2. Orientation
• A well orientated house has:
north facing daytime and living
areas; bedtime and utilities
facing south; the long axis of
the house running from east to
west; large windows on the
north side of the house to let
the sun in in winter, and large,
open lining areas.
• Our house is really well
orientated, with everything
mentioned earlier, so I wouldn’t
really change anything.
3. Insulation
• Insulation is material that
reduces heat loss or gain
through surfaces like
ceilings, walls and floors, which
reduces the need for air-
conditioning and heaters.
• It comes in many different
materials shapes and sizes.
Our house is already
insulated, but I would insulate
the walls, and use better
insulation, probably made of
cellulose fibre (made from
recycled newspapers), for the
ceiling.
4. Air-Conditioners
• There are three main types of Ways to Reduce A/C Use
A/C; refrigerative; geothermal; • A/C’s have star ratings, with more stars being
and evaporative. more efficient
• The recommended wattage is 125W/m2 for
• Ducted air-conditioners run living areas, and 80W/m2 for bedrooms
through the whole house. The • Double or triple glazing windows and using
blinds or curtains with pelmets reduces heat
best ducted systems are transfer
zoned, which means you can • Ceiling fans circulate the warm/cool air around
control which areas of the the room
• Always set the A/C as high s possible, preferably
house is air-conditioned. more than 25 C, as every degree lower add an
additional 10-15%to the costs
• Our house uses ducted
refrigerative A/C, but I would
use geothermal instead, with a
ceiling fan to circulate the air
6. Turning off lights you
no longer need is a
great way to save
energy Lighting
• There are several different • I would use LED globes because
types of light bulbs; mainly they are the most energy
incandescent globes, mains efficient
voltage halogens, low voltage • I would also replace our
halogens, Cell's (Compact halogen down lights with LED
Fluorescent Lamps), fluorescent ones
tubes and LED’s (Light Emitting
Diode)
8. Water Heating
• Water heating accounts for 25% of
household energy use 100
• Water heating units are best located 90
as close as possible to bathrooms 80
kitchens and laundries.
70
60
I would install a solar powered % of
heater because they have the least 50
Greenhouse
greenhouse gas emissions. 40 Gas
Gas boosted solar heating emits 30
Emissions
less greenhouse gases than
electric solar, so I would choose 20
this option. 10
0
Elec tric Elec tric Elec tric Gas Gas
Storage Heat Solar Storage Solar
Pump
9. Cooking Appliances
• Using microwaves instead of ovens is more energy efficient, as
microwaves use 75% less energy than ovens. Ovens also waste
90% of their energy.
• Using small appliances such as electric kettles, slow
cookers, toasters, electric fry pans, pressure cookers and deep
fryers saves energy, as they are smaller, and use less energy
We already have many of the
Using small appliances
above small appliances, but I instead of ovens and
would buy some electric stovetops is more
kettles and fry pans. energy efficient.
10. Fridges and Freezers
Do’s Don’ts
Keep in a cool, ventilated space, away from Open doors too often or for too long
heat sources
Leave space around the sides, top, and back Over-fill fresh food or freezer compartments
for air circulation
Regularly clean condenser coils Leave on when away for long periods
Check the door seals to prevent air leakage Have the fridge at less than 3 C or 5 C
Defrost the freezer when more than 75mm of Have the freezer at less than -18 C or more
frost has built up than -15 C
I would leave more
space around our
fridge for air
circulation
11. Home Entertainment
• Rear-projection units use • I would use a rear-projection
less energy than CRT’s unit television set instead of our
(Catho-Ray current television. We already
have a laptop rather than a
Tube), plasmas, or LCD’s.
desktop computer.
