventually jeopardise the whole purpose of building an energy efficient home. So you should make sure to avoid these mistakes at every possible cost and get the best results that you desire while buying high performance supplies for your building.

Not checking the products before buying

You should make sure to check the products that you need to build an energy efficient home beforehand in order to ensure that you get the right supplies at your disposal and get the best results from them. So it is very important that you don't make this particular mistake while choosing high performance supplies.

Not checking the company’s reputation

It is very important that you check the reputation of the company from which you are getting your supplies. You should make sure not to hire a company that does not have a good reputation in the market. You can check the testimonials of the previous customers and ensure that you get the right company at your disposal to get the building materials supplied.

Not checking the ratings and reviews

While acquiring high performance building supplies to build a home that is energy efficient, you should make sure to check the ratings and reviews of the company properly and make sure you get the best building materials at your disposal. So it is very important to check for the ratings and reviews provided by the previous clients of the company from which you are buying the building supplies for your home.

The above instances provide us with a clear idea about the various mistakes that you should avoid while opting to buy building supplies for your energy efficient home. So make sure to avoid them at every cost and get the right results at your disposal while buying high performance building materials.

7 Reasons Why Passive House is Better than the Traditional Builds

There is heaven and hell difference between the passive houses and the traditional builds. Passive houses are energy saving and are quite cost effective in the long term basis. If you are having second thoughts as to why passive homes are better than the traditional builds then the following points are just for you:

• You become a lot Healthier:

Quite often we get so busy with our daily schedule that we fail to cater to the needs of our health. Due to which we fall prey to the vicious cycles of many lifestyle diseases and disorders. When you dwell in passive homes then you will be able to give an upgrade to your lifestyle and health.

• Efficient Ventilation:

With the right use of passive house supplies you will be able to build in such passive houses that have top quality ventilation. With totally controlled air circulation you will be able to experience better standards of living. 

• You will Dwell in a Domotic House:

The recent advances and hiring of capable passive house builders in Melbourne will help you get the advantage of dwelling in houses that are automatically controlled. 

• Installation of Smart Appliances:

The traditional builds lack the room for the addition of smart technologies such as an elevator system. Such elevators ease your way of dwelling and are based on energy recovery management.

• Peaceful Dwelling due to Prevention of Outside Noise:

Hire the passive house builders in Melbourne to transform your traditional space into the passive house that insulates the outside noise. The acoustic control of disturbing noises will help you concentrate better!

• Cuts Down your Heating Expenses by about 90%:

If you use the authentic passive house supplies then you will end up cutting down your heating expenses by several folds! The passive houses unlike the traditional builds will help you save money in regards to the heating and ventilation.

• The Temperature is Constant throughout the House:

A sure-fire reason as to why passive houses are better than the traditional builds is due to the implanted insulation systems! The cold spots are kept under check and thus energy escapes are greatly minimised.

Changing with the times is highly relevant in today’s scenario. Passive houses are totally worthy of each dollar spent on them only if you get them built via trusted and licensed builders! If you found this blog post useful then do share the same with your near ones. 

Things you need to know before hiring Passive House Builders

Good things will never come easy! You need to plan a lot of things before you set your foot in building or getting a passive house built for you. Energy efficient homes are quite expensive to make but they are worth every dollar that you spend. It is rightly said, that good things need proper planning, gathering of resources and execution. In case you are planning to build you current house or buy a new property to build a passive home then this blog post is just for you!

Here are few things that you need to know before you hire or appoint passive house builders to carry out the mammoth task:

• It will not be easy but definitely worth it!

Nothing comes easy in life, and so when it comes to building a passive house, one must keep in mind that it is an engaging venture but once completed will be totally worth every single drop of sweat. No construction project is an easy venture but requires prior planning and proper step by step execution. The building of such houses might seem overwhelming but going about it and completing it in the perfect manner will provide you a low energy cost living standards. 

• The team of Builders that you are appointing:

When you plan to hire the passive house builders in Melbourne then you need to keep in mind as to whom you are hiring! You certainly will not want to waste your money over the novice ones! So it is very crucial for you to surround yourself with a team of professional passive builders who know what exactly they are doing. 

