Passive design reduces or eliminates the need for auxiliary heating or cooling, which accounts for about 40% (or much more in some climates) of energy use in the average Australian home.The importance of passive design cannot be overstated. This can easily be fixed by …

However, they can be a major source of unwanted heat gain in summer and heat loss in winter. Read this article in conjunction with Design for climate, Passive solar heating and Passive cooling.Shading of your house and outdoor spaces reduces summer temperatures, improves comfort and saves energy. By calculating sun angles for your location, and considering climate and house orientation, you can use shading to maximise thermal comfort.Passive solar heating is the least expensive way to heat your home. The aperture(s) should face within 30 degrees of true south and should not be shaded by other buildings or trees from 9a.m. Choose a designer who is experienced in passive design for your climate and consider engaging a thermal performance expert to model different design options using thermal performance software.Good passive design is critical to achieving a lifetime of thermal comfort, low energy bills and low greenhouse gas emissions.Good passive design ensures that the occupants remain thermally comfortable with minimal auxiliary heating or cooling in the climate where they are built.

For example, if bulk insulation is compressed, so are the air pockets within it that provide the insulation and it doesn’t work effectively; neither does foil insulation if it is installed without an adjacent air gap. 2. This is where you can capture the warm winter rays inside your home, naturally heating it. Your home is thus more comfortable to live in and cheaper to run. Passive solar heating is the least expensive way to heat your home. Passive cooling design techniques can be applied to new homes as well as renovations, across a range of different climate zones. This can be achieved as the sun is lower in the sky over winter, allowing the sun’s rays to penetrate deeply into your home, especially on the north-facing facade, as is the case in this abode. The passive solar design principles most applicable to Australia are those which reduce winter heating requirements without leading to summer discomfort. Traditional residential dwellings in Southern China and Ancient Greece were said to consider factors such as solar orientation, thermal mass and ventilation. Australia has eight different climate zones and, as such, architecture should not be generic but designed to suit each zone. Shading of glass to reduce unwanted heat gain is critical, as unprotected glass is often the greatest source of heat gain in a house. The more extreme your climate, the more beneficial sealing is, with the exception of naturally ventilated homes in the tropics. 7 Everyday Steps to an Environmentally Friendly Home5 Secrets to Running Your Home Appliances More EfficientlyA Room-by-Room Guide to Reducing Plastics in Your HomeGoing Green: The 7 Best Eco-Friendly Building MaterialsStay Cool: 6 Ways to Boost Natural Ventilation in Your HomeBest of the Week: 25 Eco Homes You'll Want to EmulateMany Happy Returns: How to Host a Plastic-Free ChristmasGrowing Vegetables? Although this is most easily done during construction or renovation, in many circumstances thermal mass can also be retrofitted.Glazed windows and doors bring in light and fresh air and offer views that connect interior living spaces with the outdoors. In Australia we use Solar Passive Design principles. Put simply, design for passive solar heating keeps out summer sun and lets in winter sun while ensuring that the building envelope keeps that heat inside in winter and allows any built up heat to escape in summer. Utilitarian spaces not benefiting from passive heating have been positioned to the south including bathrooms and the laundry. As sealing your home and increasing insulation levels can also create condensation and indoor air quality problems, this article explains how condensation works, which climates present the greatest condensation risk and how you can limit its impact.Insulation acts as a barrier to heat flow and is essential for keeping your home warm in winter and cool in summer. Use the Window Energy Rating Scheme (WERS), which rates the energy and energy-related performance of different window products.Up to 40% of a home’s heating energy can be lost and up to 87% of its heat gained through glazing.Skylights can make a major contribution to energy efficiency and comfort.

For example, in all but tropical climates living areas would ideally face north, or as close to north as possible, allowing maximum exposure to the sun, and easy shading of walls and windows in summer.

In the summer, however, there would be a lot of overheating.