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Tag: residential
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Demand response: cause for DRED?
Demand response programs for residential air conditioning have raised concerns, but are they as scary as they seem?
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I got a home energy assessment: Here’s what I learnt
How can we improve household thermal performance and reduce our energy bills? I got a home energy assessment to find out.
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The urgent need for thermal efficiency
Improving the thermal performance in Australian homes is an urgent priority to ease cost of living pressures, improve occupant wellbeing, and reduce energy consumption and emissions. So says H2: Opportunity Assessment Enhancing home thermal efficiency, a new RMIT University-led report, commissioned by RACE for 2030. The report assesses current challenges related to home thermal efficiency […]
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Designers tackle challenge of ‘true zero’ homes
Omnia House, by Elizabeth Wheeler of Future Focus Buildings and Tamar Boyd of Blue Lotus Energy Rating, has taken out the National Award for the Design Matters National (DMN) True Zero Carbon Challenge 2022. The DMN True Zero Carbon Challenge is an annual home design competition focused on net zero goals. A building designer and […]
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More time required for NCC 2022
The Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) is recommending that the publication date for the National Construction Code 2022 be pushed back from September to October. Building Ministers are scheduled to meet in late August 2022 and still need to make some key decisions about NCC 2022. This includes the final analysis from the ABCB on […]
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Design competition aims for “true zero carbon”
Design Matters has launched a new design competition with ambitious sustainability goals: the True Zero Carbon Challenge. The aim of the competition is twofold. First, to design a home that produces more power than it uses over the year through energy-efficient design, careful appliance selection, and photovoltaic integration. Second, to consider and calculate embodied carbon […]
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New guide to energy efficient homes
The federal government has published the sixth edition of Your Home, an independent guide to environmentally sustainable homes. Your Home provides advice on designs, materials and appliances that can make homes more comfortable and sustainable when building, buying or renovating. Written by more than 50 experts in building design and construction, it contains the latest […]
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CSIRO shares ‘top tips’ for household energy efficiency
The CSIRO is running a free public webinar and sharing expert tips on how to improve energy efficiency in homes through renovations and retrofits. “We all want our homes to be comfortable, healthy, sustainable, and inexpensive to run,” says the CSIRO. “So how do we get there? What’s the best way to retrofit and renovate […]
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Green Star – coming to a home near you
Green Star ratings are coming to Australian homes, with the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) announcing a draft Green Star Homes Standard for consultation. Part of the Green Building Council of Australia’s Future Homes Strategy, the initiative is intended to drive transformation in the residential sector to create a market for healthier, more resilient, […]
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Better building sealing
A new series of videos has been released to help builders and homeowners get a handle on making more airtight buildings for better health, comfort, durability, and energy efficiency. “Two topics that often get overlooked in Australian construction are air tightness and insulation completeness,” says John Konstantakopoulos, Affil.AIRAH, from Effiency Matrix. Konstantakopoulos says Australian standards […]
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Raising the efficiency bar for homes
Expect new Australian homes to become more sustainable after an agreement at last week’s Building Ministers’ Forum (BMF) to enhance energy efficiency provisions for residential buildings in the National Construction Code (NCC). The Australian Sustainable Built Environment Council (ASBEC) has warmly welcomed the agreement. “The homes built today will still be operating in 2050 – […]
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Aussies are aircon ‘wasters’
A survey published by consumer comparison site Finder has highlighted the extent to which Australians waste energy by running their air conditioning when they are not at home. The survey reports that 2.3 million Australians – or 24 per cent of the population – have their air conditioning running when they are out. Put another […]
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New residential AC standard
The installation and design of energy-efficient residential air conditioning is being given a helping hand following the publication of a new standard. AS/NZS5141, Residential heating and cooling systems – Minimum applications and requirements for energy efficiency, performance and comfort criteria will be published on November 26. Publication is the result of the combined effort of […]
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Last call for comments on residential AC standard
The draft standard AS/NZS5141 for residential air conditioning is now open for a final round of public comment. Its official name is AS/NZS 5141 Residential heating and cooling systems – Minimum applications and requirements for energy efficiency, performance and comfort criteria. Slated for publication in December, it is a new standard that aims to raise […]