Tips on Sustainable House Design
Sustainable house design
A sustainable home is not only a safe and comfortable shelter for us to live, but as well help us to reduce waste, save household bills without compromising the ability of our environment. If you are considering building a sustainable home, maybe the following tips can help with you.
Sustainable house design suggestions
Orentation：A good orientation can take advantage of sunlight and climate. North orientation with simple horizontal eaves is a desirable design in Melbourne, which requires winter heating. In summer with a high sun angle, the eaves can easily shade the northern façades. While in winter with a lower sun angle, it allows full sun penetration through windows into the room in winter. Also, as the sun irradiates from the north, if we install the solar panel on the northern roof, it can access more sunlight and maximum the passive heating.
External Shadings: Except for eaves, external shadings can also be a good choice to eliminate unwanted heat seasonally, for example, trees and plants. In Melbourne, you can plant deciduous trees on the north near the window. In summer, it shades the building from heat waves and reduces the needs for auxiliary cooling, and in winter, it allows the sunlight penetration.
Use renewable energy or sustainable facilities: Install solar panel and the rainwater tank in your home. For the solar panel system, you can connect the system to the grid, if generated electricity is not enough for household use, the shortage can be supplied by the grid. On the contrary, if the supplying more than the household need, the extra electricity is fed back the grid. For rainwater tank, please click here referring to another article in our knowledge base.
Use low VOC painting: The indoor environment is also another essential part of a sustainable house design. Many chemical agents used in paintings and coatings such as acetone and formaldehyde are classified as VOC (volatile organic compounds). Some VOCs are harmful to our health, so it’s better to use low VOC paintings to improve the indoor air quality.
Other small tips: Using the double glazed window to improve the thermal performance, using LED lights, selecting the appliance of suitable size with higher energy rating and water rating to improve the efficiency.
A sustainable design of the house can generate less greenhouse gas emission. All of the iBuild kit homes and modular homes can achieve at least a 6 Star Energy Rating in NatHERS (Nationwide House Energy Schemes), and our product can help you save hundreds of dollars a year in household energy costs. If you are interested in a sustainable home or sustainable house design, don’t hesitate to contact us.
Written by Ming Yang. Last updated: 1 November 2018.