How to Increase Energy Efficiency

Energy efficiency is at the core of sustainable building practices. The ideal goal in many people's eyes is to achieve a house that can generate all the energy it needs for it's inhabitants. This is achieved by taking energy efficiency measures including a combination of generating energy through renewable means such as wind and solar, and also by reducing the amount of energy being used.

Whilst the idea of a home that is not dependent on the national grid for power sounds great, for most homes it's not realistic or cost effective. However a more realistic goal is to increase energy efficiency in the home and thereby reduce the amount of energy being consumed, and to supplement the national energy supply with solar panels, solar hot water and in some cases wind turbines.

So what steps can we take to reduce our energy consumption?

There are numerous ways to reduce energy use without having to make any changes or renovations to the house. These include using energy saving light bulbs, unplugging appliances with standby functions, taking shorter showers and turning off lights and other electrical appliances when not in use.

However, we need to look at the largest users of electricity in the home. These are space heating and hot water heating.

• Hot water cylinders should be insulated, and the first 3 meters of piping should be lagged.


• Where possible, the hot water cylinder should be positioned as close as possible to the kitchen. This is where short bursts of hot water are most often used.


• Where possible, install insulation in the ceiling and under the floor. For existing homes, retro fitting insulation into the walls is often difficult and costly. However the most heat is lost through the roof, so you should focus your attention there.


• During the design stage, plan your house to maximise window size on the northern aspects (for southern hemisphere) and minimise window size on southerly aspects.


• Install double glazed windows with thermally broken frames to reduce heat loss through the window system. However you should still allow for controllable passive ventilation to remove moisture from the air. Remember it's easier and cheaper to heat fresh dry air. The balance between heating, ventilation and insulation is important, but all three need to be working together to ensure a healthy indoor environment.