• Laptops are designed to use
less energy than
desktops, so they can be
away from a power unit for a
Turning electrical
long time.
appliances off at the wall
saves energy
13. Standby
Appliance Electricity used if left Cost if left on all year
on all year
Cordless phone 3W $6.57
Computer monitor 5W $10.95
DVD player 8W $17.52
TV 10W $21.90
Total 26W $56.94
I would buy a standby
controller, which turns
electrical devices off
automatically
15. Use the plug
when washing
Saving Water Indoors
hands
Using a washing
machine machine
Dual flush toilets with a full load saves
save 50% of 10L/wash The dishwasher uses
water per flush more water than the
sink
Put food scraps in in a
compost heap or
worm farm
Low-flow
showers save
Install water 11L/minute
efficient taps with Rinse fruits and
aerators vegetables in a half
full sink
16. Saving Water Outdoors
Don’t cut the
grass shorter Use grey water Use native plants-
than 2cm from the bathroom they are adapted to
to water the garden Perth conditions and
water
Group plants with Using lawn clippings as
similar watering mulch can reduce
needs together evaporation by up to
A watering can
70%
uses 3% of the
Use a drip water of hose on
Water the soil
irrigation system for 30 minutes
instead of the
leaves Remove weeds
Water plants early
Don’t hose hard Wash cars with or late in the day
surfaces buckets instead of
a hose
17. Rooftop Gardens
• Rooftop gardens insulate I would plant either vegetables and
ceilings, reduce the operating edible plants, or native shrubs. I
temperature of solar panels and would also plant a creeper
reduce the temperature of the where it can grow up a screen.
building. Under the creeper I would have
• As they transpire, the water a sofa, or a hanging egg-shaped
cools air temperature. The cold chair.
air drops down the side of the I would plant grass or grass-like
building, cooling it. plants around my solar panels,
to reduce their operating
temperature, without blocking
the sun.
18. Plants + Garden
• I would plant…
• Native trees
• Native shrubs
• Fruit trees
• I would have in my garden…
• A frog pond
• Bird nesting boxes
• Logs
• Other habitat building objects
• A fountain
• A compost heap or worm farm
• A ladder/staircase to reach the
rooftop garden
19. Cars
• Electric cars don’t emit toxic • I would have either an
gases into the air electric car or a hybrid
• They are very expensive and • They would be powered by
hard to find
electricity from my solar
• They use lots of electricity, but I panels
would have solar panels to
produce the necessary power
• Hybrids use electricity and
petrol motors to power a car
• They are cheaper and easier to
find than electric cars
20. Tune engine If idle for more
regularly than thirty
seconds, turn the
engine off
Driving Habits
Get rid of
Use cruise control excess weight
on a straight Inflate tyres Use the right
highway regularly motor oil
Replace
clogged air
filters Change oil
Remove roof
filters
racks Use high gears regularly
when possible Avoid peak
hour
Don’t slam
Be consistent and the brakes
Use high smooth with the
quality fuel accelerator and
brake
21. Waste+Recycling
• Compost heaps and worm farms
decompose food scraps, which can
be used as compost for plants, and
are a great way to reduce waste.
• We use an urban composter, which
is pretty much a compost heap for
using indoors. It is a great way to
save space, and it has a lid so it
doesn’t stink the house up, although
when you open it to use on the
garden, it really stinks, so that’s
Dad’s job.
• I would have two or three of
these, so we could have them on a
constant rotation, with one being
filled up, one decomposing, and
maybe another one finishing
decomposing/being used.
22. Bibliography
• South Australian Government (2011) Water, energy and environment -
Government of South Australia 19/8/2012
http://www.sa.gov.au/subject/water%2C+energy+and+environment
• Government of South Australia (2011) Saving Water | Water for Good
20/8/2012 http://www.waterforgood.sa.gov.au/using-water/saving-
water/
• Molloy, M. (2010) A Growing Trend G Magazine (Issue 24,
January/February 2010) 42-46
• Thompson, J. (2010) Cool Change G Magazine (Issue 24,
January/February 2010) 48-50
• Barry, C. (2010) Eco Challenge G Magazine (Issue 24,
January/February 2010) 56-58
• Mason, P. (2008) Environmental Footprints: How Big is Your Water
Footprint?, MacMillan Education Australia Pty Ltd
