SkyRidge - Sustainable Fact Book

Sustainable Fact Book

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Creating a sustainable home at SkyRidge

INTRODUCTION In today’s world, everyone can play a part in helping protect the environment and preserve our shrinking natural resources. The good news is, with some careful planning in the early stages of building your home at SkyRidge, it’s possible to do this every day, and even save money in the process. In fact, building your new home is the perfect opportunity to use environmentally sustainable design and construction methods to set you and your family up for more ecofriendly living.

From energy efficiency to recycling, using our cars less and being mindful of the things we buy and the materials we use, living in harmony with the natural environment can actually be easier than we think.

The main factor, when planning a new sustainable home is how energy and water-efficient it will be, while still providing you with comfort and convenience now and into the future.

Your builder, designer or architect will be able to provide information and advice on design and features that can affect energy use in your new home.

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Energy smart homes are designed with eight key elements in mind: • Orientation and climate • Water use • Solar energy • Insulation • Heating and cooling • Windows and shading • Lighting • Appliances These can be passive design features that keep homes naturally comfortable, such as wide eaves, capturing breezes, maximising insulation and using shade and orientation. They could involve active components such as energy-efficient coolers and heaters, grey-water and rainwater capture, and installing solar energy systems.

This book provides useful information and guidelines to encourage and create sustainable homes. Buyers are not required to follow these instructions when building their dream home in SkyRidge.

Contents Starting Out

4

Orientation & Climate

6

Water

9

Solar Systems

10

Insulation

12

Heating & Cooling

13

Windows & Shading

15

Lighting

17

Appliances

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Starting Out

Being well prepared and thinking through all the issues up-front ensures the very best outcomes.

PRELIMINARY RESEARCH

The preliminary research stage is when you’re still considering your home design and making a decision on the builder you’ll choose.

During this phase, you can start to develop a ‘brief’ for your home that includes a wishlist of ‘must-haves’ and a second list of ‘would-likes’.

For a sustainable home, the 'must-have' list would include basic sustainability features that save you money over the life of your home.

To help you make your decision on what should go on this list you could consider talking to friends who’ve built, review housing websites and magazines or visit information centres and sustainability expos. It can even help to consult with community groups or specialists. It's also important to consider the home you're currently living in and understand where it fails on sustainability and energy consumption.

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Your list of 'would-likes' contains items that could be included if the budget or design allows.

These elements might make less of an impact and could potentially be added later.

Setting goals and targets for sustainability goes hand-in-hand with the development of your builders brief and helps to guide the process.

The national benchmark for assessing the sustainability of your new home is the Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme, commonly referred to as NatHERS. NatHERS is a star rating system that rates the energy efficiency of each home out of 10 stars based on its design. Every new home in Queensland must achieve a NatHERS rating of at least 6 stars in order to comply with the Queensland Development Code part MP4.1 Sustainable Buildings. Adopting the suggestions in this factbook will help you achieve a high NatHERS rating and in turn will ensure that your home is comfortable year-round with less cost to the owner and impact on the environment.

The Process This diagram shows planning a sustainable home is a stepped process. You start with the major permanent decisions, such as the way your home will face and how your plumbing will work. The later steps can potentially be altered over time.

Ideally the more you're able to put in place from the outset, the more cost-effective your decisions are. Some things can be retro-fitted later, but this can be expensive, inconvenient or unattractive.

Appliances Lighting

Insulation Water Orientation & Climate

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Photovoltaic Systems

Heating & Cooling

Windows & Shading

1

Orientation & Climate

O R I E N TAT I O N Orientation refers to the way you place your home on its site to take advantage of climatic features such as the sun and cooling breezes.

The planning of lot orientation in SkyRidge was a calculated decision so we could provide owners with the opportunity to take advantage of prevailing coastal breezes and hinterland views.

Every lot has a distinct advantage in accessing all the benefits of SkyRidge’s best qualities in its unique location.

That’s why a tailored approach to orientation is necessary. It takes account of summer and winter variation in the sun’s path as well as the direction and type of winds. SkyRidge lots have been designed so that the maximum amount of winter sun can come into each home which will reduce the need for artificial heating or cooling.

A smart orientation can also maximise the efficiency of solar panels on the roof.

The right orientation not only makes your home cheaper to run but also makes it more comfortable to live in.

For example, in the Southern Hemisphere living areas of many homes would ideally face north, or as close to north as possible. This allows for maximum sun exposure in winter, and easy shading of walls and windows in summer.

However, this changes the closer you get to the equator and isn’t always practical when it comes to planning the design of your house in its local surroundings.

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O R I E N TAT I O N D I AG R A M

n Su

Sunset (Winter)

Sunset (Summer)

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th Pa

Su n

Pa th

Sunrise (Winter)

Sunrise (Summer)

CLIMATE In Australia, artificial heating and cooling make up about 40% of energy use in the average home. Passive design can reduce or even eliminate this by minimising the need for active heating or cooling.

