thisplace.com.au - Energy Efficient House Models

The Snug House

The snug house is a lightweight house ( timber - clad or brick veneer clad ) which relies on being well insulated to achieve comfort levels and minimise energy consumption.

This design concept can apply to places in cool climates such as Canberra, Hobart and Melbourne, and to temperate areas such as Sydney, Perth and Adelaide.

Timber frame housing is a popular construction method in the cool to temperate regions of Europe and North and South America, with fine building examples found in very cold climates of Scandinavia and Canada, so there is no reason why it should not work just as well in the cooler parts of Australia

In addition to being well insulated, it is important for a Snug House to be well sealed. Today's highly efficient door and window seals make this objective east to attain.

A well-insulated, well-sealed lightweight house will respond more quickly to heating or cooling than a heavyweight structure, generally achieving comfort conditions with a lower input of energy

The Naturally Ventilated House

The snug house is not an ideal model for the hot, humid tropics, although at least it will not store heat in its structure to fight against the use of air conditioning.

The Naturally Ventilated House is a more appropriate model for the hot, humid climates of places such as Brisbane and Darwin. Again, lightweight construction is preferred, with an open design for natural ventilation.

This is not say that a Naturally Ventilated House must stay open all the time, or that air conditioning cannot be used.

It simply means that the house should be designed to take advantage of cool breezes at night, and when the weather changes. If the house is designed to be opened at these times, and is built from lightweight materials, it will cool down rapidly. Again, heat stored in the walls and floors is not fighting against natural cooling.

In many circumstances, ceiling fans will improve comfort conditions in tropical climates, without the need to use air conditioning. At other times, air conditioning may be required to provide relief.

The aim is not to eliminate the use of heating and cooling appliances, but to eliminate the need for them.

This is not to say that a Naturally Ventilated House must stay open all of the time, or that air conditioning cannot be used.

It simply means that the house should be designed to take advantages of cool breezes at night, and when the weather changes. If the house is designed to be open at these times, and it is built from lightweight materials, it will cool down rapidly. Again, heat stored in the walls and floors is not fighting against natural cooling.

In many circumstances, ceiling fans will improve comfort conditions in tropical climates, without the need to use air conditioning. At other times, air conditioning may be required to provide relief.

The aim is not to eliminate the use of heating and cooling appliances, but to minimise the need for them.

The Solar House

Under ideal conditions, building elements with high thermal mass, such as concrete slab floors and masonry walls, store heat on sunny winter days and re-radiate it at night. During summer, the theory is that the thermal capacity of the house will act to absorb heat, keeping indoor conditions cooler.

In fact, even if the ideal scenario of correct orientation, large windows and absorbent (uncarpeted) floors can be achieved, the thermal mass model will not work in all climatic regions of Australia, or for all modes of heating and cooling.

An important factor in considering the appropriate type of construction for a particular climatic zone is the daily temperature range. Under some temperature conditions, particularly where the daily temperature range is high, heavyweight construction can even out the peaks in outdoor temperatures.

However, the characteristic of heavyweight construction which provides cool conditions indoors during a hot day ( thermal lag ) still operates at night, and may result in unfavourably high temperatures indoors when it might be mild or cool ( but not cold ) outdoors.

Sometimes heavyweight and lightweight construction can be combined. For example, in the hot arid zone of Central Australia, where the summer climate consists of predominantly hot days and cool nights, it would be beneficial to construct heavyweight living quarters and lightweight sleeping quarters.

The heavyweight living quarters will be relatively slow to heat up during the day, but will lose their heat during the cool night, while the sleeping quarters will cool quickly at night, but will be hot during the day.

Zones where the types of building should be considered

Source: Timber Research and Development Advisory Council of Queensland fact sheet