Building a new home or undertaking renovations? You should look at these ways to improve your homes efficiency.
Inti Construction is a local, Far North, NZ, building company led by Inti Jubermann a Licensed Building Practitioner with over 13 years of experience building in the Far North. From his experience we've put together a list of upgrades that improve the efficiency of your home. Whether it's keeping your home warmer in winter or cooler in summer these upgrades can help!
Insulation in the walls, roof and under the floor of your home is a must
The 'winter-less Far North' is quite a misleading saying and may have assisted in the majority of homes here being under insulated.
Insulation in your home produces a thermal barrier keeping your home at a more comfortable temperature. Ideally your home is well insulated all over, in the roof, floors and walls, keeping your home cooler in the summer by blocking out heat and warmer in the winter by maintaining warmer air in.
Types of insulation vary and so does their effectiveness but some insulation is better than none.
If your home is well insulated the next area where it will be affected by the outside elements, albeit winter chills or summer heat, is the windows.
Double glazed windows go farther in keeping your home comfortable
Traditionally in NZ single glazed windows were used. Often single glazed windows were paired with curtains to help stop heat loss in winter and block out the sun and heat in summer.
While curtains are helpful having double glazed windows is ideal. Double glazing goes farther to stop the passive heat exchange from inside to out and vice versa. Double glazing provides your windows with more of a barrier to the outside elements and therefore keeps the ambient temperature in your home more constant, leaving you more comfortable.
Ceiling/ heat exchanging ducting units are perfect for a better distribution of your home's desired temperature
Ducting helps keep a more even temperature throughout your home, by distributing air evenly. Prior to any ducting you may notice cool rooms in your home, even when you have your fireplace cranking, the hot air never seems to reach everywhere and doesn't distribute evenly. You may have a very warm area in the room your fireplace is in and still have a chilly room in another, farther away, part of the house.
A Ducting unit works by transferring the warm air produced by a fire place, in this example, to the cooler areas of your home by way of insulated vents in your ceiling.
Ducting can also be beneficial in the warmer months as well, moving cooler air around your home to create a more comfortable and consistent temperature.
Extractor fans for the bathroom, kitchen and laundry to draw out moisture are essential for a drier more efficient home
The use of extractor fans is vital in expelling moisture in your homes high moisture areas. Extractor fans go a long way in keeping your home drier, in areas prone to dampness. A drier home is easier to heat and less likely to foster mould and mildew making extractor fans a great addition to your more efficient home.
If you are thinking of renovating or building a new home the addition of extractor fans in the bathroom, kitchen and laundry rooms are all great places to draw out moisture!
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