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Building Design 

When building a new house it is good to engage your thermal assessor at early stage to provide feedback on energy efficiency of your new house design. Some features can be added later (ie ceiling insulation), other, if not included, will cost a lot more to add or retrofit once the house is built (wall insulation, double glazing). Below is a list of energy efficiency features to consider when designing your new house.     


Building size 

Smaller buildings are easier to keep comfortable, cost less to run. 


Building shape 

Complex shapes are inefficient because of larger perimeter area - see our article on Building Shape  


Roof type 

In complex shapes heap roof can result in many ridges and valleys, small sections running at an angle increasing building cost. Even if the shape is simple the individual roof sections run at angles making less room available for solar. Consider using gable or skillion roof to maximise the roof area for solar panels


Solar 

Make sure there is enough roof space for large solar system. Maximize roof area facing North, also provide some to the West and East


Hot water 

Ensure wet areas are all clustered together on each level and close to the hot water system. This will avoid wasting time and water while waiting for warm water to arrive at the tap. Also cheaper to build - less water and waste pipes to run. 


To be continued...

Orientation of rooms

Window sizes

Eaves and shading

Insulation    



 


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