Feature

Often forgotten but extremely important - sustainable building materials

Sustainable building materials are positive for the environment and are healthier for people working in the supplier chain, the installers and the residents. But, these materials are often forgotten about when builders and designers talk about sustainable or green homes - their focus is more on energy efficiency.

Anthony Lieberman, Marketing Manager, Australian Living is responsible for the development and implementation of the marketing and communications strategy. He joined the building industry after 20 years in the financial services industry. Anthony has a passion for sustainability and understands that the building industry has many challenges ahead. The building industry needs to adapt quickly so it can meet the demands of increased sustainability regulation and the demands from consumers. Transparent and creative marketing plays a key role.

The reality is that non-sustainable materials are problematic to the environment because they have a large footprint through using non-renewable materials (such as aluminium) and inefficient production methods. On the other hand, sustainable building materials are developed with the environment front of mind often going to the market accompanied by third party certification which qualifies their production technique and values.

To us, the word sustainable encompasses long term, environmental footprint, energy efficiency, renewable, and health. It is hard to say how long it will take for the industry to wash away the ills of traditional building materials. Here's hoping it's not too long!

By now, you as the reader have probably said this is all good and well but sustainable building materials are more expensive and, more often than not, consumers won't pay the extra.

Don't stop reading because you think it is too hard, there is an easy way forward. As we all know every home has to be built within a specified budget but how do we stay within this budget and use sustainable building materials?

The trick is to understand the purpose of the material. Is it aesthetic, structural or is it required for thermal comfort? These are all related to design aspects. For example, by using an insulated roof panel system that has the ability to structurally span eliminates the need for traditional roof framing thereby saving on material and labour costs. There are many examples but the real trick is to balance the construction budget accordingly to what you need and where you need it. It is amazing where you can save on cists when building a sustainable home.

Don't forget that there is ongoing cost savings associated with sustainable housing including lower electricity and water bills.

A home can't be truly sustainable unless it is constructed with sustainable building materials. In this day and age it is simply not enough to install a PV system on a roof and a water tank and sit back and say well that's it I have done my bit for the environment.

We all have a long way to go but the road is going to be filled with more exciting innovative sustainable building materials and heightened Government regulation and building codes that will benefit our community and our environment.

One of Australian Living's initiatives is an educational website called Your Future Home. This free resource for the community contains tips and tricks on how to make a home truly sustainable. For more information on how to make a home truly sustainable visit www.yourfuturehome.com.au

Images via wiki-land, John E Peakes

The Property Industry - Carbon Tax Implications

Although the property industry does not directly emit large amounts of carbon, it is responsible (indirectly) for approximately 24% of Australia's Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. With the Carbon Tax coming into effect on 1^st July this year, it's time to seriously look at and prepare for the impact it will have on you, your business and your clients.

Danielle King is the Founder and Director of Green Moves Australia, a private company created to provide householders with a selection of sustainability services designed to help minimise a home's running costs while reducing the environmental footprint. Danielle has an MBA, Dip. Management and Certificate IV in Training and Assessment. She is also a fully qualified Home Sustainability Assessor listed with Sustainability Victoria and ABSA, and is BDAV Accredited.

The key elements are that it will be charged at $23 per tonne of Greenhouse Gas (GHG or CO2-e) and will apply to any entity producing more than 25,000 kilo-tonnes of CO2-e per annum. While the 'carbon price' will only apply to the biggest polluters, it will have an effect on increasing end user costs in the following areas.

Energy (electricity and gas, especially if from fossil fuels)
Water (depending on providers carbon output)
Waste (disposal to landfill)
Transport (air, heavy construction and public transport)
Construction materials (cement, steel, aluminium, glass)
Industrial chemicals (refrigerants, fire retardants)
Air travel

Exemptions currently include Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. Light road vehicles (4.5 tonnes or less) are exempt for the first 2 years but will be impacted from 1^st July 2014.

The impact

Administratively there will be no forms to fill in or carbon accounting required (unless you're one of the biggest polluters). It will be business as usual; however we will be exposed to higher costs. The Treasury Modelling Overview document states an expected increase of 10% for electricity and around 9% for gas during the first year.

In the construction industry, producers of emissions intensive building materials such as steel, aluminium and cement, will experience increased costs and they will seek to pass this onto consumers. According to an Allen Consulting Group Report [1] the impact on constructing a 200 sqm home in Victoria in 2012-2013 financial year is likely to be an increase of approximately 1.7% (or $18 per sqm), adding around $3,645 to the price of the home.

In relation to Commercial construction, cost increases are expected to be in the vicinity of 1.5% or $27sqm. However the biggest impact on commercial building is anticipated to be in operating costs and is likely to be the cost of energy.

This impact on the residential market is much lower than originally expected due to Federal Government Shielding. This is where the most emissions-intensive trade-exposed activities will receive assistance to cover 94.5 per cent of industry average carbon costs in the first year of the carbon price (this includes steel, aluminum and glass). Less emissions-intensive trade-exposed activities are to receive assistance to cover 66 per cent of industry average carbon costs (this includes wood and some plastics) [2]. This assistance will be reduced by 1.3 per cent each year, which will keep the cost impact to a manageable level and give such industries time to cut pollution levels (therefore carbon tax liability) gradually.

Aside from the shielding mentioned above, the Federal Government are offering other assistance packages during 2012-2013, for small businesses (with an aggregated turnover of under $2m per year). Of particular relevance is:

Asset Tax Write-off: For investment in energy efficient equipment, small businesses will be able to instantly write off any eligible equipment/asset up to $6,500. This covers items like energy efficient lighting, more efficient computers, efficient refrigerators, efficient heating/cooling systems and so on.
Information Sessions: Keep an eye out in your local area for the small business sessions that will be run later this year.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) also have legal budget to investigate complaints where consumers feel an organisation is charging too much 'carbon tax'.

What can you do?

There is always something you can do to mitigate higher costs, here are some suggestions.

Review your business and identify areas that you are likely to be impacted (eg: electricity costs, transport, materials)
Look at ways to reduce your exposure (by reducing what you use, change the way you do things)
Seek to minimise use of products that have a high carbon footprint (aluminium, steel, cement, glass) and utilize other options (e.g. wood)
Read your energy bills, understand what you use and apply energy efficiency strategies to reduce energy usage
Minimise waste, increase your recycling, and reduce waste to landfill
Take advantage of the $6,500 tax write off
Minimise transport costs where possible, go local.

Places for free help:

Carbon Tax information at www.cleanenergyfuture.gov.au
Small business support at www.business.gov.au
An excellent (and free) small business resource is the book by Jon Dee and Sensis called Sustainable Growth. Download it from this link http://about.sensis.com.au/small-business/free-sustainable-growth-book/

If you'd like some specialised assistance, get a qualified Energy Auditor or Carbon Accountant who understands your industry to review your business with you.

The bottom line is; yes carbon tax will have an impact, how big that impact is really depends on what you do and how you do it.

For more information, visit www.greenmoves.com.au

[1] Allen Consulting Group Report, The Carbon Price Mechanism and the Property Sector (October 2011), commissioned by The Property Council

[2]Dept. Climate Change and Energy Efficiency (DCCEE)

Images: Eco News; Judsons

Sustainability at no extra cost

Building a truly sustainable home need not cost more than a traditional home and in some instances it will be cheaper, according to Your Future Home. The key is all in the planning. A sustainable home has to be well balanced with design and material choice. Material location is crucial for passive design to work effectively.

For example, in mild and cool climates the use of thermal mass is crucial for thermal efficiency. There need not be the extra expense of installing thermal mass everywhere because a thermal mass wall is best located when it can be shared between rooms and receive direct northern winter sun. Thereby other walls can be lighter weight construction such as timber framing which is cheaper.

Another example, if you design the home to be sustainable then you won't need any artificial heating or cooling therefore freeing up a normal budget, which would include an air conditioning system, to spend on other sustainable features such as high performing insulation and LED lights.

And another.... is by using a structural roofing solution that contains the insulation thereby reducing the timber roof structure.

And another.... you don't need to have double glazed windows throughout your entire home you only need them where required. A thermal comfort simulation will let you know the most appropriate areas to install double glazing.

It is important to understand that if you compare a sustainable product with a non-sustainable product sometimes the sustainable product is more expensive. The key is to look further.

Say for example you look at the cost of bricks compared to a prefabricated walling system. Bricks will cost less as a product but by using bricks it will end up costing you more as brickwork comprises of many different ingredients that need to be purchased and individually managed around the site. There is also waste that you need to pay for the removal of and brickwork takes longer to erect. The cost of labour and preliminaries needs to be included when working on your budget.

Here are some tips and tricks to get you started on your sustainable home.

1. Install good seals to windows and doors.

2. Grow a vine on the wall to insulate an external brick wall.

3. Have an external pond at the base of an operable window to create evaporative cooling effect when the wind blows.

4. For cooler climates close old air vents in external walls.

5. Ceiling mounted lights are better if you have an isulated roof space.

6. Whirly birds are great for summer but they must be closed off during winter.

7. A fan installed to a stairwell works well in reverse to control the winter heat in your ground floor from rising up the staircase.

8. It is important to cross ventilate in rooms, so easterly and westerly windows should be heavily sheilded by landscape or shutters.

9. Insulating under elevated timber floors can help prevent rising draft and assit to control the temperatur in the rooms above.

10. Thinking of repainting old windows? Consider using seaweed stripper.

11. Thinking of repainting inside the home? Consider using low voc paints.

12. If it is raining, dont forget to turn off your water sprinklers.

13. If your pool needs water, check the weather forcast for rain before you fill it up with paid for water or your precious water tank supply.

14. In summer, use the afternoon weather change to purge the heat out of your house.

15. If you know its going to be a hot day. Keep the blinds closed.

16. If you are trying to heat your room, try keeping the door closed, especially to rooms that you are not using.

For more information and detailed articles, visit Your Future Home

The Zero Energy Bill Home

Suck it up princess... you live in Gisborne, it's winter, you're gunna be cold!'

And with those gruff words, the journey to reduce our $2,500 heating bill took its first, defiant step. We were determined that this was going to change. So from a home displaying 'icebox tendencies' with a $2,500 heating bill, we now live in a 'cosy winter' and 'summer cool' home with a heating bill of $400. (There is no summer cooling bill - we don't use air conditioning and we don't need it!). So, how did we achieve a cosy home AND an 84% reduction in our heating bill?

We researched extensively, tested endlessly, prototyped and evaluated... and this is what we did.

Lyn Beinat is the Chief Executive Officer of ecoMaster Pty Ltd. Together with her husband Maurice, they co-founded and run one of Australia's first green home retrofit businesses. Their aim was - and continues to be - to create an ethical, high quality, trusted assessment and green retrofit service that provides a wide range of cost effective solutions.

- Draught proofing (reduced our heating bill by HALF!), but not that 'sticky stuff' around the doors / windows. We developed really serious professional draught proofing solutions - that work.

- Installed the highest quality bulk and reflective insulation in our roof (rates R5.9 in summer and R5.2 in winter)

- Installed good quality insulation under our floor

- Developed and installed secondary glazing (ecoGlaze) on all our windows (estimated at U2.6)

- Installed wall insulation in our external walls (R4.0!)

- Installed pelmets (some visible, some invisible) over our windows

- Replaced halogen downlights and incandescent with CFLs and LEDs.

- Installed evacuated solar hot water with a wet flu (thermosyphon, no pump!)

- Installed a very modest solar panel system on our roof (which more than covers the cost of our energy and heating bills)

- Installed passive solar heating systems

- Made some behavioural changes (but hey, we've got teenagers... so change that 'sticks' is not so easy. Automatic timers are good!).

Yes, certainly it took some time to discover how to do all this, but the results are highly effective. And, yes there was a cost attached to it; but we will never pay another energy bill, ever. Interesting, every family who lives in our home in the future will never pay an energy bill either. So I wonder what that has done to the resale value of our home?