• Be mindful regarding the design!

Of the many things, the designs of your passive needs to be paid heed to. You must look forth to some things such as: the orientation, whether towards south, east or west and secondly the compactness as this also plays an important role!

Now once you are sure to go about the passive house building then you need to keep certain pointers in mind in order to hire the best passive house builders in Melbourne! At first you will have to look out for those builders who are an expert in this field. Then you need to shortlist your options and finalize upon one by doing a good amount of research and background check! Suggestions from your near and dear ones are also welcome!

Questions to Ask while hiring Passive House Builders

 

Passive house builders have thorough knowledge regarding the construction of energy efficient homes. Ask them ample questions prior to hiring them.

Are you planning to build your dream house? In case you are planning to build an energy efficient house then opting for the passive house builders will be an ideal choice. Getting into the high energy design homes is not everyone’s cup of tea. You ought to consult professionals to get things done in the most effective manner.

Hiring a passive home builder is the most important decision that needs to be undertaken. Hence asking them ample questions is very crucial. Here are few questions that you must ask while hiring passive house builders:

• What are your measures for duct locations and combustion safety:

You must be careful with the combustion safety of your home. In order to get the best out of an energy efficient home, you will have to choose a builder who is particular about the placement of the duct vents as well as the combustion safety of the entire building. If the builder answers by saying that the ducts will be placed at the attic and the attic will be well ventilated then consider it to be a red flag.

Though the reputed builders will be particular about the combustion safety but ask them their views on natural draft water heaters as well as the vent less fireplaces.

• How will the heating and the air conditioning systems designed?

Ask them this question and if they say that they have left it to the HVAC contractor then you need to think twice. The passive house builders of Melbourne must be aware as to how the HVAC contractor will go about it. the proper way of doing it by calculating room by room load capacity.

• Do you use third party inspections to ensure the class of the house?

If the passive builder has expertise in the making of passive homes then they might be participating in energy star as well as LEED programs. Getting inspections will help you get the perfect house built for you.

Besides these questions there are a lot of other considerations that you must keep in mind. At the time of hiring the passive house builders from Melbourne you must not forget to go through their testimonies in order to get an idea of their workmanship. Make sure to hire the ones who have work expertise of at least 6 years and our accredited to make such energy efficient homes. If you have a near one who can offer you references then go for it too!

Interesting Tips to Ensure You Are Residing In an Energy Efficient Home

If you have built a home based on your objective to save energy because you not only want to improve the environment around but at the same time are eager to save your pocket from being recklessly emptied, it’s time you consider the energy-efficiency of the residential facility. Although, a lot of homeowners believe that saving energy means investment on efficient electrical appliances, what they don’t seem to know is that homes too can be constructed in ways such that inmates can gain an edge.

So that your energy efficient home helps you curtail on utility bills, here are few interesting ways you can maintain your establishment. Let’s check them in the following lines:

Regular cleaning and maintenance of the HVAC system

Consider taking care of your HVAC system because these appliances are responsible for ensuring that you are living in a comfortable environment. However, with time these systems trap in dirt as well as dust and help reduce the quality of air around your home. So that they are being able to run with efficiency you should ensure that the HVAC systems are well maintained. This will further aid you in preventing mechanical breakdowns. Altering HVAC filters once in a while is a great way to improve efficiency of the system.

Check the window seals

Have you checked the window seals yet? A lot of air escapes through the windows when the seals stop working or become loose. As a result, the HVAC system will start struggling to provide you desired comfort and lose their efficiency in the process. That’s why we recommend that you look for signs indicating damage caused to the seal.

Check the water heater

Hot water is mostly stored in cylinders or tanks. However, hot water storage only spikes up your electricity bills. To stop this from happening, opt for tank-less water supply.

Are the trees placed strategically?

Energy efficient homes are possible to achieve when other than the interiors and appliances, you have also considered the outdoors. A great way to guarantee that your home is energy efficient, both from within and from outside is to ensure that you have planted enough trees especially around the southern and western parts of the premise. Such strategic placements promise that your home will receive adequate amounts of sunlight so that the interiors stay comfortable even when it is winter.