SkyRidge is situated in the sub-tropical climate of the southern Gold Coast which provides approximately 300 days of sunshine a year. Hot, wet summers and cold, dry winters mean residents are provided with many opportunities to make sustainable decisions in the home and build.

Average summer temperatures range from 21 to 29 degrees whilst winter temperatures average between 9 to 18 degrees.

A smart climatic design takes into account the local, year-round climate (and even the microclimates of SkyRidge) to ensure that you’re comfortable in all seasons without having to rely on heaters or air conditioners.

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Water

R A I N WAT E R C O L L E C T I N G & WAT E R U S AG E

Although rainwater tanks aren’t compulsory in the Gold Coast City Council region, having one or more tanks on your property can be a valuable investment – potentially saving thousands in water bills when plumbed into the bathrooms, laundry and/or yard irrigation. It's not uncommon for rainwater tanks in Queensland to provide 100% of a household's water supply.

Rainwater can also provide an alternative water supply during water restrictions and help maintain a green and healthy garden.

SkyRidge is located in a perfect position enabling an abundant supply of rainwater with an average of 120mm per month in summer and 90mm per month in winter. This provides homeowners with a great opportunity to harvest their supply of fresh clean water so they can minimise their costs.

Homeowners can choose to install low-flow showerheads and traps, utilise water-efficient appliances, apply half-flush toilets and even plant low-water gardens to reduce water usage.

10% Toilet

4%

Basins & Sinks

15%

Washing Machine

29%

Showers

20%

Garden

22% Other

(Bath, Car, Pool, Dishwasher)

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Solar Systems

Solar panels have become increasingly popular across Queensland with government incentives made available to homeowners. Converting sunlight into electricity will assist homeowners to reduce their power bills, but it also reduces greenhouse gas emissions and minimises environmental impact on the environment.

There are two ways to use the power generated from your solar panels.

•

• To be effective, homeowners will need to install good quality solar panels and have the right orientation to capture the maximum amount of sunlight.

Following these two basic guidelines can help you achieve the best results: •

•

Arrange solar panels to face true North as this is where they will gain most sunlight in the Southern Hemisphere. Even small deviations from this direction can reduce a system’s efficiency by as much as 15% Solar panels work best when the light hits them at a 90º angle, so the ideal tilt for the Australian sun is around 32º. Variations in the tilt can make a big difference to the efficiency (though not as much as orientation), so aim for somewhere between 20 – 40º.

The most common way is to connect to the grid and ‘export’ any power you don’t immediately use into the local electricity network.

The other way is to store your unused electricity in domestic batteries so you can use your solar-generated power around the home, even at night when the sun has set.

Due to SkyRidge’s unique topographic location and its undulation, it is quite easy to access solar opportunities from nearly all lots without the need for elevated framing of solar panels on the roof. Solar panels can sit flush on the roof to take advantage of the orientation of the home.

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Solar Panels SOLAR CELL SYSTEM DIAGRAM

Utility Grid

Meter DC

Inverter

AC

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Battery

4

Insulation

Insulating your home can save a huge amount of your energy bills and keep your home comfortable all year round.

While there are different types of insulation, they all work in the same way by acting as a barrier to heat and cold – keeping your home cooler in summer and warmer in winter.

Insulation is even more effective when combined with good passive design.

Due to the undulating nature of SkyRidge, there may be increased exposure to the elements that create a warmer or colder home. Where the lot is larger and does not have a close neighbour, the home can require a higher level of thermal control to keep your home at a comfortable temperature all year round.

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R1.3 (Recommend minimum) Roof Blanket

Naturally, the best time to install insulation is when your home is being built, although it is possible to retrofit insulation to some areas, such as ceiling spaces and raised floors.

All insulation products are measured by their ‘R-value’, which represents their ability to resist heat flow. The higher the R-value, the more efficient it will be in managing heat.

Installing more insulation in your home or using thicker insulation will generally increase your own home’s overall R-value in heating or cooling efficiency.

Lower-cost insulation types that can keep your home at a comfortable temperature all year round, include:

R3 (Recommend minimum) Ceiling Batts

R2 (Recommend minimum) Wall Batts

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Heating & Cooling

Heating and cooling can account for up to 40% of household energy use, making it the largest energy user in the average Australian home.

However, well-designed houses often need very little energy to make them comfortable all year round.

Artificial heating and cooling should never be used as a substitute for good design.

SkyRidge is in a prime position; close enough to the coast to take advantage of coastal breezes but far away enough to be protected from exposure to harsh weather. However, there will still be occasions where artificial heating and cooling will be needed to maintain a comfortable temperature.

