When designing and building your new home in Tasmania, it’s important to work with a builder who can help you choose the best building materials, to increase your living comfort.
Get it wrong... and you’ll be fighting a battle of high energy bills; whilst wearing layers of clothing, just to stay warm.
Get it right... and you can live comfortably in your new home, without having to worry about energy bills; thus allowing you to enjoy your new home with friends and family, even during those cold winter months.
The solution is simple – design an energy-efficient home, so you can reduce your energy bills and live comfortably. By designing an energy-efficient home, you can reduce your energy bills by up to 50%*, whilst dramatically improving your daily comfort.
According to the Environment Protection Authority, adding just a few inexpensive energy-efficiency measures can help home owners achieve a substantial cost reduction.
Did you know that not all new homes are built to the same standards?
Whilst some builders comply with the minimum building standards, this still isn’t enough to keep your new home warm and comfortable.
The planning phase is the perfect time to work with a home builder, who can help you include these features as part of the design; allowing you to enjoy your home and reduce your bills from the outset.
It’s long been suggested that energy-efficient homes are expensive to build, with no guarantee to reduce bills. This is a pretty common statement, usually made by ‘old school’ builders who haven’t embraced modern design and building methods.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has stated that energy prices have risen by nearly two-thirds (in real terms) over the past decade^.
With a range of cost-effective options readily available, there’s absolutely no reason why your new home shouldn’t be both energy-efficient and comfortable to live in.
One simple step you can take is to ensure that your new build includes double glazed windows; rather than old-fashioned single glazing.
As the name suggests, double glazing is simply two layers of glass in one frame, with a layer of inert gas between.
This one addition to your plan can reduce the cost of heating or cooling your home by as much as 40%^^.
Whether you choose double or single glazing is, of course, an important decision; particularly as many new homes in Tasmania are designed to capture the stunning vistas.
Nobody wants to compromise on stunning natural views by introducing bulky curtains to keep warm. We like to think of double glazing as a ‘glass curtain’, which can be custom built to fit almost any window frame design; thus eliminating the need to compromise on aesthetics - offering both a practical and stylish solution.
Double glazing is particularly important to install if you’re building in a coastal area. The saltwater air can be extremely destructive, so you need to take all the steps you can to ensure your home is resistant to the elements.
But it’s not just about the aspects of your home build that you can physically see - you also need to consider those elements which you can’t see.
For example, what is contained in your floors, walls and ceilings to help protect your home and provide a comfortable, insulated living environment?
Nobody wants to be reaching for their jackets and blankets (the same way you would be if you were going on a bracing walk). As with double glazing, a well-insulated home will also reduce your energy bills; saving you money and lessening your impact on the environment.
It acts as a barrier to heat loss and heat gain, in the same way double glazing does. By introducing good quality insulation to your new home build, you’ll find that during winter, the heat won’t escape; therefore, there’s less need to use your central heating.
Conversely, in the warmer months, your home won’t heat up quickly, so it won’t be uncomfortable.
The less frequently you use your heating and cooling systems, the more money you’ll save in the long-run. It really does make sense to plan ahead with your house build, so you, your family and your visitors will be comfortable all year round.
Again, some traditional builders will tell you that insulation is an expensive option; but there’s only a slight increase in the cost of implementing both solutions, with the return on your investment being achieved within nine years^^^.
Nobody wants to spend an evening indoors wearing jackets, buried under a layer of blankets, just to keep warm.
Your dream home should be a place that you enjoy.
You’ve spent so long planning and building, to get it just the way you want; so why compromise on long-term happiness for a short-term, perceived saving? An added bonus of including double glazing and insulation as part of your new build, is that your property will be more attractive to potential buyers, should the time come when you wish to sell.
As with any home building decision, it’s important to make an informed choice during the planning phase; which is why you should work with a builder who helps you design and build a home that you, your family and friends will feel comfortable in all year round.
By doing this, your home builder will also be protecting you from ever-increasing energy costs and reducing your impact on the environment.
No home build is the same, so understanding and factoring in all variables - from the outset - will save you time, money and discomfort.
Discover the secrets to building your perfect new home and avoid making costly mistakes.
Click the link below to download our free guide, 7 Things You MUST Know Before Designing A New Home.
* By using a few inexpensive energy efficiency measures you can reduce your energy bills by up to 50%. (https://epa.tas.gov.au/epa/air/air-quality-in-tasmania/reducing-air-pollution/make-your-home-energy-efficient)
^ Energy costs have gone up too, with a 2017 ACCC report showing household electricity costs have increased 63% in real terms during the last decade.
(https://www.choice.com.au/home-improvement/energy-saving/reducing-your-carbon-footprint/articles/how-to-spot-an-energy-efficient-home)
^^ Using double glazing can result in significant savings of 40 percent off energy bills for heating and cooling[5].(www.wpv.org.au/6star/docs/energy_efficient_glazing_glossary_of_terms.pdf)
^^^ https://pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/articles/does-it-pay-to-improve-your-home-s-efficiency