Furthermore, you must opt for smart lighting options which consume less energy and offer greater brightness. Also, don’t forget to get south facing windows installed which will make your home airy. These are tips you can follow for making your home energy efficient.

Build Your Next Energy Efficient Home by Following These Steps

Saving power means saving the environment too. You can upgrade your home to make it eco-friendly and this can be achieved in several ways. An energy-efficiency home means usage of less valuable power that leads to lower expenses when it comes to energy. Eco-friendly homes also contribute to a healthy living environment by preventing pollution forming agents while increasing the level of comfort. Let us now see how these can be achieved.

In present times the passive house builders in Melbourne are improving power efficiency by installing appliances that are power-saving while avoiding usage of components that are harmful to health.

The following can be considered for transforming your home into an energy-efficient one.

Solar Panels

Installing solar panels help in saving electricity bills as the source of power is the sun. These panels form enough electricity required for lights and fans in your rooms. Modern panels are powerful and can even be used for watching television and desktop computers.

Power Saving Lights

Various power saving lights such as LED and CFL can reduce the use of energy by up to 70% in homes. Moreover, these bulbs are available in the market at cheap rates and are available at plenty.

Installing Home Insulation

Using insulation agents help in keeping homes cool and quiet. These agents make the transfer of heat slower thus reducing the temperature. A strategically insulated home does not require an air cooler or conditioner thus reducing your electricity consumption costs.

Customized Windows

Installing customized windows in an energy efficient home is a must. There are several windows in the market that can drastically reduce emissions as well as heat and noise from the outside thereby saving power costs.

Air Leakage Control

Sometimes this is already included in the home insulation installation plan. Else, you will have to install it manually. You need to assign experts who will detect possible air leaks and seal them so that the cooler air inside your home does not leak and neither can the hot air enter your room.            

Sealing the Ducts

A leakage in the air ducts of your home can lead to excessive heat or cold in rooms that will require you to use more electricity to keep the rooms warm or cool. To mitigate this problem and keep the home energy-efficient get your air ducts checked. If there is a leak, they should be closed then and there.

Apart from the above-mentioned steps, the passive house builders in Melbourne are also suggesting the use of appliances that are certified for saving power in homes.

Steps That Passive House Builders Take to Come Up With a Finished Home

Installing a passive house may be a bit expensive, but in the long run, it is highly beneficial to live in a passive home. It is a way of healthy living. To build a passive home, you need a team of professional builders with years of experience in making this technology a traditional way of living. Planning and infrastructure of a passive house depend on a lot of things.

There are multiple steps that you need to follow while making a passive home.

Step 1. Panning

For a passive home building, the mechanism of installing an insulation technique is the most essential. Architects imply new house making science to design a passive home. They collaborate with the builders and incorporate planning and structuring of the house. The architects need to plan the right way of installing thermal insulation and airtight construction for your passive home.

Step 2. Location of the house:

Passive home builders near Melbourne first find the right spot for enacting the designing. The site must have accurate solar access to optimise the sun’s warm light in winter, and on the contrary, for the summertime, the minimisation of solar access is equally important. Builders look for the right positioning of landscaping and plantation that will give keep your house cool in summer.

Step 3. Insulation:

Insulating the home in the right way is the most valuable step of passive home building. Thermal insulation ensures reducing the temperature of the house. The natural sunlight is intact inside the house through this technique. There is no need to install centrally backed up heater in your house. Not even you will need an air conditioner for the summertime. Thus it is a great way to cut the energy costing in your home.

Step 4. Window and door sealing:

The installation of windows and doors for a passive home is not traditional. You must install high-performance energy-efficient doors and windows to make the space airtight. The seal of windows and doors decide the level of insulation inside the home. In the summertime, the windows will be down during the daytime, and in winter the rule is to get the maximum heat and restore it for the night.  To check on the capacity of holding the air a high-quality door and window test is included using pressurisation and depressurisation.

Step 5 Air testing through Heat Recovery Ventilator

Heat recovery ventilator installation is beneficial because of its mechanism of letting in fresh outdoor air and passing the stale warm air or pollutants from indoor.