The 'take outs' from the retrofit of our home were many but in a nutshell, invest in QUALITY. If you want significantly reduced energy bills (forever!) then you have to use the best quality products that are right for YOUR home. The products have to be installed in a thorough, high quality manner.

Once we had finished all that work, understood all the energy efficiency / retrofit products and what works and what didn't work, we decided to share our knowledge, skills and products with the rest of Australia, and set up ecoMaster. The nation's pursuit for the 'lowest price' to be the 'beginning' of anything, where 50+ years longevity is required, just doesn't make sense.

So if you would like to know how to future proof your home from power bills, or become a Zero Energy Bill home too, call us on 1300 326 627 or visit ecoMaster. Smart!

What does it mean to have a `healthy' interior?

Ten years ago, the term `green' within the building sector was seen as alternate, even `unusual', but it has quickly become a movement with `eco' designs, energy efficiency and sustainability now second nature. People are more aware of their environmental impact on the planet, reusing where possible (hence the upward trend of upcycling in the housing industry we touched on last issue) and reducing their pollutants throughout the home.

Relish Designs is an interior services business that assists people to design, decorate and create `healthy' spaces, incorporating environmental pollutant considerations within the home environment. While director, Melissa Wittig assists clients with décor needs she is also educating them on the health benefits of choosing materials and finishes that are low emission but also achieve good quality air within a home, keep chemical and environmental pollutants throughout the home to a minimum, thus preventing associated illness.

Build Online spoke with Melissa to discuss this idea of `healthy' interiors in more detail; her personal history in the building sector and how the `green' movement has swept the industry; and how a healthy interior can add value to your home.

You have over 10 years in the property sector, what changes have you seen since you first started out in terms of the 'green' movement that is now sweeping the build industry?

When I started in the property industry 'green' initiates were seen as unconventional and the people passionate about 'green' lifestyles were seen by many as living an alternate, unusual lifestyle. It has been exciting to see a socially accepted 'green' movement evolve that continues to inspire people to be conscientious consumers. Environmental awareness has become a tangible part of the industry now.

It has become second nature to consider green elements to your home when building it, but why is it so important to think with a green state of mind when designing the interiors too?

The term "green home" is a broad label. Considering "green" or "eco" initiates within the design process of new homes has become second nature for many in the industry. Energy efficiency, sustainable product selection and environmentally friendly practices are generally the main considerations. There is a fundamental consideration that is often forgotten when assessing and selecting materials and finishes for interiors, that is - the health impacts of materials and finishes selected. Materials and finishes selected for indoor environments are decisions that will have an impact on the health of a home or space and subsequently the health of the occupants, as well as an environmental impact. Material and finishes can impact on the quality of the indoor air and the environmental pollutants throughout the home.

The World Health Organisation has stated -" the occurrence of indoor sources of various chemicals and the chemical's toxicity leads to identification of certain compounds for which indoor sources and exposures are driving the heath risks of specific population groups in Western countries".

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has -" ranked indoor air pollution as one of the top five environmental threats to public health".

One of the reasons people build new homes is to have an improved quality of life, product selection, particularly interior products are an important element to the design process to ensure the home provides a healthy environment for long term enjoyment of the structure.

What does it mean to have sustainable interiors?

The term "sustainable interior" embraces a few concepts, all of which aim to have a minimal impact on the environment. A sustainable interior incorporates, socially and environmentally responsible material choice, energy efficiency, improved indoor air quality, efficient use of water and design elements supportive to efficient, healthy and eco friendly household practices.

In the past many have associated 'green' with daggy and unfashionable, is it possible to stay stylish and sustainable?

Any 'daggy" association with 'green' has been replaced with innovative, smart and exciting. With the increasing availability of environmentally friendly products in the market place it is possible to be stylish and sustainable. We will have more sustainable and healthy product options as more people reward these companies for their efforts and steer their purchasing dollar away from companies that don't provide such options.

How difficult is it to source materials and products for your home that aren't harmful and are environmentally responsible?

It is not difficult, however the process can be time consuming and persistence can be required where labeling is inadequate. Companies will usually highlight product environmental or health credentials on labels where they can, this may include logos from organisations that have certified the product as meeting a set of criteria which can help sourcing "better" options. The key to sourcing materials and products for the home that are not harmful and are beneficial for the environment is to read labels and ask lots of questions.

You are passionate about creating 'Healthy Spaces', can you explain this further?

One of the things I love about my job is seeing new spaces evolve , but what is more exciting is knowing that a beautiful space has been created consciously with benefits beyond aesthetics.

My children were unwell when they were younger with health issues which we later improved through indoor environment changes. I love that as a parent I can tuck my kids in at night and know they are in a space that is not making them sick. Health focused Interior design is a vechilce to empower individuals with information so that they can make informed decisions to protect their health and by default improve the health of the wider environment on a daily basis. I love that a healthy home helps people and the environment - win/win

Is it important to consider the green elements of your space before you start the construction? What green design elements should people include in their blue print to ensure they are built into the property from scratch?

From an interiors perspective - It is always beneficial to begin with the end in mind when designing a project. The earlier interior design elements are considered the more time you have to research, deliberate, design and select products that meet your criteria without holding up the build process later or being forced into a reactive decision that may compromise the intended outcome of the project. Beyond energy efficiency considerations, air quality initiatives and low emission (low VOC) material & finishing products should be researched and form part of the project specification to minimise pollutants from the fitout.

Can a "healthy" interior add value to your home? Why?

A healthy interior minimises environmental pollutants within the home that can trigger or cause a range of minor to serious illnesses, many of which evolve over time. A healthy interior has value for the occupants and the environment. Healthy home environments reduce chemical exposures therefore supporting wellbeing, reducing potential for illness, providing quality of life. In most cases materials and finishes that are healthy options for people are also healthier for the environment. As consumers invest in environmental and health attributes in their homes there is a greater and broader understanding throughout the community as to the associated financial costs, the savings and health benefits of these initiatives. My view is that in coming years the real estate market will begin to see people who have invested in such initiatives sell their homes and will want to buy homes with the same or better green credentials because there will be an appreciation for the benefits, costs and savings associated with healthy, sustainable homes. For vendors seeking to sell, a healthy interior provides a competitive edge. With the increase in asthma and allergies healthy homes offer a lifestyle benefit to many.

Why are you so passionate about "healthy" design practice?

My passion for healthy interiors began as a result of personal experiences with my children and environmental related health conditions. I began to read product labels within our home and requested a material safety data sheet on a few personal care products and was shocked at what I read. As a result of reading labels and questioning manufacturers I had more questions than answers. I progressed from personal care and food labels to materials and finishing product labels in our home. I was compelled to continue learning more about the ways our interior environment could impact on our health. We made changes to our indoor environment and saw improvements in our children's health. Like most people I want a comfortable and beautiful home but not at the expense of my families health. I feel passionate and obligated as a professional to help people create sustainable, beautiful and importantly healthy homes. If we understand the importance of minimising environmental toxins within our home environment, we along with the environment will be healthier.

You will be joining with Danielle King at the Sustainability Hot Spot during the Building & Home Improvement Expo in June, do you consider your work to be part and parcel of the holistic approach to building in the future?

Definitely, I think housing and the purchasing choices we make within our homes such as materials, furniture and household goods play a fundamental role in social change and ultimately environmental outcomes. I think it would be a significant step forward for communities if all building projects incorporated environmental pollutant minimisation as part of the design, construct and occupy stages of a building project, resulting in healthier people and a healthier environment.

Relish Designs will be launching an exciting new webpage in the coming weeks that will provide an information hub for consumers on how to create healthy spaces. Follow Relish Designs on Facebook, or visit www.relishdesigns.com.au

Investment coup as Melbourne wins world leading training centre

Melbourne is to become home to a world-leading simulation training centre. More than $10 million is being invested into the Master Builders Building Leadership Simulation Centre (BLSC), which will use 3D technology, replica site sheds and a team of trained actors to create an immersive, interactive learning environment. It will have the capacity to train thousands of building professionals a year, from project managers right through to apprentices.

“This is a coup for Australia, with Melbourne to be one of only three cities in the world to offer state-of-the-art simulation training in the building and construction industry,” said Executive Director of the Master Builders Association of Victoria (Master Builders), Brian Welch. “Master Builders will use the centre to up skill experienced workers and provide international best practice to the training of the next generation of building and construction apprentices."

“In Victoria we have highly skilled building and construction workforces. The BLSC will help us to maintain our competitive edge. As well as impacting workers, delays and accidents cost time and money. Experience in Europe shows that this style of training lifts employee performance, delivering safer, faster and more cost effective building. That is good for our workforce, good for employers and ultimately good for Victoria’s economy.”

He said the South Melbourne centre, due to open in July, would be a paradigm shift for industry training. Participants will practice communication and problem solving as they navigate two three-dimensional building sites projected onto a 15 metre wide panoramic screen. “The BLSC is a totally safe environment where trainees can make mistakes without the risk of project delays, budget overruns or injuries that exist on real building sites,” Mr Welch said.

Professor Michiel Schrijver, developer of the world's first simulation training centre for the building industry in the Netherlands said the European experience showed that this style of training developed communication and decision-making skills effectively. “In a complex, competitive and rapidly changing environment, building professionals need strong communication and problem-solving skills as well as technical ability,” Prof. Schrijver said. “Simulation training develops the five per cent component of performance that can’t be addressed by policy, procedure and process. It targets behaviour, culture and communication.”

Visit the newly launched website for more info at www.blsc.com.au

And read more at the Sydney Morning Herald

BACKGROUND

Simulation training centres for the building industry have previously been launched in the UK and the Netherlands. The BLSC will offer courses including advanced OHS, leadership, communication and apprentice training and deliver high-tech simulation learning as well as classroom and technical training. A number of major Australian building firms have already committed to using the facility.

FAST FACTS

Construction is one of the five industries prioritised for improvement Under the Federal Government’s National OHS Strategy; $7.5 billion was spent providing compensation during 2009-10 in all industries as a result of workplace accidents (Safework Australia); and The incidence of serious injury claims was 19.7 per 1000 Building and Construction workers in 2009-10 placing it in the top five of 17 industries for frequency of serious claims (Safework Australia).

Renovations to sustain hardware sector

The economic outlook for the year ahead is more than usually uncertain. There may be a global recession, but that is not the most probable outcome. What is likely is that the capacity for businesses and individuals to borrow will decline as the banks tighten their lending practices.

Brian Welch has been the Executive Director of the Master Builders Association of Victoria since 1994. He has representing employers' interests for 20 years having previously been Executive Director of the organisation now known as the Property Council of Australia. Throughout his career he has developed strong relationships with the major political parties and government agencies in the process and has also represented employers' interests in roles on the Building Advisory council, with Incolink, the Building Industry Consultative Council and the Victorian Bushfire Reconstruction and Recovery Authority.

This will have flow-on effects to the building sector. In the September quarter, total building and construction activity in Australia was 16 per cent higher than a year earlier. In Victoria it was only four per cent higher. Compared with other states, Victoria's housing industry has performed well over the past few years. But leading indicators of activity, and trends in the main drivers of housing demand, suggest headwinds in the year ahead.

Dwelling approvals have been falling for the past year, and approvals of houses for the past two years. In 2009, however, there was a big increase in approvals of houses and, in 2010, an even bigger rise in approvals of high-rise apartments. So some houses and many multi-units approved in past booms were still under construction in the recent September quarter. That is why work done on houses increased by 4.6 per cent and on multi-units by 4.9 per cent.

Multi-unit construction should continue to hold up in the December quarter and into 2012, but the subsequent sharp fall in approvals suggests much lower activity in the second half of the year.

Victoria continues to have low pent-up demand of about two months supply as opposed to 13 months on average across Australia. Victoria

is also one of the least affordable states to buy a home: only in New South Wales is housing less affordable.

Work done on renovations has been trending higher over the past three years and seems likely to reach $6.6 billion in 2011: up about five per cent on work done in 2010.