If you must use artificial climate control, install space heating and/or cooling only in the rooms that need it. If you use a centralised system such as a ducted air or hydronic system, ensure that it’s zoned so it’s only heating or cooling the rooms that need it. Usually, these systems are gas-fired but they can also use solar heating or heat pumps.

For heating, gas heaters and efficient reverse cycle air conditioners produce a third (or less) of the greenhouse gas emissions of standard electric heaters. Heat shifters and solar air heaters can assist by reducing the amount of heating required.

Ceiling fans are the lowest energy cooling option and are very effective in the southeast Queensland climate.

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C E I L I N G FA N S Ceiling fans cool people, not rooms. If the room is unoccupied, turn off the ceiling fan to save energy.

Use your ceiling fan year-round.

SUMMER

Clockwise rotation

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Operate your ceiling fan counterclockwise in summer and clockwise in the winter to keep you comfortable.

Remember to adjust your thermostat when using your ceiling fan – additional energy and savings could be realised with this simple step!

WINTER

Counterclockwise rotation

6

Windows & Shading

WINDOWS

SkyRidge’s amazing, picturesque location encourages residents to enjoy views from every available angle. Installing large windows with clear glazing, allows residents to bring the outdoors in. This will provide the home with a feeling of openness as well as allowing plenty of natural light.

Summer sun high in the sky Windows shaded by eaves

Glazed windows and doors bring in light, fresh air and offer views that connect interior living spaces with the outdoors. They can, however, be a major source of unwanted heat gain in summer and heat loss in winter.

As much as 40% of a home’s warmth can be lost and up to 87% of its heat gained through glass windows and doors alone. However, by choosing the right glazing for the orientation and climate of your home, and the location and positioning of your windows, a lot of those problems can be overcome.

Winter sun low in the sky Winter warmth and light deep into the house

N

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SHADING

Direct sun can generate the same heat as a single bar radiator for every square metre of a surface. Effective shading can block up to 90% of this heat and will be a vital consideration when choosing your home design or architecture.

Shading of your house or outdoor spaces reduces summer temperatures as well as improving comfort and saving energy.

This can be achieved through: • Wide eaves • Window awnings • Shutters • Pergolas • Tree plantings

For the greatest success, all year round calculate the sun angles for your location. Then consider the climate and house orientation – you use architectural and/or natural shading to maximise the comfort of your home.

Summer

Winter

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It must be remembered that poorly designed fixed shading can block winter sun. Deciduous trees can be beneficial in providing shade in summer but letting light through in winter. The Gold Coast climate is not ideal for many deciduous trees, however, there are still plenty to choose from, including some that provide a spectacular display of colour in autumn. Adjustable pergolas can also provide benefits that adapt to the seasons.

N

7

Lighting

Domestic lighting can account for 8-15% of your electricity budget depending on the lighting type and design as well as your household’s lifestyle.

Homeowners should be considering efficient and well-designed lighting to cut down on power bills and help reduce emissions.

When it comes to lighting consideration of the natural landscape is also vital when designing your home. Large windows that are orientated in the right location assist in reducing the need for artificial lights being used during the day.

This design strategy will help ensure your lighting is used most efficiently, day and night.

It’s important to research different products and technologies, such as compact fluorescent, LED, LED filament and halogen globes, and take into consideration the following: • Equivalent brightness (lumens) • Energy consumption (watts) • What they’re being used for (ambient lighting, work lighting or decorative lighting) • Light switches and controls required • Safety requirements • Life cycle and longevity

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Appliances

Household appliances and equipment generally account for about one-third of household energy use and almost half of the household greenhouse gas emissions.

The most common appliances found in Queensland homes include white goods such as refrigerators, freezers, washing machines, clothes dryers, dishwashers, air conditioners, pool and spa equipment such as pumps and filters.

The amazing climate at SkyRidge promotes incredible outdoor living spaces that can be installed with their appliances such as bar fridges, ovens and even televisions. These appliances can be used almost all year round in addition to their indoor counterparts.

Of all appliances, the fridge-freezer and television are typically the greatest users of electricity.

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In Australia, most large household appliances come with a star rating of energy efficiency.

Appliances like washing machines and dishwashers also have a water efficiency rating.

A standardised label will be attached to the product showing the stars and the total energy/water consumption in figures.

The more stars, the more water or energyefficient the appliance.

It’s important to remember that size is also a factor, and a large 5-star model may use more energy or water than a smaller 4-star one. Consider how you’ll use the appliance and calculate the ongoing running or maintenance costs. This will ensure you have a clear picture of how cost-efficient the product will be over its lifetime.

Information from this document was sourced from the Australian Government's Your Home website. To learn more about how to create a sustainable home visit: yourhome.gov.au

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