Browse Forums Heating, Cooling & Insulation 1 Jun 14, 2020 11:44 am Hi. We are building a new house in Ballarat. We will be installing double glaze windows. As standard we will install gas ducted heating and an evap air con system. We're uncertain if evap ac is a good option with double glazed as the windows need to be open for the system to function properly. As we will be one of the first builds on this block we are also concerned about the evap sucking in dusts and smells from the nearby construction sites. Anyone have any experience with this or any advice? Re: Heating colling options for new build 2Jun 29, 2020 7:59 pm Gas ducted heating is the one that's not a good idea (& there's arguments for & against evap cooling). Reverse cycle air conditioning (called heat pumps overseas) is now the cheapest way to heat a home, as these appliances become more efficient, & the price of gas rises. If you're on Facebook I'd recommend joining the My Efficient Electric Home (MEEH) group. LOTS of people on the removing had from their homes, for both financial & environmental reasons. You're at an advantage, you don't have to replace has appliances with electric equivalents. You just have to buy those electric appliances. Gas is starting to be phased out. The ACT is considering banning it from New developments. So I'd aim for an all-electric home. Reverse cycle heating (& used for cooling if required). Electric hot water (either a heat pump or standard electric element), & induction cooking (which many people rave about). Removing gas from your build should have on building costs, usage costs for gas, but also that daily service fee, which adds up to hundreds & hundreds of dollars a year. Top this off with a large solar PV system, to power your home. Solar PV is about the best investment you can make. Usually paying itself off in 3-4 years, saving lots of money each year. Make sure your roof is designed to accommodate solar PV. A large north facing roof is possible. West is also good, especially for the afternoon peak period, east isn't too bad either. Generally Aussie hip & valley roofs aren't great for solar, little triangles everywhere. Evap uses far less electricity than refrigerated AC, but isn't very effective unless you're in a dry climate. Also ducts can leak heat in winter, so should be covered. Standard uninsulated double brick has an R value of around 0.7. An insulated standard 90mm stud timber frame can have an R value of around 2.7. Even if you insulate a… 17 12136 Hi there, I'm a conplete newbie to this, but I'm looking to put a floor down in my 6x9m shed. It's currently sitting on a 100mm thick concrete perimeter (dirt floor… 0 6572 Howdy all. I am looking for feedback on what people would do to maximise and make an area as flat as possible. First, out the front of the house is a sloping hill, pretty… 0 20283 |