Approvals of major renovations - those valued at $10,000 or more and approved by council - have been volatile; but they were no higher in calendar 2011 than in 2010. We nevertheless expect modest growth of three per cent in activity in the year ahead, taking the volume of work done to $6.8 billion.

Hardware sales have remained steady over the past ten years with a slight incline over the past two years. This trend is expected to continue as people renovate and extend their homes. It is forecast that hardware sales in Victoria will increase by some 2-3 per cent in calendar 2012.

So where will this growth take place? New homes will be built mainly in the western and northern growth areas. The south eastern suburbs will see very little growth. New multi-unit construction will be concentrated in the inner ring suburbs.

About half the renovations are likely to take place in the inner ring's eastern and southern suburbs, with the other half in the middle ring suburbs. There will be very little renovation activity in the outer and fringe suburbs.

So the outlook isn't all rosy but it's not all doom and gloom either. There is simply a shift in consumer spending as people adapt to current market conditions. Hopefully the fly-by-night operators will leave the market and the residential sector generally will be tight but not desperate.

The Tankulator: Water Saving in the Home Made Simple

With the Bureau of Meteorology predicting a likely wetter season over most of Australia (which we are already seeing in Queensland and NSW) now is the ideal time for householders to save water and money on water bills with rainwater tanks. The Tankulator is a new and free interactive online calculator that helps people plan for a rainwater tank or improve the performance of existing tanks. It calculates how much rainwater can be harvested from a roof anywhere in Australia over one, three or five years based on rainfall figures from the nearest Bureau station, the roof type and size, and flushing and overflow capabilities.

The Tankulator has been developed by the Alternative Technology Association (ATA), a not-for-profit organisation promoting water saving and household renewable energy, with support from the Victorian Government Sustainability Fund, managed by Sustainability Victoria, and the City of Whitehorse.

Ian Porter, the ATA's chief executive, said the innovative new tool would help people save money on water bills. "While government rebates and environmental concern has meant a rapid growth in the number of rainwater tanks in recent years, there are still thousands of homes across Australia without them," Mr Porter said. "The Tankulator gives people an in-depth understanding of how much water they will harvest and the choices they need to make to get the most out of their tanks."

Narelle Edgar and Justin Whitehead, of Blackburn, Victoria, are parents of four children who have installed rainwater tanks at their home with a capacity of 15,000 litres. "Water saving is just so important - we know our climate is changing and the more all of us act in ways to sustain and nurture the environment the better our future on the planet will be. The Tankulator is a great resource because it's interactive and fun," Ms Edgar said.

The Tankulator's interactive page gives a summary of water usage, the amount of days the household tank is empty or overflowing and presents suggestions to the user. There is a tank level graph and another graph displaying available rainwater against selected uses.

The website includes pages on material types, tank positioning, filtering and other information to help people choose and plan for rainwater tanks. The Alternative Technology Association will be exhibiting at the next Building & Home Improvement Expo from 13-15 July at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre.

View the Tankulator online at http://tankulator.ata.org.au

Now Energy Efficient!

Lyn Beinat is the Chief Executive Officer of ecoMaster Pty Ltd. Together with her husband Maurice, they co-founded and run one of Australia's first green home retrofit businesses. Their aim was, and continues to be, to create an ethical, high quality, trusted assessment and green retrofit service that provides a wide range of cost effective solutions. Read more from Lyn and her work at Build Expo Online titled `Have your home pay you to live there'.

The Home

The home is circa 1970s, located in Glen Waverley in the south eastern suburbs of Melbourne. The home has been beautifully renovated, featuring double storey at the front and a very stylish single storey extension at the back. The owners are a retired couple with a beautiful, flourishing garden. Their passion is clearly evidenced by the glorious outlook from the large expanses of windows in the living area located at back of their home. The owners had already undertaken a draught proofing project to reduce draughts, enabling them to control air ventilation in their home. Also featured is good quality ceiling insulation that had been very well fitted. The extension at the back of the home, overlooking the garden, also has good quality insulation in the wall cavities.

The Need

Hand in hand with their enjoyment of gardening, is their overall concern for the environment. The owners were keen to create a much higher level of comfort in their main living area whilst reducing their energy costs and environmental footprint. Given the steps the owners had taken to improve the thermal performance of their home, the next logical step was to address the significant heat losses from the large windows in the living area. The window joinery is good quality cedar which is in very good condition. Replacing the windows to achieve the benefits of double glazing was not a sensible option. The home owners sought secondary glazing solutions so they could retain their cedar windows whilst gaining the advantages of double glazing.

The Solutions

It was a straight forward exercise to retrofit the ecoGlaze to their living area; however their extension also features corners windows (sometimes called 90 degree windows) that the home owners also wanted to have double glazed. ecoMaster’s Research and Development Team were called in. Using the existing frames and glass, the ecoMaster team added a spacer, curved acrylic and timber mouldings to achieve double glazing. Their aim was to develop a secondary glazing solution for corner windows that was stylish, cost effective and thermally efficient. And that’s just what ecoMaster has developed. See for yourself! For further information refer to www.ecoGlaze.com.au for more information about secondary glazing for your existing windows.

Ten Trends for Green Building

There's no denying the building industry is an industry leader when it comes to going green. Sustainability was the buzz word of 2011 but especially within the building and home improvement sector with both homeowners and land lords looking to incorporate new green technologies that not only limits its effects on the environment but also increases the home or building's efficiciency. The recent implementation of the 6-star rating made way for a plethora of energy-saving technologies, sustainable architecture, and environmentally efficient materials that reduce environmental impact.

So of course when we stumbled upon this top 10 trend list via Design Build Source we had to share. The article mentions that the `Dow Jones Sustainability Index is overrun with Australian companies - with a third, or seven out of 21, being Australian. A range of reports has confirmed that green buildings positively impact everything from operational costs to return on investment, and from reputational equity to productivity.'

They also predict that in the future we will no longer refer to a building as `green', it will just become the norm - Just as we take it for granted that all our buildings will be constructed to high fire safety standards, and just as we take disability access for granted, sustainability will be ‘just the way we build'.

1. The focus on existing buildings will intensify
2. Zero net energy designs will gain traction
3. Building products and materials will become greener
4. Affordable green will be the norm
5. Energy sources will transform
6. Building information modelling will become de rigeur
7. Govt. focus on energy efficiency and sustainability will improve
8. Investors will demand greater action on climate change
9. Blue is the new green
10. The demand for green communities, cities and infrastructure will grow

I highly recommend you read the full report at Design Build Source,visit www.designbuildsource.com.au

1920s weather board - Steps to 7 Stars

The thought of a weatherboard home usually brings images of cracked timber boards that need painting every second year and weekends full of maintenance. However, this is no longer the case thanks to the creative team at ecoMaster. Lyn Beinat, the CEO of ecoMaster, just finished documenting a case study for a home in Geelong that they took from 1.7 stars to 7 stars!

"Its a typical weatherboard home," she said. "The changes were virtually invisible (so it doesn't look 'weird'!), but the change in the home's performance were dramatic! Needless to say, the home owners are delighted with how comfortable their home is now, as well as enjoying their significantly reduced energy costs."

ecoMaster create sustainable homes by improving the thermal performance of your home. After they starting to compile their more interesting and newsworthy projects into informative case studies and the 1920s weatherboard example was one we had to share with Build Expo Online readers. The next case study will be about a retrofit of secondary glazing (ecoGlaze) to 90 degree curved windows and the treatment is virtually invisible.

Lyn Beinat is the Chief Executive Officer of ecoMaster Pty Ltd. Together with her husband Maurice, they co-founded and run one of Australia's first green home retrofit businesses. Their aim was, and continues to be, to create an ethical, high quality, trusted assessment and green retrofit service that provides a wide range of cost effective solutions. Read more from Lyn and her work at Build Expo Online titled `Have your home pay you to live there'.

The Home

This North Geelong home is very typical of the era where post war homes were built en mass to meet the property demand. The home is timber construction finished in weather board external lining and pitched roof. The home has timber floors sitting on stumps (highly ventilated) with mostly original doors and double hung windows. Over the years the home has had some modification with the addition of rooms to the rear of the home under a skillion roof with North rooms facing onto a covered carport area.

The Need

The environmentally aware owners found the home very cold in winter, despite running two electric heaters throughout the day. They decided that it was time to investigate what they could do to improve the thermal performance of their home. The home had been insulated some years back but they were just not sure if it was effective. Whilst they could have under-taken some DIY measures the couple wanted to call in the experts to get a true picture of their home and make a priority list for improvement.

The Solutions

In 2008 the owners of the home commissioned ecoMaster to conduct an assessment of the property to see what would be the most effective way to improve its thermal performance. The initial assessment rated the home at around 1.7 stars. The main aim of the assessment was to uncover the best use of funds for the greatest improvement in saving energy and making the home more comfortable. The following measures were taken over a period of 4 years to bring the home to its current 7 Star Rating:

Draught Proofing:

The major source of draught in the home were the redundant wall vents, poor sealing of external doors and windows, which have deteriorated over the years and an unsealed exhaust fan which had an chimney effect sucking any heat into the roof cavity.

The redundant vents, which are very common for this era of home and are now not needed as homes are no longer heated by open fireplaces or unflued gas heaters, were simply closed off with sealant. All external doors and sash windows were fitted with new timber perimeters with enclosed compressive seals or brush seals to eliminate draughts. The exhaust fan was replaced with a self-sealing exhaust fan from Mistral.

Shading of the home

Whilst most of the windows of the home were well served by shading, the kitchen area was a problem with the major heat build-up from the North covered carport. This was fixed with the installation of a solar reflective blind fitted to the inside of the window which could be pulled down on hot days.

Heat Transfer

As the front rooms were difficult to heat and the homes draughts were now minimised, ecoMaster recommended that an air transfer system be installed to move warmer air from the rear of the home to the front rooms. The system could also double as an air clothes dryer. The couple also chose to install a passive solar heating system into the bedroom to reduce moisture and warm the room using heated air from an external heat box located on the roof.

Ceiling Insulation

The home had been insulated some years earlier with blow-in cellulose and had varying depths across the roof space which offered a resistance value of around R01.5. The rear skillion roof had glass batts of a value of around R2.5. The pitched area of the roof was significantly improved by adding an environmentally sound R2.0 Polyester batt over the existing cellulose product and adding a reflective pleated batt to reflect radiant summer heat. This measure now offers a finished resistance value of R4.9 in summer and R4.2 in winter.

Under Floor Insulation

As the home had a highly ventilated sub floor it was suggested to insulate the floor as well as seal the insulation from draughts with a wind barrier. The floor was treated by installing the environmentally sound R 1.5 Polyester batt (GreenStuf) between the joists of the floor and then sealing over the complete subfloor with Air-Cell Retroshield. This treatment with the timber floor now offers a resistance value of around R2.9.

Wall Insulation

The external walls of the home were another area of heat loss from the home with just the plaster board and weather boards offering the only resistance. To bring the walls to a rating of R2.0, a granulated rockwool insulation was pumped into the cavity via small holes drilled into the weather boards externally. These were then sealed and repainted.

Glazing

As many of the other areas in the home were now treated it was only the windows that were preventing the home from reaching its highest possible star rating. With the new developments in secondary glazing, the home's original windows could be used to create cost effective double glazing. The new "ecoGlaze" system allowed additional components to be added to the existing frames to create a still air space of around 12-18mm (the desired separation for the best thermal performance). This final piece of the puzzle allowed the home to reach it current star rating of 7 Stars.

The Benefits

The owners of the home now enjoy a 7 Star rated home;

- cool in summer, warm in winter,

- significantly reduced energy costs,

- quiet and comfortable all year around.

The products used were chosen for not only the benefits they could offer with improved performance but good choices for the environment;

- ideally products produced in Australia to limit transport,

- low embodied (low in energy to produce) products,

- product with long life to ensure replacement is not necessary in years to come,

- products that could be recycled at the end of their life,

- products sensitive to the environment and the people that will be living with them long term.

