Home Improvement - Renovation Tips You Can Use to Improve Your Existing Home

[Natasha Kennedy]

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

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