Conclusion:

So, these are the steps contactors and homebuilders are following to structure a passive home. In the home building industry, this new pattern is trending. Professional architects and housebuilders work in collaboration to build one passive home.

Ventilation in Passive House during the times of COVID 19 – A Brief Discussion

The Ventilation System or the Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR) of the passive house generally draws fresh air from the atmosphere and pushes them into the rooms. During this epidemic triggered off by the COVID 19 people are permitted to move around in the open as long as they maintain social distancing as prescribed by the experts. Indeed, like all the other viruses that are exhaled by the infected people are diluted strongly. Hence, the concentration of viruses in the atmosphere is low enough to turn harmless. So the bottom line is that, COVID 19 is not airborne and even if it is airborne it cannot stay in the air long enough to be a genuine threat.

The Ventilation issue of Passive House

The pandemic condition that is prevailing at this point shows pretty vividly why the passive house builders in Melbourne as well as the experts are putting more emphasis on the ventilation of the passive houses and buildings with the fresh air outside. They have also clearly mentioned why it is highly dangerous to use recirculated air ventilation.

Here is a quick look!

The air outside may be polluted, but it will only and only be polluted by dust, which can anyway be filtered by the high-quality fine-class filters like F7..F9, which are recommended by the passive house specialists and are as such, installed at the external air ducts. In fact, only recently, a statement that was published by the German Society of Ventilation (FKG) clearly stated that the passive house ventilation systems (MVHR) that are operating with the atmospheric air should be kept operating and should never be switched off. They also warned against the dangers of reducing or switching off the outside airflow.

To ascertain the gravity of their warning, it is essential to compare the ventilation system of the passive houses in Melbourne with that of the conventional buildings, which do not have any controlled ventilation system. They have clearly stated that all the conventional buildings without these controlled ventilation systems MUST have all their rooms properly ventilated with the atmospheric air. Rooms with a ventilation system that have no connection with the atmospheric air, like in AC rooms, trains, buses, and cars are highly dangerous zones and people using them are more prone to get infected by COVID 19 than those who are not.

The experts are of the opinion that the spaces with conditioned atmosphere might get virally contaminated and this can pose a real danger when the air accumulates into the interior spaces inhabited by users. In passive houses, with high tech filters properly installed at strategic entry points of the air, the intake air is even cleaner. That is the reason, the passive house experts in Melbourne like any other place will recommend proper operation of the outdoor air ventilation mechanism, even during the COVID 19 Pandemic. 

Reasons Why You Need Windows in Passive Houses That Can Open

As passive houses are still not the most trending thing in the modern world (there are no reasons why they shouldn’t be) and an idea that is somewhat obscured by myths and legends, people hesitate to opt for passive houses. They can’t only imagine how a whole house can literally be off the power grid. Among the myths that are circulated regarding passive houses, one of the most outrageous is that you can’t open a window in passive houses. While that is a lie, it’s necessary to have windows in a home that can be opened for a variety of reasons. Here are some of the reasons why it’s crucial to have proper air circulation in a house, passive or otherwise. 

An Energy-efficient Way of Cooling Your Building

During the summer, keeping your windows open is one of the cheapest, easiest and most environment-friendly way of cooling your energy-efficient home. If you have windows on opposite sides of the building, it allows for cross ventilation. In other words, the windows let natural breeze to pass through the building, reducing heat. It is the most effective solution in coastal and tropical areas where the temperature is more relaxed at night than during the day. 

Better than Passive House Air Ducts

The passive house ventilation process generally provides lower air exchange than cross ventilation. The fan would disperse additional heat into the environment, and the cooling system is further weakened in the process. The air exchange ratios of air ducts installed in these buildings are not enough to prevent the air from being too humid or too dry during excessively hot (and cold) weather. Advanced air ventilation systems may be able to do the job, but they are more costly and less energy-efficient than the conventional ventilation systems. On the other hand, windows provide you with a natural solution for cooling your building. 