This home is often open under the Sustainable House Day scheme. For further information refer to www.sustainablehouseday.com

Master Builders Green Living Conference

For the fourth year in a row, the Master Builders will present the Master Builders Green Living Conference on 8 December. We are excited about the range and quality of speakers who have kindly agreed to present. All will aim to provoke and educate the way you think about sustainable building by presenting their research to both dispel the myths and replace them with facts. As always we are not satisfied unless we can also provide practical solutions, therefore other presenters will provide information for achieving regulations easily and about how to build a home more sustainably.

Dr Phil Alviano is considered a leading specialist in sustainability in the building and construction industry in Australia. As the Master Builders Association Sustainable Building Advisor, Phil leads a team of sustainability officers and advises practitioners in the domestic and commercial sectors on sustainability solutions and onsite environmental management. Phil’s extensive experience in education and training has informed the development of a unique nationally recognised construction Certificate IV qualification in environmental management and the national roll out of the accredited Master Builders Green Living program.

High profile speakers will include Michele Levine the CEO of Roy Morgan Research, presenting on 'How green is your market?' With more than 30 years of experience in the field of research and as the CEO of Roy Morgan Research since 1992, Michele Levine will explore what the public really thinks about sustainability.

Dr Brett Parris, a Research Fellow from the Deptartment of Econometrics and Business Statistics at Monash University will present on the 'Physical and Economic Impacts of Climate Change'. Brett's presentation will include excellent evidence that climate change is a real threat, it is manmade, it is serious and we can do something about it without destroying the economy.

Rod Lovett, the Member Services and Education Officer from the National Electrical and Communications Association has titled his presentation, 'Is it back to the dark ages?' He will focus on the new lighting requirements for houses and what they really mean to you and your customer. Rod is an integral part of the EcoSmart Electricians program.

Blair Freeman, a house energy consultant from Energy Leaks will present, 'You've got the 6 Star design, but is the house built to the 6 Star standard?'

Blair uses a range of techniques including infra red imaging and blower door tests to assess the air leakage of a house. This helps to identify draughts and poorly installed insulation.

Boris Iskra from Wood Products Victoria will present, 'Timber floor solutions for 6 Star'. With the carbon tax soon to be upon us and a possible increase in the cost of energy intensive materials, Boris will be discussing methods to maintain your energy rating while reducing your embodied energy, focusing on the ability to continue to use raised timber floors.

Patrick Gavaghan from the Australian Glass and Glazing Association of Victoria will be presenting the results of a recent study which looked at new glass technologies and how this technology can help you achieve a more sustainable home.

Anton Engelmayer from Calm Living Homes will be telling us about his project which he has called, 'Machu Picchu - the home with the green heart'. As well as a host of sustainability features it has a green roof and rain garden.

Tosh Szatow, will be telling us about The Cape Patterson Ecovillage, Australia's first zero carbon housing project championing biodiversity, sustainability and community.

This full featured day of presentations will provide a variety of inspiring opportunities for you to build better and more sustainable homes. For more info or to register call (03) 9411 4555 or click here.

The `level of benefit' to green living depends on home user efficiency

Green initiatives are proving good for business, with sustainable buildings saving more than just the environment and putting money back into pockets. This in turn has been encouraging more people to move forward with the 6-star green rating now effective in the building industry.

But while it can `provide a platform upon which green-minded people can reduce their operational energy costs’, Brian Welch, Executive Director, Master Builders Association of Victoria says `it is important to understand that a lot of the responsibility to make a home or building environmentally sustainable and efficient, falls upon the people using those buildings’. “There is no point continuing to apply regulations on the building industry at any cost if there is not a holistic, educated approach encouraging home-owners and other building occupants to take responsibility,” he says.

Brian Welch has been the Executive Director of the Master Builders Association of Victoria since 1994. He has representing employers’ interests for 20 years having previously been Executive Director of the organisation now known as the Property Council of Australia. Throughout his career he has developed strong relationships with the major political parties and government agencies in the process and has also represented employers’ interests in roles on the Building Advisory council, with Incolink, the Building Industry Consultative Council and the Victorian Bushfire Reconstruction and Recovery Authority.

People are now seeing the benefits of implementing sustainable features in their rental properties – what are some of the changes they can make to increase energy efficiency and savings?

The level of benefit is highly dependent on a number of factors including the types of appliances people install in their homes and how efficiently they use them and also, how efficiently they utilise their home’s features (i.e. windows open or closed while heating is on etc.) At Master Builders, we believe there should be more emphasis on these aspects rather than a continuous push to increase the regulations which can be costly yet easily negated by poor practices. Similarly, we see no value in introducing mandatory disclosure on existing properties - this is another cost impost with little likelihood of positive change.

How much does it cost to make the changes? Are there cost-effective solutions in transforming your property into a sustainable home?

Master Builders believes in encouraging sustainable building for those who have an interest. We have a dedicated Sustainable Building Department, led by Sustainable Building Adviser Dr Phil Alviano. We also run the increasingly popular Green Living Training Program which equips builders with the qualifications to practice as sustainable builders. However, we do not encourage a ‘green at any cost’ attitude. The measures must be sensible and the benefits must be balanced by the cost outlay. The sustainable building movement is definitely gaining momentum. Master Builders has seen an increase in the number of Green Living members with hundreds having gone through our Green Living Training program.

Pools - Tips for Summer

It’s coming into summer and long hot days need a clean cool pool! With constantly increasing energy and water costs have you checked the efficiency of your pool lately?

Danielle King is the Founder and Director of Green Moves Australia, a private company created to provide householders with a selection of sustainability services designed to help minimise a home’s running costs while reducing the environmental footprint. Danielle has an MBA, Dip. Management and Certificate IV in Training and Assessment. She is also a fully qualified Home Sustainability Assessor listed with Sustainability Victoria and ABSA, and is BDAV Accredited.

Implementing some of the tips below will help to reduce the running costs.

Firstly be smart with your water all the time. When the kids are swimming discourage lots of splashing, diving and bombing as it quickly drains water. If you have a rain water tank, use that to top up the pool. If you don’t have a rain water tank consider getting one. You’ll save on your water bills.

Also, use that pool cover if you have one, even on indoor pools. Regular use of a cover can keep your pool clean and cut evaporation by over 90%. For pools that are in the sun, a cover will help to keep the temperature 6-8% higher, which will extend your swimming season. If you don’t have a pool cover or it’s just too much hassle, there are liquid covers available from some hardware stores, though these are not as effective.

Clean your filter baskets at least weekly and check chemical levels regularly. Consider a timer on your pool filter. If you have off peak power charges consider running the filter during the off peak times. If you do this consider your neighbours and the noise of the filter running late at night as most residential councils have noise regulations. Run the filter only for the time you need to maintain the pool. Many filtration systems are run longer than necessary resulting in excessive wear and higher energy bills.

If you are replacing your filter system get the most suitable size (don’t oversize) and go for the most energy efficient and quietest model you can find. If you heat your pool go for energy efficient solar every time. It’s very effective and although the up front cost is sometimes a barrier, it would quickly justify itself given the rising energy costs. Always go for solar or energy efficient pool and garden lighting where you can.

Finally a few gadgets. Check out the Solar Clear or Floatron, it’s solar powered, uses ionisation to kill algae and if used properly can significantly reduce the need for chlorine. See the article on the Floatron in the ATA ReNew magazine issue 110 www.ata.org.au The other energy saving gadget is the Australian designed Future Wave which significantly reduces the power requirements of your filtering equipment and can recover its cost within 2 years (depending on your situation). See www.futurewaveenergy.com.au for more information.

If you are putting in a new pool consider a natural pool. With proper planning and implementation natural pools are a great asset. There is no filter, no chemicals, very low running costs and you can make it look like a beautiful natural lagoon in your back garden. There are only a few natural pool specialists around but they do amazing things with pools and gardens, and no chemicals.

Finally if you want to remove an existing pool, deck over the top and use it as a water tank instead. There is always a way to re-use something, even a pool!

Building a Future - How the sector will survive

From rate hikes to drops and the new 6-star green rating, to consumer confidence and the carbon tax, the building industry certainly has had its fair share of changes lately. So what's next? How will all of these new ratings and taxes affect the sector, or is it all just media hype? Build Expo Online enlisted the professional opinion of the Master Builders Association (MBAV) Deputy Executive Director, Radley de Silva to explain and answer the core questions affecting homeowners and builders now and in the future.

Radley de Silva has held the position of Deputy Executive Director of the Master Builders Association of Victoria since 2001. He is responsible for the day to day operations of the Association and has introduced a number of new products and services. His initiative has helped maintain a sound financial position for the organisation along with the highest level of membership in the Association’s history, with more than 8000 members today.

There is an increasing trend for home owners to invest in their existing property instead of re-building from scratch – do you think we are going to see more of this happening? Why?

1. Rapid escalation of the cost of new houses in the growth areas due to land shortage. Most new home construction occurs in the growth areas. There is a current land shortage in these areas that is driving up the cost of land, and consequently, the price of building a home from scratch. For the first time on record, in the last quarter of December 2010 the median cost of land eclipsed the median construction cost of the home. Over the past two years the available stock has been well below the long run median and the price of land is now at an all time high.

2. Crisis of Confidence: consumer confidence continues to be at an all time low with Australians being reluctant to take on the significant debt associated with purchasing a home. This comes at a time when housing affordability is also low. The median cost of a home in the June Quarter was $590,000. Rather than taking on the significant mortgage debt associated with purchasing a many people are preferring (or being forced to) rent. Meanwhile debt shy baby-boomers are upgrading their existing equity.

With the implementation of a 6-star rating now, can people renovate their homes to lower their energy efficiency and build up their star rating? How?

Yes, it’s a good idea to upgrade your home in terms of energy efficiency when you are renovating or extending. Whilst you are already engaged in the construction process it will be the easiest and most cost efficient time to make changes. Boosting insulation levels, upgrading glazing options along with good solar passive design can help achieve better energy efficiency and boost your Star rating.

You should also consider prioritising the purchase of energy efficient appliances which will not only help improve energy efficiency but also lower running costs. The degree to which you need to comply with 6 Star Regulations will depend on how large your renovation or extension is. Visit the building commission website to see if this applies to your project.

The carbon tax will be in full effect next July, how will this affect the building industry? And how can people start preparing now?

The effect of the carbon tax will primarily be felt by the increase in electricity prices, and over time, the impact on steel and cement prices. This increased electricity price flow on to costs of production for all building materials. Each time a material is transformed electricity is utilised and this comes with a carbon cost. Steel and cement will be shielded from price impacts by more than 90 per cent initially so this will not have too much of an impact initially. We have estimated that the cost to building a home will increase by around 2.5 per cent.

Over the longer term, energy efficiency should be more of a priority for home buyers as electricity prices will continue to rise until a low emissions alternative to fossil fuel powered plant for base load electricity purposes comes online. This means looking at energy efficient design, and considering retrofit options. Looking at energy efficient appliances should also be a priority. With higher energy prices, the payback times on energy saving initiaves will be much shorter.

The latest Master Builders Business Sentiment Survey revealed that a lack of consumer confidence was the biggest threat to the prosperity of the sector – why does this affect the market so much? What is being done to improve confidence?

Many elements are affecting consumer confidence. Concern around the extent to which Australia will continue to be insulated from global financial turmoil by our special relationship with China, uncertainty around the carbon tax, flow on effects from the first GFC, and tightened lending criteria by the banks.

Natural disasters at home and around the world have also had an impact. It is not so much a question of restoring confidence as finding ways to continue to stimulate consumers. Cutting stamp duty for first home buyers was an important measure. Likewise initiatives such as the Building Education Revolution stimulate the market, they get capital and people moving. A greater focus on spending on much needed infrastructure would be welcome.

Interest rate hikes have also crippled the market and affected consumer confidence - has there been any change since the RBA governor’s announcement that rates will be on hold for a while? Or are people holding their purse strings tight in preparation for the next one?

