| Prioritising Your Choices | | | | to use water in a sustainable way will depend on |
| The "Your Home" project should be about | | | | whether you live in the country or the cities, in |
| improving the quality of life of the residents and | | | | the tropics or the temperate areas. Examine |
| reducing the overall environmental impact. Cost is | | | | these suggestions and decide what may be able |
| usually the main consideration when selecting what | | | | to improve your quality of life and reduce your |
| to include and what to leave out. Creating the | | | | impact the on the environment. Install AAA rated |
| perfect sustainable home will be out of the range | | | | shower heads and dual flush toilet cisterns that |
| of most budgets - but what does that mean | | | | save water; Reduce water demand; Rainwater |
| anyway. This sums it up: "Sustainable | | | | harvesting; On-site wastewater reuse; Waterless |
| development is development that meets the | | | | toilets; Stormwater management; Outdoor water |
| needs of the future without compromising the | | | | use; Fix leaking taps. |
| ability of future generations to meet their own | | | | Passive Cooling |
| needs" (WCED, 1987 Brundtland Report). | | | | Air movement is the most important element of |
| Planning a reno includes prioritising the things you | | | | passive cooling, and this is produced by fans. They |
| want to achieve such as more space, a better | | | | increase cooling by increasing evaporation rates. |
| kitchen or bathroom, more sunlight, reduced | | | | Hot humid (tropical) climates limit the body's ability |
| energy and water consumption etc. Search the | | | | to lose heat by evaporation of perspiration. |
| internet for facts on suitable materials, types of | | | | Sleeping comfort is a significant issue. Design |
| glass, well designed lighting, and energy saving | | | | eaves and shading to permanently exclude solar |
| appliances. | | | | access to rooms; Maximise shaded external areas |
| The following important considerations are helpful | | | | with trees and plants - this will also lower the |
| when decisions have to be made on designing, | | | | ground temperature. |
| buying, building or renovating a home. | | | | Use low energy ceiling fans and natural cooling |
| Energy Efficient, Sustainable Homes | | | | whole house fans to draw the cooler air in from |
| These are rapidly increasing in value owing to their | | | | outside and when there is no breeze. Note that |
| greater comfort levels and lower running costs. | | | | natural cooling whole house fans also remove the |
| Your home will be around for at least 50 years | | | | odors and toxins from your home and lower the |
| and its resale value will be increasingly linked to | | | | need for refrigerated air conditioning. Choose |
| these features. Sustainable housing include | | | | windows with maximum opening areas e.g. louvres |
| technologies that cover a wide range of topics | | | | or shutters - avoid fixed glass areas. |
| including rainwater storage, solar energy, | | | | Hot dry areas require the introduction of water |
| composting, renewable building materials, efficient | | | | into the atmosphere. Evaporative cooling is an |
| appliances. In Australia there are now whole | | | | effective passive cooling method and works best |
| housing developments being built as sustainable | | | | when relative humidity if lower (70 percent or less |
| homes. | | | | during hottest periods) and the air has a greater |
| Reducing Energy Consumption | | | | capacity to take up water vapour. Design |
| This is an urgent priority. Global warming and its | | | | solutions include the use of pools, ponds and |
| effects on climate change are already becoming | | | | water features immediately outside windows or in |
| apparent.These will invariably lead to higher prices | | | | courtyards to precool air entering the house. |
| for energy from non-renewable sources. Look for | | | | Carefully located water features can create |
| appliances with high star ratings that will not only | | | | convective breezes. Other cooling tips in tropical |
| save on your pocket expenses but will help save | | | | areas can also be applied to hot dry areas. |
| our planet. Little things like monitoring your gas | | | | Passive (Solar) Heating |
| and electricity bills for unexpected increases then | | | | In cold climates establish where your sun moves |
| working out how you can further decrease your | | | | during summer and winter and design your |
| usage; Insulate hot water pipes; Set the | | | | windows to let the suns heat in while insulating |
| thermostat at 60-65 Deg C on storage hot water | | | | against the cold. In hot and moderate climates |
| systems and 50 deg C on instantaneous systems; | | | | admit light but reject the heat. Open floor plans |
| Turn off hot water systems when on vacation; | | | | allow more sun inside. The sun's heat is stored in |
| Put a timer on the electric booster of solar hot | | | | the thermal mass of your building - concrete, |
| water heaters and on peak electric storage | | | | masonry, stone slabs - and is slowly released. |
| systems to avoid heating water when not | | | | Proper building orientation will allow solar heat to |
| needed; turn appliances off at the wall (you'll be | | | | enter the home in winter, while allowing in as little |
| amazed how much energy you can save - not to | | | | sun as possible during summer. Shading and |
| mention reduce the risk of fire). | | | | overhangs also reduce excessive summer heat, |
| Water Usage | | | | while still permitting winter sun. In passive solar |
| Water is in short supply the world over. Rising | | | | designs, the optimal window-to-wall area ratio is |
| demand for houshold water is competing with | | | | 25-35 percent. |
| needs of agriculture and both are reducing the | | | | I hope that this information has helped you make |
| environmental flow needed to keep our rivers and | | | | important decisions on your most important |
| waterways healthy. The application of these ways | | | | projects. |