Connie Cao is a passionate gardener (who’s gained greater than 90,000 Instagram followers for her inspiring gardening content material) and has additionally studied permaculture design and a sustainable residing diploma.
That’s why she and her husband have at all times taken a sustainable strategy to bettering their Melbourne house since buying it about six years in the past.
‘Our gasoline sizzling water system broke down a few years in the past, and the simple route would have been to exchange it with a brand new gasoline sizzling water system on the identical day,’ Connie says.
‘However I had at all times wished to slowly get off gasoline for our house, so made us spend two weeks with out sizzling water in order that I might analysis the extra environment friendly electrical warmth pump methods — throughout that point, we used a watering can and kettle for warm water!’
We joined power advisor Tim Forcey for a complete session of Connie’s home beneath, and there’s loads of sensible recommendation you’ll be able to apply to your personal house too.
Sizzling water system
Tim says Connie’s sacrifice of chilly showers whereas discovering the proper electrical warmth pump sizzling water unit was price it, noting that the Sanden model she chosen creates a few of the best items. ‘These kinds of sizzling water methods are 5 instances extra environment friendly than a gasoline sizzling water system — costing no multiple third of the price of utilizing gasoline.’
Connie says making the swap to the warmth pump hasn’t impacted her electrical energy invoice in any respect, and it’s considerably saved cash on her gasoline invoice.
Heating and cooling
Impressed by a few of the info she’s discovered from being in Tim’s Fb group, Connie has additionally stopped utilizing the house’s inefficient ducted gasoline heating and evaporative cooling methods. As a substitute, she’s put in 4 reverse-cycle air con items: there’s now one in the primary bed room, the eating room, the lounge and the house workplace.
Her expertise with the items has been actually optimistic, however the one situation is that the warmth within the room typically feels ‘patchy’. Tim says that is probably a results of warmth leaking out of the room, which might be improved by higher insulating, higher glazing, and draft proofing.
Draught proofing and insulation
One of many first issues Connie and her husband observed after shifting into the house was how draughty it felt. It turns on the market are lots of gaps throughout Connie’s home which can be permitting the warmth to flee, by way of the evaporative cooling vents within the ceiling; flooring vents from the disused gasoline ducted heating; pointless wall vents; the single-glazed home windows.
‘You may borrow a thermal imaging digicam from the native library to verify any chilly spots in your partitions, ceilings, and gaps within the insulation,’ Tim says.
He suggests decommissioning the ‘historical’ gasoline heating and getting the evaporative cooling taken out, because the unit itself is taking on treasured roof insulation area within the roof — which additionally wanted much more insulation to enhance warmth retention. And easily getting a plasterer to come back in and seal up these now pointless vents might reduce Connie’s heating invoice in half!
Photo voltaic
Connie’s house already has a photo voltaic system that helps cut back energy utilization in summer time, nevertheless it’s virtually 20 years previous and only one.5kW. ‘Lately a median system is about 10kW,’ Tim provides.
Tim recommends changing it with a brand new inverter and 10kW system, which might value about $9000 for a mid-range system. Connie can also be contemplating getting an electrical automotive, so a big system like this may be important down the observe. ‘Nobody each expresses remorse that their photo voltaic is just too huge’ Tim says! He recommends selecting the largest photo voltaic system you’ll be able to afford, as a result of it’s not cost-effective so as to add extra panels on later.
Tim recommends that Connie ought to begin the photo voltaic course of quickly, and take a look at getting it accomplished earlier than December if potential, as a result of authorities photo voltaic rebates are programmed to cut back yearly, and can ultimately disappear all collectively.
Cooking
‘My purpose for our house has at all times been to get off gasoline, and our gasoline range is definitely the final equipment on the listing — the vast majority of our gasoline invoice is solely the connection charge,’ Connie says.
Tim says there’s no draw back to swapping the cooktop out for an induction range, and disconnecting from gasoline will cease them paying ‘a greenback a day’ for one thing they aren’t utilizing. Then the home could have efficiently transitioned to being all-electric!
General evaluation
Tim estimates that Connie’s home could be sitting at round three or 4 stars on the Residential Effectivity Scorecard. The typical in Melbourne is about three stars, which interprets to heating, cooling, and sizzling water payments of round $1700 a 12 months.
But when Connie removes her gasoline connection, expands her photo voltaic PV system, improves the insulation and considerably draught proofs the house, the score might enhance to seven or eight stars — lowering her annual heating and cooling prices to simply $250!
Subsequent steps
Regardless of having already made strides in the direction of a extra energy-efficient house earlier than her seek the advice of with Tim, Connie says she now feels assured sealing up the gaps in her house to ‘enhance the thermal envelope of our home even additional’.
‘When it comes to bigger scale initiatives, it’ll be researching a similar-sized induction alternative for our cooktop and formally getting off gasoline!’
Momentum Vitality is 100% owned by Hydro Tasmania — Australia’s largest generator of renewable power. Discover out extra about signing as much as an power retailer that helps the transition to renewables.
Discover out extra about participating Tim Forcey for an power audit to your own residence right here. Tim’s first guide, My Environment friendly Electrical House Handbook can also be popping out later this 12 months and you’ll pre-order it on-line right here.