A Link to the World outside Your Four-Walls

Windows connect our house interior to the vast world of nature that is lying outside. They allow us to look at the breath-taking views of the sunset, hear the birds chirping and singing, and to call out to the children playing in the garden. That is why most homeowners while designing their houses, take care of the fact that it has broad and airy windows. They also want to be able to control when and how to open them.

If you are planning to design and build a passive house to promise your kids a better future, you could contact experienced and renowned passive house builders in Melbourne who will be able to take care of the whole project from scratch. Invest in a passive home and invest in a better tomorrow. 

Cut-Down Your Energy Use With Smart Lights- A Discussion!

Smart home lighting is always an important aspect of your oh-so energy-efficient homes. Other than brightening your property; they also improve home security, creates a good atmosphere and helps you cut down on your monthly bill.

And since; your home lighting accounts for approximately 6-8% of your home’s energy consumption; it does make sense to invest in quality energy-saving lights to turn your interior space into a pleasing and inviting one.

Digging Deeper Into Smart Lights For Your Energy-Efficient Home:-

Nowadays, the rise of smart home bulbs makes it possible for homeowners to control their lighting needs and in the process lessen its energy consumption. You can opt for smart bulbs to regulate your individual light needs.

However, as per energy-efficient home builders in Melbourne:-

“This may not be the best option for those wanting to integrate energy-conserving smart lights along with smart home assistance. Fortunately; for you; there are so many other alternatives that you can go for.”

Optimal options may include in the form of light dimmers, energy-saving lights along with a quality home energy management system much like a constellation connect. This helps reduce their home’s energy use and amp up their overall property protection.

As per their viewpoints; here are some smart lighting solutions to reduce your monthly electricity use.

Employing Smart Lighting Switches:-

They are a smart mode of regulating your home’s lighting and conserving energy consumption. As they are installed; you will be able to control one hard-wired energy-saving light switch- be it from your smart hub or smartphone. These smart lights can also be voice-controlled.

Some options which you can opt include:-

• Single Pole Smart Switch
• Three/Four-Way Smart Switch
• Plug-in Smart Switch

Setting Up Motion Sensors Whenever Applicable In Your House:-

Most motion sensor lighting help save energy by automatically switching off when it detects no activity in a particular room. You can even set it to trigger the lights only when there is a human activity (so as to prevent your cat’s from switching them on as she moves around your residence)

Where Can You Put Motion Sensors Inside Your Home

Motion sensors present the most energy-saving convenience to homeowners (as explained above). Some of those common areas where you can think of installing them include:-

• Basement
• Entryways
• Garages
• Closets
• Bathroom, kitchen
• Outside the main gate
• Hallways
• Children’s rooms

And other high traffic areas in your house.

Adding Smart Light Dimmers :-

In terms of smart lighting options; you can choose from the following:-

• CFLs:- Compact fluorescent light bulbs are extremely energy-efficient. But not being specifically designed for dimmer switches, and when used, they may flicker and have a shortened lifespan.

• LEDs:- They are presently the best lighting option for smart, energy efficient homes. They also last a long time and is compatible with LED dimmer switches.

• Halogen Bulbs:- When used with dimmer switches, they tend to use 20% less energy, in comparison to when they are not dimmed. But these bulbs may not always be appropriate for all homes.

For large spaces, halogen bulbs may prove less energy efficient, and that negates the benefit of using dimmer switches. If you have a large space, then you can opt for a standard low-wattage bulb.

And, Including Smart Energy-Efficient Timers :-

These energy-saving timers are usually placed between the plug and wall outlet. And they are fitted to turn off the plugged-in home item at any particular time.

They are also referred to as timer switches, smart energy-efficient timers and they come with multiple usages. These timers help turn on your home lights at predetermined moments, right before you enter your home after work.

Energy-Efficient Timers Are Mainly Used To Regulate

• Hot tubs and pool filters
• Outdoor security lights
• Small appliances (like for instance computer, radios, flatirons, etc.)
• Water heating appliances
• Indoor lighting

Now that you have a clear perspective on smart energy-efficient home lighting solutions, be sure to discuss these with your home builder about these installations.

Also make it a point to always procure high performance building supplies in Melbourne for your dream home construction. You can even consult with your chosen builder to decide which option will work best for your specific requirements.