The media vacillates daily on market outlook issues and this is what potential buyers are looking at. They are thinking about their job security and their capacity to pay off debt over the long term. At this stage putting rates on hold is sensible. However we do not think that putting them on hold this is necessarily stimulating the market.

Why Green rentals?

Despite recent small declines in market values, the housing market is still very much an owners market with it highly unlikely that demand for property or rental prices to decline any time soon in Australian cities. With this in mind, people are still lucky to find any affordable and liveable properties, let alone sustainable properties and there is very little motivation for owners to make anything beyond the minimal renovations necessary.

Ex Indie Rockstar, Chris Ward is into sharing what he's passionate about: technology, the web, the environment, inspiring ideas and the democratisation of them all. Among other things, Chris is Operations and Communications coordinator at Green Renters, a small not-for-profit that specialises in providing sustainability advocacy and education to people in rental accommodation.

One immediately obvious incentive is that owners can generally increase the value of their properties by adding more sustainable sweeteners to them, but I would like to think that many owners reading this would be a little more open minded and not entirely financially motivated.

To make many rental properties more sustainable doesn’t even require any special renovations, fixing up cracks, draughts, leaks, insulation and replacing long out of date and inefficient appliances should be basic and fundamental tasks periodically carried out by owners anyway, despite there being no legal requirement to do so. We feel this is a fundamental problem in many Australian states at the moment, legal requirements for property standards require owners to do very little, leading to a growing stock of poorly maintained older properties and badly built newer properties whose sustainability is very poor and no one has any motivation or power to do anything about it. We can have as many well-intentioned behavioural change programs and ‘Band-Aid’ fixes as we like, but bad quality properties are bad for sustainability.

Going a step further, whilst tenants directly are not allowed to take advantage of subsidised schemes for installing larger systems such as solar panels and grey water recycling, there is nothing stopping an owner at the very least approving the installation by a keen tenant. Remember, they are increasing the value of your property in the long run and we’ve heard of many arrangements around the country where the landlord has part or fully paid for the installation and been recompensed through slightly increased rent, this keeps everybody happy as ideally the tenants should be getting reduced bills to compensate them.

Is it all about money though? Well, as already pointed out, that is a major factor, but some of the most sustainability minded owners we meet are generally younger couples who have bought a property as an investment plan. Dealing with owners directly can open the door to a lot more trust and thus negotiation potential and these types of owners are often the ones who have taken those extra steps with their properties, purely out of choice, frequently not even adding much to the rent.

I guess in summary I want to say that we’re all facing the problems of rising utility prices, a carbon tax and a warming planet together. It is perfectly possible to work together with your tenants, talk about those extra steps you may be able to collaborate on, discuss some suggestions for small fixes and tweaks they may be able to make (see our website for many of those), there seems to be a general fear and mistrust of everyone on all sides of the rental arrangement these days, mainly because no one makes the first move to communicate, leaving all to appear as shady characters that are never seen.

Remember, happy tenants and quality properties, equals long-term financial stability for your investment.

Article submitted by Chris Ward of Green Renters.org

Buzzword(s) of the year: ‘Mandatory Disclosure’

In my opinion, this is the most exciting change to occur in the Victorian residential property & building sector since star ratings were introduced. Without doubt it is going to be as difficult to regulate!

(If you’re new to Residential Mandatory Disclosure, then it might be worth taking a look at the Residential Mandatory Disclosure, bring it on! article written by Danielle King of Green Moves Australia, along with the 6-star rating piece from Jan Brandjes.)

Sven Maxa is the head designer and owner of Maxa Design Pty Ltd, award winning building designers specialising in designing innovative, energy efficient and environmentally sustainable buildings. As an environmental building designer and consultant with over 15 years experience, Sven has a passion for the environment that goes beyond most people’s expectations. Sven is HIA Greensmart accredited, completed the 2007 & 2010 RMIT Green building and design courses, a Registered Building Practitioner, an ATA member, a BDAV member, accredited energy rater, finalist in the BDAV 10 star challenge, City of Whitehorse Sustainable business of the year award 2009, Whitehorse business group small business of the year award 2009, BDAV Industrial design award 2007.

While mandatory disclosure is an exciting scheme and one that’s been on the cards of COAG (Council of Australian Governments) for a number of years, it is one that needs to be done right. It can only be done right if it is understood, researched, integrated thoroughly and then regulated. So to try and understand it better I hope to clarify a few things.

Firstly, it is proposed by COAG that the scheme will address not only the energy efficiency of a dwelling, but also the water and greenhouse performance. Initially it would be easy to think that a star rating report will serve us well in reporting the energy efficiency of a dwelling. However what many don’t realise is that a star rating (or thermal performance assessment) is estimated energy consumption for heating and cooling only. Star ratings do not consider energy usage of appliances and lighting, and again – they are an estimation based on a number of assumptions.

Considering this in more detail, if we are going to report on the energy efficiency of a dwelling including appliances and lighting, then the occupancy habits are going to have dramatic effect on the overall consumption of energy within the home. This is where the government needs to ensure the scheme is researched and tested prior to integration to ensure a standard approach that compares a dwelling’s efficiency and not the occupant’s efficiency.

There are several ways this can be done, from door blower tests, to thermal imaging, to individual reporting of all appliances and lighting. Water performance is much the same – we can’t just measure how much water the home has historically used and divide that by the number of occupants. This will give an inaccurate water efficiency measurement as a shower might be rated at 8 litres per minute, but the vendor has 10 minute showers! Therefore a flow test of the water fittings and sizing of rainwater storage/grey water systems will provide clearer and more relevant information to purchasers and renters.

Greenhouse performance is a whole other can of worms, and will most likely contain an assessment of the dwelling’s various appliances energy input (i.e. electricity/gas), as well as any on-site power generation that may exist (solar photovoltaic arrays). As you may be gathering this scheme is quite complex, which is why the government has been conducting public forums and accepting submissions, as well as conducting widespread research to ensure it can be developed and integrated, and with any luck - regulated!

So if you’re building new or renovating, consider that the star rating is important, but equally important are the appliances you select throughout your home. If it uses energy or water – then make sure you select something efficient as it will most likely affect the value of your home in the future.

Visit www.maxadesign.com.au for more information.

Save Money, Make Money

The 2006 study conducted in the ACT which focused on the effect of energy efficiency ratings on residential house prices concluded that homes with higher energy efficiency ratings (which have been mandatory for over 10 years now in the ACT) attracted an increase in house price of between 3-5%. Five years later we are starting to see homes in some cities attracting slightly higher market prices based on their overall sustainable features.

Danielle King is the Founder and Director of Green Moves Australia, a private company created to provide householders with a selection of sustainability services designed to help minimise a home’s running costs while reducing the environmental footprint. Danielle has an MBA, Dip. Management and Certificate IV in Training and Assessment. She is also a fully qualified Home Sustainability Assessor listed with Sustainability Victoria and ABSA, and is BDAV Accredited.

For example, we know of two properties in Brunswick in Melbourne that attracted higher market prices than similar homes without sustainable features in the same area. This suggests a rising awareness by the general public of the benefit of sustainable features. However efficient homes are hard to find as most owners who buy or make their homes ‘green’ tend to stay in them to reap the benefits. That’s not surprising, given that energy and water costs are expected to continue to rise substantially. It simply makes financial sense to incorporate energy/water saving features to homes, and people are starting to appreciate, and indeed look for these extra benefits.

As a result, homes that cost less to run are becoming more valued to the point that people are beginning to be prepared to pay a premium, or at the very least would prefer an efficient home over an inefficient one. The mindset change has also been acknowledged by a few progressive builders who have realised the potential for highly efficient homes. Builders like Brendon Collins (the Elmwood Living development in Wodonga, Vic) and Adam Wright (Beyond development in Haybourgh, SA) are pushing the boundaries and setting up fantastic urban areas that promote social interaction and sustainable living. Both have got it right and, in my view, destined to be very successful.

It’s not only houses; major developers are also raising the bar for apartments. Some great examples are the Lend Lease development Convesso, under construction in Docklands, Melbourne. Another is the Nishi development in NewActon precinct in Canberra by Molongo Group and Bricktop. These are beautiful residential projects designed and built around sustainability and energy efficiency principles.

However, about 95% of homes in Australia are existing homes built before energy efficiency ratings were required, these homes are generally energy inefficient. Homes in this category can be upgraded to a reasonable level and there are some reputable companies offering services to help make this a simple cost-effective process. The best thing is that sustainable features in homes are rapidly becoming a valued asset, and their benefits will be passed on from owner to owner, and renter to renter.

So buying green, or going green at home saves money, makes money and doesn’t cost the earth!

Residential Mandatory Disclosure, bring it on!

It’s clear from the publicity surrounding Residential Mandatory Disclosure that there is some confusion as to exactly what it is and what it means. Here’s a summary of the current position.

Danielle King is the Founder and Director of Green Moves Australia, a private company created to provide householders with a selection of sustainability services designed to help minimise a home’s running costs while reducing the environmental footprint. Danielle has an MBA, Dip. Management and Certificate IV in Training and Assessment. She is also a fully qualified Home Sustainability Assessor listed with Sustainability Victoria and ABSA, and is BDAV Accredited.

Residential Mandatory Disclosure is the requirement for home owners and landlords to disclose the energy efficiency of a home at the point of sale or lease. Exactly how this is going to be applied in Victoria is currently unknown. It could be anything from a simple Sustainability Declaration form as done in QLD, through to a full star rating as in the ACT. The suggestion is that the Victorian cost would be around $200 to the property owner. The purpose of Mandatory Disclosure is to give purchasers and renter’s information on the home which will enable them to make an informed choice and comparison.

The ACT have had mandatory disclosure of energy ratings for over 10 years, it’s proven to be useful information for those wanting to know. It has also had a positive impact on house prices, between 3-5% of increased value for each star obtained (per the EER report 2006). So a house valued at $550,000 could increase in value by $16,500 or more per star obtained. Discussions in Victoria continue, but for mandatory disclosure to be effective the outcome must provide an appropriate level of reliable information.

The good thing is that these changes could provide great benefit to householders. Making our homes more energy efficient is a primary way to reduce our day to day living costs. Having those efficiency measures recognised as a positive investment in the home is a great step forward. Although most homes built before energy ratings were introduced would rate between 0 to 1 Star and are generally inefficient, there are ways to improve them.

A qualified Home Sustainability Assessor or Energy Auditor can review the home and provide advice on how to improve its energy efficiency. Changes such as adding insulation would not only reduce your heating and cooling costs, it would also increase your homes rating when you sell. Energy efficient homes stay more comfortable for longer, minimising the need for active heating or cooling. As heating and cooling can account for up to 50% of a homes energy bills, the cost saving potential is significant. Particularly as energy costs are set to double (again) over the next five years.

Energy efficient homes provide significant benefits to the householder by being environmentally sound, more comfortable and more affordable to live in. And if you’re wondering about the difference in running costs here are some numbers for you:
Based on an average home, running costs would be as follows:
• 0 to 1 Star rated home, around $3,800 per year.
• 6 Star rated home, around $ 880 or less per year.

That’s a $2,920 a year difference I’d want to know about, wouldn’t you?

Six Star Energy Rating - a different beast

Since the six star energy rating came into effect May this year, a large number of builders, including homeowner builders, have been scratching their heads trying to figure out how to deal with the new regulations. And to be honest, it is a more difficult task to come up with the goods.

Jan Brandjes is a seasoned construction and building specialist with years of experience in sustainable and eco-living. He has also been a contributor to publications including the home improvement pages of Melbourne paper, The Herald Sun.

When five star was still the required benchmark for energy efficiency it was a very straight forward process: Add up all the individual rating components of the design, and if the numbers didn’t produce a five star, it was merely a matter of boosting insulation in ceiling or walls, or double-glaze some of the windows. Six star is all-together a different beast: Every building element is now assessed on its overall R-value. For example, if the design has a South-facing wall with large windows, this wall (one element of the design) must perform to a certain R-value. This R-value takes in consideration the type of wall design, the added insulation, the size of the windows, the window frame and the type of glazing. The rating software even considers the shading issues for that particular wall. In addition to the overall building, each element of the design must now meet a particular R-value.

