Sustainable Design.
Value it.
We live in a beautiful part of the world with mountains, lakes, rivers, rain forests, wetlands and oceans all within reach of where we live. We need to value our assets by looking after them. Part of that process is making our homes as sustainable as possible!
We have the Technology!
The windows and doors of a house are the weakest links in energy efficiency. There are now more and more manufacturers that are making or importing higher quality airtight windows and doors. These can make a huge difference to the energy efficiency of your residence.
The window pictured is an example of the glazing being used in colder climates, triple glazed, non conductive glass spacers,aluminium cladding extenally and timber inside to minimize thermal transfer.
Care in the contruction stage also creates a big difference in the energy efficiency of the building. Making sure the builders seal all gaps and cracks reduces the the air and heat leakage which can be a big loss factor.
Passive House
“Passive House is a holistic construction certification standard, allowing Certified Passive House professionals flexibility to determine the most suitable building geometry based on usage and location. Passive buildings are thus comprised of a set of design principles used to attain a quantifiable and rigorous level of energy efficiency within a specific quantifiable comfort level under a “fabric first” design philosophy. To that end, a Passive House building is designed and built in accordance with five building-science principles:”
Costs
Passive Design has been around for centuries as we have always known the value of letting in winter sun and excluding summer sun to maintain our comfort.
In the past smaller windows were also used to limit heat escape in cooler climates.
The Passivhaus standard has created a methodology and system for calculating and implementing a quantifiable energy usage for buildings.
The cost of implementing energy efficiency technologies to the maximum can be prohibitive, as the demand has not been there to bring costs down.
With good orientation and use of better windows and doors along with better insulation & sealing we can dramatically improve the energy efficiency and carbon footprint of our dwellings.
Contact us for how your new build can reduce your carbon footprint