The Ultimate Guide to Eco-Friendly Home Renovations in the Northern Beaches
As a resident of the Northern Beaches, chances are you understand exactly how important it is to protect our fragile environment. From the beaches that line the coast from Manly to Palm Beach to the acres of National Park in our region, we’re intimately connected to the Australian environment.
That’s why many of Above Building’s clients are determined to ensure their home renovations are eco-friendly (the fact that many sustainable renovations also reduce your energy bills and increase the value of your home is a welcome bonus too).
In this article, we’ll discuss some of the best eco-friendly renovations you can carry out, no matter the age of your property.
Insulate your home
One of the criticisms of Australian homes is that they are insufficiently insulated (and sometimes have no insulation at all). In winter, this means heat is easily lost – up to 25–35% of an uninsulated home's warmth – making it more expensive to heat our home. Conversely, in summer, the lack of insulation means our homes become even warmer – meaning you need to crank the air con just as hard to keep cool!
Installing insulation makes a huge difference to your home’s ability to manage heat, and will significantly reduce your electricity bill. Insulation can be installed in all parts of the home's envelope:
under the roofing material
in the ceiling between the joists
under verandah roofs in hot climates
in bulkheads
on the inside or outside of solid walls, within stud frames or brick cavities
on the underside of suspended floors, or insulation board can be installed under floor coverings where the sub-floor is not accessible.
If you’re going as far as a knockdown rebuild, you can also consider installing a thermal wrap and/or a vapour-permeable barrier around the frame to further reduce the heat gain/loss of a home.
Install double-glazed doors and windows
Replacing your windows and glass doors with double glazed versions is a fantastic way to improve the comfort and energy efficiency of your home.
Double-glazed windows and doors are made from two panes of glass that are separated by a layer of air or gas and then sealed. The gap between the layers acts as insulation by reducing conduction – providing a highly effective barrier against outside temperatures.
To further improve the energy efficiency of your windows, you can also install thermally broken window and door frames. Thermally broken window and door systems separate the external and internal frame using a non-metallic or plastic material, minimising the transfer of cool air that occurs through standard aluminium windows and door frames.
Install solar panels (and a battery)
One of the most common (and visible) eco-friendly renovations is the installation of solar panels. A solar power system consists of photovoltaic (PV) panels, an inverter and the wiring to connect them to each other and to the mains power. The PV panels generate DC (direct current) electricity from sunlight and the inverter converts the DC power into usable AC (alternating current) power – which you either use at home during the day or feed back into the grid in return for a credit on your electricity bill.
Batteries are increasingly popular elements of solar power systems too. These store the energy generated by your rooftop panels during the day for use whenever you want. However, battery technology is expensive, so you’ll need to assess whether the cost of the battery outweighs the savings you’ll make on your power bill before investing in one.
Choose more efficient appliances
If you’re renovating your kitchen, bathroom and/or other rooms, an eco-friendly ‘quick win’ is choosing energy efficient or water efficient fittings and appliances, such as:
Dishwashers
Fridge-freezers
Washing machines and dryers
Mixer taps
Shower heads
LED downlights
You can check water efficiency ratings at www.waterrating.gov.au/choose/water-rating-label and energy efficiency at https://www.energy.gov.au/households/energy-rating.
Say goodbye to gas
If you’re serious about an eco-friendly renovation, you should seriously consider replacing gas appliances and infrastructure like hot water tanks, ovens and stovetops.
Extracting and burning gas creates greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change: cooking with gas is estimated to be responsible for up to 12% of childhood asthma in Australia.
There are many options to replace gas appliances nowadays, including:
Solar hot water
Heat pump hot water
Electric hot water
Electric ovens and stovetops
Convection ovens and stovetops.
Use upcycled and recycled materials
Another great way to maximise the sustainability of your renovation – and add a unique character to you home – is to use recycled, upcycled or otherwise sustainably produced materials. This could include:
salvaged materials (e.g. timber, stone)
long-lived materials (brick, timber, stone, earth, steel, cement fibre)
materials with high recycled content (straw, compressed straw with kraft paper faces)
materials with low toxicity (including paints that are low in toxic volatile organic compounds)
Recyclable materials
sustainably harvested or mined materials (e.g. timber from certifiably managed forests).
Consider passivhaus design
Finally, if you’re undertaking structural renovations like an extension or a second storey, or a knockdown rebuild, consider passive design principles (also known as passivhaus) during the design and drafting process.
Passive design uses the site and the local climate to create a building that makes the best use of sunlight, shade and natural ventilation naturally maintains a comfortable temperature range – potentially reducing your energy costs by as much as 40%. Key passive design principles include:
Installing windows to the north to capture winter sun, and using shading and eaves to prevent direct hot summer sunlight hitting north-facing window glazing.
Removing or shading west-facing windows to avoid low-angled, hot afternoon sunshine in summer.
Opening up ventilation passageways with louvres and openable windows through the house to take advantage of prevailing breezes.
Using convection (hot air rising) to push hot air up and out of openings in the top of the house in summer.
Choosing flooring and internal wall options with high thermal mass to soak up heat to regulate room temperatures.
Moving living spaces to the north side with north-facing windows (with eaves for protection in summer).
Adding internal doors to section off heated and air-conditioned areas.
Reducing window-to-floor area ratios (walls are far better insulators).
Insulating the whole shell of the house – floor, ceiling, roof and walls.
Above Building are the Northern Beaches’ eco-friendly renovation experts. All our projects – whether interior renovations, extensions, additions, granny flat construction or knockdown rebuilds – prioritise eco-friendly practices and include eco-friendly options to ensure that we minimise any harm to the environment. To discuss your eco-friendly renovation ideas, contact us today!