In practicality this could mean that if this South-facing wall section has not enough insulation in it’s frame, the software will be looking for high efficient glazing to make up the shortfall. If a designer depends on the energy rater to provide him with the necessary inputs, this could translate in a much slower design process with discussions going back and forth between the two. While the large volume builders have their own design teams and energy raters, the small volume builders should engage designers who are also working as energy raters. These designers will be ‘switched’ on about the six star energy efficiency requirements and thus make life a lot easier.

For those builders looking for some direction in achieving the six star rating, the following action plan is (almost) a sure fire way to meet the building regulations for energy efficiency: Step one: learn and understand the energy efficiency issues. I know this means doing some reading and some investigating, but there is a big pay-back in the form of fewer mistakes in the design and construction phase.

Step two: Make sure to know the orientation of the land. A good passive solar design adds lots of points to the rating. Large windows on the North, minimal windows on the West, small windows on the South, and average size windows on the East. Shade all windows on the North and West during the summer, but make sure that during the winter the sun can get in.

Step three: The building envelope (external walls, ceiling and floor) is the most important part of the house. Insulate and seal it well. This will get you lots of points. Insulation levels may vary, depending on things such as climate zone and roofing colour. Have a close look at where the insulation goes. There are lots of pockets that need to be insulated at particular stages of the construction. For example, wall junctions (internal walls meeting external walls) require insulating prior to wrapping the external walls on the outside. Even more important than insulation the building envelope is the air sealing. Remember that a leaky house is impossible to heat and/or cool efficiently. Seal all possible air paths during the construction phase by using expandable foam and caulking. It’s probably the cheapest action you can undertake to make a house comfortable and cheaper to run!

Step four: Pick the right type of glazing for the house. Things to consider are the type of frame, the quality of glazing (single, double, Low E, Argon gas), and the weather stripping. Even high quality windows can leak like a sieve with poorly designed weather stripping. Quality double-glazing is expensive, especially with a lot of operable windows. Determine carefully which windows must be operable, as fixed glazing is a lot more affordable.

Step five: The six star requirements for lighting are a lot more stricter than with five star. As only a certain amount of wattage per square meter is allowed, CFL and LED lights will make more sense. Stay away from recessed down lights, as they are holes in the building envelope!

These five steps are a must do to get to a six star. It is not difficult science, but all about quality control during the construction stages. Always take the time to explain to the trades (plumber/electrician) why they have to seal the holes they make in the building envelope. It only takes minutes to apply some foam or caulking. The end result will be a more efficient and more comfortable place for the new homeowner.

Planet Ark partners with FWPA to promote sustainable timber as a climate change solution

13 July 2011

As our community discusses ways of tackling climate change, a new partnership has been formed to promote an easy, low cost solution to capturing and storing carbon - simply using sustainably sourced wood as a building material.

Ric Sinclair, Managing Director of Forest and Wood Products Australia.

Paul Klymenko, CEO of Planet Ark

Planet Ark, one of Australia’s leading environmental organisations, is joining forces with Forest and Wood Products Australia (FWPA), the industry body behind the Wood. Naturally Better.™ program, to encourage the use of sustainably sourced wood. The initiative comes during the International Year of Forests, a global platform to celebrate people’s action to sustainably manage the world’s forests.

“Sustainable timber use is an important step in the transition to a low carbon economy”, says Paul Klymenko, CEO of Planet Ark.
”Substituting wood products for more greenhouse gas intensive building products could reduce the emissions of typical house by up to 18 tonnes over its life (according to a recent RMIT study*). That’s more than a medium sized car emits over 7 years, but research shows that few people understand that carbon is stored in the wood for life*.”

Planet Ark is interested in helping homebuilders, developers, architects, the general public and school children recognise the environmental benefits of using sustainable timber over other, more polluting alternatives. This campaign complements other Planet Ark activities such as National Tree Day and the Carbon Reduction Label. Over the coming months, Planet Ark will develop educational materials, an interactive website and deliver an extensive media campaign to raise awareness.
“We are thrilled to be working with Planet Ark to help educate the public about the important role wood can play in helping address climate change,” said Ric Sinclair, Managing Director of Forest and Wood Products Australia. Wood is unique among building materials because it is a natural carbon store – up to 50% of its dry weight is carbon, which means that by using more wood in our built environment we can not only reduce carbon emissions, but also store carbon.”

The announcement of the new partnership to promote the use of wood comes at a time when Grocon has just announced plans to build Delta, a ten storey, 50 apartment timber building as part of the redevelopment of the Carlton United Breweries site in Melbourne. Increased use of sustainably sourced wood products offers a simple and economical solution to climate change that can be implemented now and even greater potential for the future with the adoption of new building systems and technology.

*Based on RMIT University study published 31 January 2011 ‘A Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Alternative Constructions of a Typical Australian House Design’
*Total CO2 emissions = 18.16 tonnes based on a Toyota Corolla 1.8 lt auto (173gm CO2 per km) travelling 15,000km pa over 7 years.

About Planet Ark

Planet Ark is a not-for-profit environmental organisation, founded in 1992. We aim to work with people and business to teach them the simple ways in which they can reduce their impact on the planet, at home, at work and in the community. We do this by running educational, environmental behaviour change campaigns in partnership with businesses and organisations. Some examples of our successful campaigns include National Tree Day, National Recycling Week, Cartridges for Planet Ark and the Carbon Reduction Label.

About Wood. Naturally Better.™ & Forest and Wood Products Australia Wood.

Naturally Better.™ is a program run by Forest & Wood Products Australia. It is a multi-million dollar initiative designed to enable building professionals and consumers to understand how they can play a part in tackling climate change by using one of the planet's most environmentally friendly materials – sustainably sourced wood. It is a first for the Australian market and is the largest joint-activity ever undertaken by the forest and wood products industry. www.naturallybetter.com.au Forest & Wood Products Australia Limited (FWPA) is the forestry and wood industry’s service provider, investing in research and development, and providing research results to the forest and wood products industry in Australia. FWPA aims to improve the competitiveness and sustainability of the Australian forest and wood products industry through innovation, and investment in effective and relevant R&D. FWPA undertakes industry-level activities where a collective approach can deliver more effective and valuable commercial outcomes than individual action.

Wood Naturally Better and Planet Ark will be hosting free seminars to discuss `Energy Efficiency within the Home' during the Building & Home Improvement Expo from July 15-17 at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre.

All seminars are Free. Bookings are not required although seating is limited so we suggest you arrive 5-10 minutes prior to the seminars scheduled start time to avoid missing a seat. The Renovation & Building Stage is located between stands E36 and E38 near the main Kiosk.

For seminar times visit, www.buildexpo.com.au

Help Charlie the Carbon Catcher grab the Naughty Carbon Critters! - An interactive children’s show presented by Wood. Naturally Better

Too much carbon in the atmosphere is making our planet sick. Lucky for us, Charlie the Carbon Catcher is here to help catch the naughty Carbon Critters who are making the earth feel poorly. We’ve been careless and created too much carbon dioxide and it’s choking the planet – but we can start to make it healthy again by helping Charlie catch the Carbon Critters and lock them up in wood products.
How many Carbon Critters can you and Charlie catch? Help him find where they are and collect your ‘Carbon Warrior’ badge.
Meet Charlie and Rebecca Gilling on the Renovation and Building stage at the Bulding & Home Improvement Expo on Saturday July 16th at 2pm and Sunday July 17th at 1.30pm.

Combining sustainability with bespoke architecture

13 July 2011

At Maxa Design, we often find ourselves confronted with a design brief containing numerous very specific requests. Clients might send us images of the latest designer kitchen or some external cladding that they like, coupled with the mandatory request for ‘lots of storage’, a big laundry and large living area. Then the request that my design team have been waiting for, and hoping it was first on our clients’ list, “we would like our home to be as sustainable as possible”. I like that - ‘As possible’.

Well, let’s look closely at how possible sustainability is and if it fits with the more common requests such as ‘a big laundry’. Sustainability in building and construction is such a large and diverse subject. I don’t think we could even scrape the surface in this article. So to help us move through concisely, let’s keep it really simple. In fact, I’ll keep it to just three letters ‘RRR’. Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.

The idea being that you reduce the quantity of everything you purchase or ‘consume’, and when you do consume something you reuse it, and if you can’t do that then ensure it can be recycled. Even better, if you can purchase or consume something that’s been recycled or reused then surely that will add at least another R to our acronym!

So how does this fit with bespoke architecture?

A smaller (i.e. reduced) footprint is always going to be more sustainable. What if we just had 1 bathroom instead of 2 or 3? What if we have a single garage or better still, no garage? I understand that for most people this sounds extreme, but before you dismiss it completely, consider the outcomes.

Everything reduces; smaller homes require fewer materials to construct, less energy to run and maintain, less water with fewer bathrooms and finally, the car is built to be outside – so I don’t think it will mind if it doesn’t have a garage. Not only will you be helping our environment, but you will also be helping your finances, as these suggestions also mean less money to spend on construction.

Now how about this – reuse as much as you can! If you’re renovating, there are some easy wins, with a little elbow grease I admit. Many materials can be reused, or as some might prefer to call it ‘down-cycled’. Heavy mass materials like bricks can be cleaned and reused; concrete can be crushed and reused instead of trucking in quarried rocks and gravels. I personally love old hardwood framing when it’s de-nailed and machined into a new bookshelf or cabinet. Whatever you can’t salvage and reuse in a renovation, send off to be recycled. There are several companies in the marketplace who are more than happy to take the materials that you no longer have a use for and save it from going to land fill. I think in 2009 our landfill comprised approximately 40% waste from building and construction – so anything you can do to reduce that would be brilliant!

If you don’t have any materials to reuse, then purchase recycled materials – keep the history of another old building alive! It only takes a little imagination and a little extra ‘elbow grease’ to use recycled building materials. A word of caution – if you’re considering using recycled windows, be sure that you can retrofit or upgrade them to improve their thermal performance.

When it comes down to it, during the building and renovating process, we are confronted with so many decisions and enticed by many new building products touting their green credentials, that it becomes overwhelming and confusing. But if you keep it simple and use the three R’s to guide you, it will no doubt result in a much more sustainable project.

Sven Maxa of Maxa Design will host a free workshop on '6-Stars and Beyond - Designing energy efficiency into your new home or renovation' during the Building & Home Improvement Expo from July 15-17 at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre.

For seminar times, visit www.buildexpo.com.au

The more blokes.... the bigger the shed!

13 July 2011

Co - founder of Movember Luke Slattery, talks about Australia’s biggest Men’s Shed – The Shed Online.

Luke Slattery co-founded Movember with fellow Director, Travis Garone, in 2003. An expert on branding and with extensive contacts within the fashion and lifestyle sectors, Luke was responsible for the development and management of Movember’s Australian and NZ Campaigns. Since its inception, Movember has raised over $100 Million AUD across the globe for prostate cancer and depression projects. Luke is currently managing his own consultancy, helping other organisations to develop and implement strategic campaigns.

The inspiration for The Shed Online came from the 400 community-based Men’s Sheds which are thriving Australia-wide. Men’s Sheds across the country are places where guys can get together, work on projects shoulder to shoulder, learn new skills and if they feel comfortable, talk to one another about light-hearted or more serious issues. The Shed Online provides men with the opportunity to do all these things - but instead of it happening in a real shed, it happens in a virtual shed, over the internet.

Men who don’t have a local Men’s Shed, can be part of an online community where they can socialise, make new friends and maybe, work on a project together. The site features news, DIY tips and discussion forums for sharing ideas and thoughts on any topic – as well as health information that men might otherwise not come across.

