Energy monitoring and metering: what the owner gets at handover
A monitor or meter the owner cannot read is a handover that has not finished. This guide sets out what to commission, record and explain before the keys change hands.
11 min read
Topic
Energy efficiency
Articles and news about Energy efficiency for Australian builders.
Energy monitoring and metering: what the owner gets at handover
A monitor or meter the owner cannot read is a handover that has not finished. This guide sets out what to commission, record and explain before the keys change hands.
11 min read
LED lighting and controls for energy-efficient homes
A fitting is only as efficient as the driver, dimmer and ceiling it sits in. This guide sets out how those parts fit together and which control belongs in which room.
11 min read
Preventing bedroom overheating in new and renovated homes
Bedrooms are often the hardest room in the house to cool at night, and the risk is largely set at design stage. This guide covers the roof, ceiling, layout and ventilation decisions that keep sleeping spaces workable.
11 min read
Evaporative cooling: where it suits NSW homes and where it does not
Evaporative cooling works well in dry inland air and poorly in humid weather, and the house has to be planned around the airflow it needs. Here is how to decide where it fits.
12 min read
Ceiling fans and passive cooling: where a fan earns its place
A ceiling fan cools people, not rooms. This guide sets out where it belongs in a passive cooling strategy, after shading, insulation and night ventilation have done their work.
12 min read
Reflective foil insulation: installation mistakes that cost performance
Reflective foil insulation works through an air space and a clean reflective face, not through the foil alone. Most of the performance lost on site comes from a few avoidable installation mistakes.
11 min read
Continuous wall insulation over framing: what builders must get right
A continuous insulation layer only works if it is continuous. The fixings, the joints and the window reveals decide whether the layer does its job or quietly becomes a set of cold bridges under a new cladding.
12 min read
Slab edge insulation detailing for residential builders
The slab edge is one of the weakest points in a residential floor. This article covers the perimeter insulation and its junctions, separate from wall-frame insulation and subfloor ventilation.
10 min read
Climate resilient home upgrades: bundling hazards into one buildable scope
Most resilience advice arrives one hazard at a time, which is not how a house fails and not how a client budgets. This is a framework for combining the hazards that actually apply to a site into a single, priced, documented scope.
12 min read
Metal roof vs tile roof: a builder’s comparison of weight, heat, noise, fire, coast and cost
The metal-or-tile decision is usually made on looks and price. For builders, it is also a structural, thermal, acoustic and durability decision that changes the frame, the tie-down, the sarking and the details. Here is how the two compare.
7 min read
Insulation installation gaps, compression and poor fits: what actually goes wrong on site
An insulation product only performs as well as its installed condition. Gaps, compression and poor fits are the three faults that undo good product selection, and they are almost always visible before the linings go on.
12 min read
Cool roofs and heat-resilient homes: colour, insulation, ventilation and shade
Heatwaves are Australia’s deadliest natural hazard, and homes that trap heat put occupants at risk and push up cooling bills. The roof is where most summer heat gets in. Here is how to build homes that stay cooler.
7 min read