NEWS / BLOG
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LATEST ARTICLES
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Glazing Properties and Solar Heat Transmittance
There are many types of window assemblies with a large variety of glazing types that can go into that assembly. While most designers opt for aesthetics, we at Energy Rating Perth, aim for the energy efficiency of the selected glazing as well as the cost implications. We urge our clients to be cautious when selecting the type of glazing as well as window assembly as it will determine the thermal performance of their home for years to come. Energy Rating Perth’s energy assessors go beyond simply giving you an energy rating for your home, we can also offer advice on how to improve your energy rating by selecting the appropriate glazing for your home. Windows are holes in the building envelope that allow the most heat exchange therefore they must be chosen with care for the optimum energy rating and thermal performance. The thermal performance of glazing is mainly determined by three variables; U-Value: This is the rate of solar heat transmittance through the glazing. It is denoted by a number between 0 an1. The lower the U-Value, the better the glazing performs in
Help reduce carbon pollution!
At Energy Rating Perth, we aim to educate our clients on how to reduce environmental pollution. Carbon dioxide, methane oil, fluorinated gases, and nitrous oxide are all causes of carbon pollution, which is the biggest contributor to climate change. 84% of carbon pollution is caused from carbon dioxide alone. These fuels are used on a daily basis by the majority of all people within Australia just to complete simple tasks like cooking, driving, temperature control in our homes and using the TV and internet. See some recommendations below from our energy assessors on how to help your environment: As mentioned previously, carbon dioxide is the leading contributor to the pollution problem we face. So it’s as simple as reducing your driving time to minimal. Start by working out your route to create a shorter trip, don’t idle your car when waiting for passengers and walk as much as you can. It’s better for your body and the environment. If possible, find a job closer to your home or a job within biking distance. Replace your older style incandescent bulbs with newer model fluorescent or
Condensation. Causes and prevention?
Older buildings which may have a poor design or craftsmanship, with inadequate insulation, can result in a faulty building envelope that does not perform well with today’s energy efficiency requirements. Even for newer builds, most of our clients at Energy Rating Perth feel like once they have achieved a 6 Star energy rating, their building will now be energy efficient, have an optimum thermal performance and give save them thousands of dollars for years to come. While a 6 Star rating is a minimum requirement it is not a guarantee for energy efficiency, as the efficacy of the construction practice is the ultimate deciding factor. Our energy assessors urge our clients at Energy Rating Perth to ensure they avoid poor construction practices that result in building defects which are both expensive and cumbersome to correct. One such building defect is condensation which occurs when warm air carrying moisture comes in contact with a cooler surface, the water vapour leaves the air and condenses as mist or droplets on the cold surface. We breathe out moisture into our environment and activities like cooking, showering, and
Worldwide Energy Efficiency Benefits
Our energy assessors at Energy Rating Perth constantly talk about the benefits of adopting energy efficient methods to save within the home and office environment and on your electricity bills, but it goes beyond just your personal home benefits. Worldwide advancements and the push for a greener environment are happening on a daily basis. So let’s talk about the benefits energy efficiency methods are producing worldwide. Obviously the biggest advantage is the effect on the environment. Studies have shown that there is a 56% less energy use per year within the US and a decrease of 1.1 gigatons of greenhouse gas emissions annually in the recent years. Another clear winner is the financials, with the economy saving over $500 billion a year due to converting to energy efficient systems and methods. With the advancement of technology and the use of energy efficient systems being installed this is helping our ever struggling job market, with hundreds of thousands of jobs being created within the industry to keep up with the growing trend. Many are taking the step towards simple methods to make our homes and
What is the building envelope? How does it affect your energy star rating?
Energy assessors usually take common terms we use every day for granted when explaining the energy star rating to our clients at Energy Rating Perth. One such term is building envelope which is used often enough but rarely ever understood. The building envelope is a shell that encapsulates an interior conditioned space. It is made up of walls and windows, floor, ceiling and roof space. Heat transfers occur through this building envelope to its exterior surroundings through conduction, convection and radiation. Energy efficient homes/buildings have a building envelope that can maintain an internal temperature within a thermal comfort zone. The energy assessment process takes into account the efficiency of the thermal envelope when giving it a rating on the energy stars spectrum. In doing so, an assessor will be entering the following variables into the assessment software and making appropriate recommendations on that basis to improve thermal performance of the building envelope: The walls, roofs and ceiling are appropriately insulated. The glazing area in comparison to the wall area The type of glazing and assemblies being used Colour and type of
A makeover for your solar panels!
Our energy assessors at Energy Rating Perth are constantly furthering their research into the advancements of energy technology and today they look into something quite astonishing. What would you say if you were told you could give your solar panels a makeover? Don’t like the look of the big board’s laying across your home roof, well now there’s a resolution for that. Introducing “Solar Skins”, a new development that became available to residential homes in 2016 that can make your solar panels aesthetically pleasing. Produced by 2 gentlemen, they one day asked themselves "What would the world look like if solar energy were truly beautiful?" and from then on, they set out to create something amazing. This production is a form of material that can be printed with any design and is applied to the solar panel like a layer of clothing. You could even have your face applied to the material and put it on your roof! What is best about this is it doesn’t affect the efficiency in any way. It is an extremely lightweight material which still allows complete light filtration.
QUALITY GUARANTEE
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At Energy Rating Perth, we aim to provide clients with every probable solution to help improve the thermal performance of their homes. A large number of clients at Energy Rating Perth might not recognise the importance of landscaping and the ability of your home to achieve thermal comfort. Trees can provide shading on the walls and windows, which can greatly improve the interior thermal comfort. However, just like the concept of eaves, we may not require shading on all sides all around the year. For this reason, deciduous trees can be planted towards the northern side so in the winters, they can allow full sunlight penetration while evergreen trees are preferable for the eastern and western facades. This can help in keeping your home cool in the hot summers by providing shade and avoid unnecessary solar heat gain. In colder climates, trees can also limit the harsh cold air from penetrating into the building by acting as a barrier. In hot/humid or even moderate climates, this may be a limiting factor therefore, when choosing trees, they should be ones that allow air movement through the foliage.
Other than trees, there are smaller shrubs that are strategically placed can also cool the breeze before it enters into the building through evapotranspiration. Other landscape features water bodies also help in creating a cooling effect due to evaporation. The process can be speeded up by using a water spray in a fountain particularly into a summer breeze path. This is not recommended for climates with high humidity throughout the air as it may actually increase the humidity thus affecting the overall thermal comfort of the home.
Our energy assessors take into account a range of information when they are completing a 6 star energy rating assessment and may at times give recommendations that seem trivial but can add greatly to the energy efficiency of your home. Strategic selection as well as plantation of vegetation should be considered as a solution and site featured trees should be preserved rather than removed.
Call our team at Energy Rating Perth for more information today!
OFFICE LINE
1.800.555.6789
EMERGENCY
1.800.555.0000
WORKING HOURS
9:00am – 6:00pm
OFFICE LINE
1.800.555.6789
EMERGENCY
1.800.555.0000
WORKING HOURS