Topics range from home maintenance, computers and the internet, hobbies such as cooking, gardening, movies and sport. There are video `handyman' hints on a range of things, from cleaning a barbecue with an onion to plastering a hole in the wall – there’s even a step-by-step guide to buying and selling goods on eBay – other videos contain health information, including a GP talking about depression and anxiety.

The Shed Online is a joint project of beyondblue and Australian Men’s Shed Association (AMSA), and is funded by The Movember Foundation. It’s great to see the funds raised by MoBros and MoSistas being used on such an innovative project to improve men’s health and wellbeing. The Shed Online allows men to share their skills and pass on knowledge that may otherwise be lost!

You need to sign up to contribute to the site, but registration is easy and it’s FREE – there’s a quick video to talk you through the process and help you to navigate the site, including how to join in a discussion. The Shed Online will come to life at The Building and Home Improvement Expo at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre from July 15 – 17
• Check out the stall and find out how to join The Shed Online and join in the activities!
• Volunteers will be on site to speak about how to get involved.
• Free beyondblue information materials will be available

All men are encouraged to join up and join in – the more blokes, the bigger the shed!
For more information about depression, anxiety and related conditions visit www.beyondblue.org.au or call the info line 1300 22 4636.

There will be interactive demos on how to use The Shed Online at the upcoming Building & Home Improvement Expo at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre from July 15-17 on stand G03.

Renovations – what to consider

21 June 2011

Renovating a home is rarely a simple task. However it’s the perfect time to apply some simple strategies to make your home perform better in relation to ongoing cost efficiency and comfort. So here are a few things to give thought to in order to maximise the benefit of your changes.

Danielle King is the Founder and Director of Green Moves Australia, a private company created to provide householders with a selection of sustainability services designed to help minimise a home’s running costs while reducing the environmental footprint. Danielle has an MBA, Dip. Management and Certificate IV in Training and Assessment. She is also a fully qualified Home Sustainability Assessor listed with Sustainability Victoria and ABSA, and is BDAV Accredited.

Did you know you can lose around 1 degree Celsius of water temperature for every 1 meter of uninsulated piping? So insulate the pipes if you can. If you are building new external walls, or opening up old ones insulate them to at least R2 levels. It’s very cost effective to do this during other building work and if you happen to come across any hot water pipes while opening up walls, insulate them. It will make your hot water system more effective and efficient.

While on the subject of walls, orientation should be given good consideration. Large areas of glass to the North and West will give you the opportunity to catch winter sun and keep your rooms warm without having to run the heating during winter. However in summer the last thing you’ll want is the sun coming in so make sure you can shade the glass in the warmer months. Options include retractable blinds and awnings, deciduous trees or specially designed window ‘eves’ that work appropriately in both seasons.

Find the one that best suits your situation. You’ll be surprised at the difference it will make letting the sun in during winter, and keeping walls and windows shaded in summer. This can help reduce your heating and cooling costs by up to 40%.

Regarding the roof, if you haven’t already insulated it, then do so to at least R3.5 levels. Ensure you include closable vents in the bathrooms or use draft stoppers in the ceiling. Increase the natural light into your rooms with skylights where suitable and don’t forget to ensure they are double glazed.

One of the biggest considerations is lighting. Light fittings that minimise ‘holes’ in the ceiling plaster are best, for example a pendant light or concealed lighting. If you have down-lights beware, the standard 50 Watt down-light is a huge fire risk as the area surrounding the light can get up to 300 degrees Celsius and is a common cause of house fires. Down lights also degrade the performance of ceiling insulation and should have protective covers around them. If you must have down lights go for energy efficient Light Emitting Diodes (LED). You can run up to 5 LED’s for the price of 1 x 50w halogen, and they last around 10 times longer. They can generally be cost justified within 1 year! Down light covers (mits) are available and allow you to insulate the ceiling space properly and obtain maximum benefit from your insulation.

Other lighting options are Compact Florescent Lighting (CFL), these are energy efficient but can take a while to ‘warm up’, check the packet before you buy to ensure you get the right colour and if it’s dimmable or not. Regardless, LED’s are worth the extra up front cost if you can afford it.

Finally the painting. Are you sick of the paint fumes? Go for low or no VOC eco friendly paints if you can, you won’t have the fumes and it is more eco friendly.

Happy renovating!

Danielle will be available to discuss these topics and more at the Sustainability Hot Spot during the Building & Home Improvement Expo from 15-17 July at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre.

To register visit the website, www.buildexpo.com.au

Seal and Save

21 June 2011

If you find it difficult to keep warm inside your home this winter and your energy bills are on the rise, it’s probably because you have an air leakage problem. Air leakage is one of the most common causes of household energy deficiency with hundreds of dollars a year wafting under your windows and doors. And yet it is so simple to fix.
Just a few simple steps can see you on your way to having the best of both worlds in your home – low energy consumption and maximum comfort. There’s no need to sacrifice one for the other just to save cash this winter.

To pinpoint these energy saving steps, the Building & Home Improvement Expo at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre from July 15-17 has launched the Housing Sustainability Pyramid - a step-by-step guide to assist you in learning and understanding energy efficiency with tips you can apply immediately to start saving today.

Step 4 of the pyramid is about sealing your house. This is without any doubt the most efficient way of keeping energy (heat/cool) inside your home. Although many people will think that insulation and double glazing are more effective in keeping the home comfortable and cheap to run, sealing the holes in the walls, ceiling and floor should always be your number one priority.

Walk around your home on a windy day and feel with your hand along windows, doors, wall vents and exhaust fans. You also can try this with an incense stick or tissue paper. You will be amazed at the amount of air rushing through. All holes and gaps combined roughly amount to a permanently open window of 1.5 square meters.This can be eliminated or reduced considerably with weatherstripping, caulking and draftstoppers to effectively reduce your energy bill.

Tips:

Check these areas for draughts on windy days: windows, doors, wall vents
Place draft stoppers over bathroom exhaust fans
Do you have those old fashioned wall vents? Seal them with plaster!
Weather strip your attic access (usually to be found in utility area)
Renting your home? Consider heat shrink film as temporary double glazing

Air leakage is the single most important factor leading to an unbalanced home indoor environment - one that’s either too expensive to run and keep you comfortable, or one that’s unhealthy as well as uncomfortable. The secret is in getting the balance just right.

For those who would like to try their hand at creating a sustainable home, feel free to email me at brandjes@optusnet.com.au

I look forward to hearing from you. You can view the complete Housing Sustainability Pyramid here.
For further info on the topics raised in this article, visit;

www.airgenius.com.au
www.environmentvictoria.org.au
www.savepower.nsw.gov.au

What is a sustainable home?

15 October 2009

With sustainable living now part of mainstream debate, a multitude of products, services and concepts targeting the home building and improvement market have emerged. Here, our resident expert Jan Brandjes sheds light on what sustainable living really entails.

Jan Brandjes
A seasoned construction and building specialist, Jan Brandjes, possesses years of experience in sustainable and eco-living. He is a regular contributor to publications including the home improvement pages of Melbourne paper The Herald Sun.

Ten years ago few people would be able to tell you the definition of a sustainable home. As a matter of fact, few people would use the words 'sustainable' and 'home' in the same sentence. Yet, today, everything seems to be 'sustainable'. It has truly become the buzzword of this decade. But what does it really mean to have a sustainable home?

Sustainability is not a black and white proposition. There are many shades of grey of "sustainability". For example, the fact that a house has a photovoltaic (solar) system on the roof doesn't necessarily make it a sustainable home. It may in fact be that investing in more energy efficient appliances e.g. fridge/dishwasher/washing machine could prove just as energy efficient - "sustainable". It's all a matter of degree. To quote Australian singer/songwriter, Paul Kelly, "from little things big things grow" and any step towards a more energy efficient household is a step in the right direction.

The same story applies to rainwater harvesting. Water harvesting is an important consideration in conserving water. However to be ensure real water conservation and efficiency look to replace single full flush toilets and dripping taps and think about planting drought resistant plants to create a more "sustainable" garden.

Sustainability starts with conservation: Use fewer resources and recycle. After that is under control, follow up with creation. This means creating resources through harnessing the sunrays and collecting rainwater. For good measure, throw in a bit of composting, so you don't have to buy it in bags from the nursery and you get to re-use your food scraps while at the same time reducing your waste.

There are many 'shades' of sustainability and it's virtually impossible to include all of them in a house. First of all - design. Your house design should be 'passive solar' in order to have the full benefits of the winter sun and as well as plenty of shading from the summer sun. Next, consider using as many 'low embodied energy' building materials as possible during construction. These materials should also have a recycled content and be fully recyclable. Use of low VOC (volatile organic compounds) furnishings in the house and energy efficient and water saving appliances. The house must have double-glazing and plenty of insulation. It should also use minimal energy for heating and cooling and must be well sealed to keep the energy inside. Relative humidity must be kept between 30 and 55% to ensure good indoor air quality and to create an environment where dust mites cannot survive. The garden must be drought proof and a veggie patch - watered with rainwater- should feed the whole family.

As you might have guessed, there are many products on the market to help us all create more sustainable homes as well as no end of "things" to. Every day of the week new sustainable products and technologies are made available to us, some better than others so it's also important to understand just how sustainable products are. However, the most important part of the sustainability equation, not to be found in any shop - is you! The most important influencer of the "shade" of sustainability for our homes is our lifestyle and attitude. We can buy all the "right" products however if there is no genuine commitment to changing our lifestyle to conserve energy, water and reduce our carbon footprint then it's unlikely that we'll be successful in creating a more sustainable home in the long-run.

For those who would like to try their hand at a definition of a sustainable home, feel free to email me at brandjes@ozonline.com.au. I look forward to hearing from you.

The abc of future housing

17 September 2009

Building a truly sustainable home takes a certain amount of vigilance and scrutiny. Here, our resident eco-building guru Jan Brandjes shares his thoughts on how to ensure future housing ticks all the environmentally friendly boxes.

Jan Brandjes
A seasoned construction and building specialist, Jan Brandjes, possesses years of experience in sustainable and eco-living. He is a regular contributor to publications including the home improvement pages of Melbourne paper The Herald Sun.

Recently I developed a theory on the current energy efficiency of our new homes.

In spite of new building regulations in place over the last decade to ensure that new homes are more energy efficient than those constructed since World Wars I and II, our homes are consuming more energy then ever before.

Is it that we are building bigger (but not always better) homes, or is it that we fill them up with electricity and gas guzzling appliances? I personally think that these two factors play a big role in our quest for more energy. Bigger homes do require more energy for heating and cooling - that is if we want to keep them comfortable to live in. And it doesn't help if we keep decorating almost every room with a on-the-wall plasma or LCD TV.

There is however another issue that deserves our full attention, and that is the matter of quality of construction. I am not talking here about the structural quality, or the finishing quality of the house. That is well looked after by the industry. I am referring to the quality of construction in the area of energy efficiency.

Let me give you an example: According to the energy ratings report of FirstRate 5, a house needs to be insulated with R1.5 batts in the walls and R3.5 batts in the ceiling. It is expected that the insulation installer will fill the walls and ceiling without leaving any gaps. Leaving gaps will dramatically reduce the efficiency of the product: 5% of surface area missed will result in a 50% reduction in efficiency!

The building surveyor will return to the house for a final inspection, but will not always have the opportunity to inspect the insulation job. This is a quality control issue and should be addressed.

Here is another example: The builder has installed double glazed windows, as specified in the energy ratings report. However, when the painter came to paint the doors, he removed the weatherstripping to do a better job. The weatherstripping was stored in the garage and were never put back on the doors ( the cleaner threw them out). Energy will always leave the building through gaps and cracks. No amount of double glazing will prevent the energy loss in this case.

So here is my theory:
a2 + b2 = c2. ( I do realise that I am not the first to came up with this, I think his name was 'Pythagoras of Samos,) 'a2' stands for sustainable design. This we do very well and is supported by the energy ratings software. 'b2' stands for sustainable construction. This deals with the quality control of the energy efficiency measures we're putting into the building. And finally 'c2,. This is the best sustainable outcome: a truly energy efficient home. So, without the 'b2', we will continue to fail in achieving a sustainable outcome. The construction industry must come to grips with this and act without delay!

Interiors 2010

10 September 2009

Milou Ket's predictions on key interior trends are an invaluable resource for home improvement enthusiasts. Here we present an abstract of Milou's presentation at Furnitex Melbourne.

Milou Ket is the force behind the highly successful styling company, founded in 1980, that takes her name. Her expertise in design and interiors is renowned in her home country, The Netherlands, and internationally, while Milou Ket interior trend books sell successfully at international fairs such as Heimtex, Surtex and Biennale. Milou Ket clients include some of the world's top retail and design brands.

SUPRA NATURAL
Nature is still the great source of inspiration, but it changes shape: new technology makes us shift our attention to biology and science for a modern approach. 3-D printing makes a future of "mass-individualisation" possible. Especially solutions with light are of importance. Opposed to clean and smooth industrial products, such as glass, translucency, iridescence, transparency and metallics, we see the need for texture and tactility, to balance the clean feeling. Also glittering effects and metallics add interest. Often poetic elements play a role, such as laser-cutting, origami, and perforations. We see layered effects, organic shapes, furs and hides and over-dimensional products.

Hand crafted techniques also offer the possibility to make a product more special, personal, imperfect, irregular and a-symmetrical. Warmth is added by textures, furs, and open fireplaces. Wood, mostly in light variations, varies from unfinished and course, to super thin and almost transparent. Paper and card-board are appreciated for their lightness, transparency and colour. Outdoor products are important. The colours in this direction are light and cool. Without doubt white is the most important colour. It stands for purity and clearness. We see skin, cool pink, cool mint, light blue, white, cool yellow, cream and beige. Also we see some natural colours. Sometimes a dark brown is added. Grey in different gradations still plays a role. Silver is added for interest.

SOFT TECHNOLOGY
This young direction in almost acid pastel colours is influenced by the colours of technology, as in a laboratory. White is indispensable in colour combinations to obtain a fresh and clean effect. We see different interpretations: from clean and modern, sometimes even futuristic based on the results of modern technology. We see effects derived from the view under the microscope and from medical equipment, or the transparent under-water world, to more romantic, organic, tropical and kitschy influences. Prints are very important, in particular in multicolour variations. Also here the effect of light is very important. A soft artificial effect of colours seen through a transparent or translucent synthetic material is the key. Artificial materials such as glass, plastic, plexiglas, silicone, rubber etc. give such a diffused, yet colourful effect to obtain a modern result.

The colours are often combined with white for a fresh effect. Once in a while a small dose of black is used, but only in small quantities, for instance for thin lines and outlines. As colours we see heavenly blue, radiant orange, fresh pink, coral, sunny yellow, light emerald, spring green, fresh turquoise and fresh lilac. Iridescence, multifoil materials, gels and reflective aspects are important in this direction, to obtain a modern look. Sometimes fluo elements are added. Silver and gold are also still important to add some special effects.

FLIGHTS OF FANTASY
In this feminine direction the emphasis is on a romantic, quite conservative styling. The colours are based on faded flowers, such as hortensia, with many pinkish and faded aubergine colours. Old-fashioned feminine techniques such as crochet, knitting, lace etc. play a role, and are beloved elements in the feminine interior. Sometimes these elements are translated in a modern way. Gold and silver are added to emphasize certain parts of a design. Sculpted mirrors, crystal chandeliers, period furniture, and florals determine this direction. Decorative textile products are very important, such as curtains and upholstery, but also pillows, throws old-fashioned lamp shades etc.

The prints, weaves and other colours are carefully colour-coordinated. We see a lot of forged iron furniture and beds. Painted products are often affected to give a worn-in antique and vintage look. The colours in this direction are inspired by the faded colours of an old bouquet of hortensias. As colours we see mauve glow, peach, raspberry, banana, old rose, faded aubergine, faded blue, and faded green. Also our beige colour from the first range "Supra Natural" is used as a separate possibility. This beige colour gives an altered effect when it is combined with the range. With white, however, the total impression is much fresher. The colours are often applied among each other and tone-in-tone.

BRIGHT KALEIDOSCOPE
In this colourful style direction we see very bright colours, based on synthetics. True colour is back, and also multi colour effects are very important. Often white and black are used to make the colours shine even more. The colour, the light and the translucency of the material is very important. We see for instance glass, plastic, plexiglass, resin, and silicone. Also high gloss materials are important, such a lacquer and high-polished materials. Furniture is often modular to offer maximum flexibility. We see colourful ethnic influences. Colourful pixels and confetti are used as decoration. Furniture is often curved. We see a return of objects, inspired by the Memphis movement, humorous and cheerful.

We see photographic images and stylized flat flowers. Sustainable ideas are important for green products. Small furniture is popular as well as lighting as decorative objects. Transparent plexiglass in neon colours adds a contemporary effect. Colour blocking, spots and stains as from an artist's palette, are popular. We see colourful recycled floor tiles. The colours in this range are very bright, almost as a colour explosion and based on myriad colours as seen through a kaleidoscope. Multicolour effects are important. White and black are used as an accent. We see bright red, orange, bright yellow, lime, grass green, deep turquoise, pink, purple and electric blue. Red is an important colour, yellow a real trend colour. Both are often combined with white.

CROSS-CULTURAL
Cross Cultural This style direction is determined by global, cross-cultural influences. People travel more, they are like modern urban nomads, and bring home interesting products from foreign cultures, to be integrated in their interior. We see influences from the Mediterranean area, especially Morocco, and the Orient, in lacquer black and red. We see warm vegetal coloured tartans from Scotland to be mixed with kilims, and paisleys. We also see African influences. Mysterious colour schemes from the orient are influencing western homes. Indigo remains an important theme. Texture is important, especially in rustic interpretations of brown. Leather, suede, unfinished wood, cork and braided materials add interest. There is a feeling for luxurious materials such as taffeta and heavy silks. Metallics and glass products are used as an accent.

There is a sustainable theme in green colours, based on the jungle and the rain forest, also with an interest in matte/shine combinations. This range consists mainly of warm colours, from ochre to orange and deep red, ending with warm browns. Sometimes the range is mixed with some very colourful accents from the bright range. It also shows the beige colour from our first range for an refined, neutral effect. As colours we see: olive green, green sulphur, brick, warm red, wine red, deep magenta, saddle brown and warm brown. Often oxidized metals are used as an accent. Indigo from our dark colour range is also important here.

CLAIR OBSCUR
In this style direction we see deep dark colours, often in combination of shadows with light shades, hence the name Clair Obscur as used in classical painting. Luxury, dramatic fabrics, precious materials, but less decoration than before will play a role. We see some decadency in the use of over-dimensional products especially furniture and vases, and the obvious luxury of shiny silks, metallics and (fake) furs. Rich fabrics like velvet, damasks, embossed metallics, crinkle lacquer and taffeta add to this luxurious effect. Often we see historic references and the revival of old techniques for walls and structures.

Smooth shiny materials are opposed to products with tactility and texture. Especially embossed reptile patterns are popular. Grey is enlivened by shades of silver and bronze. We will see less baroque shapes and exaggerated baroque patterns. We see more quiet, large shapes and the interest in luxury materials with a sustainable character will remain. We also see industrial elements. In this theme we see a range of very dark colours, to be combined with lighter and brighter colours. As colours we see deep aubergine, deep blue green, indigo, deep purple blue, violet, deep brown, mid grey and jet black. Gold is added for effect. Black with extreme shiny and absorbent effects in matte and shine combinations remain important. Also black in combination with white is again present. Black is often the base to combine with red, or white with red. Blue combines well with brown.

Milou Ket styling & design Houttuinen studio@milouket.com www.milouket.com

Eco-building

7 August 2009

These days house plans submitted to council must meet a minimum four-star energy rating to pass go. While this sounds daunting, our resident expert is here to help. For best results, start with a block of land that allows for living spaces facing north, then follow Jan Brandjes' top 10 tips for a sustainable new home.

One: get planning
Sketch the house plan, placing living spaces such as the kitchen, dining and lounge rooms to the north, and utility areas and bedrooms to the south. This ensures living spaces benefit from the winter sun and the bedrooms stay cool in summer.

Two: think seasonal
Always consider how summer and winter will impact on the house. How will your design deal with the hot summer sun? And how will it handle cold winter winds? Make sure you have external shading on the north side to protect interior living areas from the harsh summer sun. This will still allow the winter sun into your house when it starts to become dreary indoors as well as outside. It will also reduce the amount of artificial light needed indoors in winter.

Three: focus on windows and rooves
Once you have created a floor plan, recruit an architect or building designer to create the look. A good design shows all four elevations - north, west, south and east - including the size of the windows. Keep south and west windows small; small south facing windows will reduce energy loss in the winter, while small west facing windows reduce heat gain in summer. East windows allow the morning sun to enter the house and should be average-sized windows, roughly 2 to 2.5 square metres in surface area. Larger windows on the north side are good, but they will need appropriate shading for the summer months, including generously sized eaves to provide shade in summer. When choosing a roof, remember dark colours absorb heat, while light colours reflect it. Lightweight steel roofs need less timber, while heavy tiled roofs need more timber for support.

Four: Build on solid foundations
The fall of the building block and the type of soil will play a big part in deciding the type of foundation for your house. A flat block will allow for a concrete slab, which will give you good thermal storage and less heat loss from the building. If a block has a considerable slope, a strip footing and stumps are the best solution for the house. However this type of foundation will need floor insulation and special attention to sealing of gaps and cracks.

Five: Seal the envelope.
The structure of a house comprises external walls, the ceiling and the floor and is also ; called the 'building envelope'. If you are serious about conserving energy, you must make sure this envelope is sealed. There are plenty of holes, gaps and cracks in a house, so, before plastering, seal them and prevent unnecessary energy loss from the house. Other energy-efficient measures, such as double glazing and insulation, also have reduced impact if the house has unsealed holes and openings. An added bonus for a well-sealed building is less dust and insects entering the house.

Six: Glaze over
Double-glazed windows are a good investment for energy efficiency and they also allow for better noise control, while a variety of films and coatings are available to increase their energy efficiency. Double-glazed windows/doors are an expensive item, so do your homework and bear in mind that the long-term savings should be considered favourably against the initial cost.

Seven: No renovation without insulation
Insulation includes batts, reflective foils, blow-in or sheet insulation. Foils reflect outside heat in summer and, to a certain degree, heat from the house in winter. Batts and blow-in insulation form a barrier against cold, as well as heat, through the air they trap. The more still air the product can hold, the better it will perform. Whatever insulation you choose, make sure it is installed correctly, as any gaps or holes in the insulation barrier could result in air leakage and energy loss.

Eight: Heating, cooling, solar and fresh air
If you have followed the preceding steps to plan, then you will need very little heat in winter or cooling in summer. With the money saved from heating and cooling, you can think of installing a solar hot water system, which is extremely energy efficient and has a less than five-year payback. If your budget allows for it, consider a mechanical ventilation system for the entire house. In a well sealed house, this system will provide fresh, filtered air year round with a minimal loss of energy. It is also effective in reducing humidity, which in turn controls dust mites and mould growth.

Nine: choose healthy products
If indoor air quality is an issue, look at some "healthier" building products, which contain fewer or no chemicals. All products release chemicals in the atmosphere and have an impact on the environment. Avoid products with high formaldehyde content found in many fabrics, carpets and wood composite products and introduce hard surfaces in your house design - tiles and hardwood floors are easier to clean and dust mites don't like them.

Ten: Water conservation
In the wake of water restrictions, we're all increasingly aware of the need to conserve water. You can start with low-flush toilets and water saving taps and follow up with a good-sized rainwater tank. Look at the use of a grey water recycling system for the garden. By including water-saving systems at the design stage, you can reduce plumbing costs and make installation easier. Finally, plan a drought-proof garden with hardy plants, minimised grassy areas and lots of mulch to assist in retaining water.