2. ENERGY

This sheet relates to energy, its use and the monitoring of use in your home. Energy in the home often means electrical energy, but other things like gas or wood can be turned into energy too. Energy is getting much more expensive so protecting yourself against future price rises might be a very smart thing to do.

• Heating and cooling Questions:

  • trending_downQ1. COOLING

    Summer days can get pretty hot, particularly in the last few years records keep being broken. Can you design our house with nice cool breeze instead of an air conditioner?

  • import_exportQ2. CEILING FANS

    My aunt said that ceiling fans do not help to cool down a house. How effective are ceiling fans?

  • view_headlineQ3. FIREPLACES

    I really like open fires, they always look so cheery. Is having an open fire a good option for heating our house?

  • airplayQ4. AIR CON

    A friend of mine has a split system reverse cycle air conditioner and they say it keeps the house pretty warm but the bills are really huge, so big that sometimes even when it's cold they don't like switching it on ... I do not want to be in that position! What are the best options for heating in my climate?

  • starsQ5. HEATING

    Building a house costs an awful lot of money. Is there more money involved with the heating system itself or with the amount that I will pay for running it over its lifetime?

  
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• Water Heating Questions:

  • new_releasesQ6. HOT WATER

    It must be better to have instantaneous hot water heating than to use a big tank which heats up and keeps the water hot for when I need it, right? Which type of hot water system is best for me?

  • swap_horizQ7. HEAT PUMPS

    A friend of mine has a heat pump for his hot water and says it's great I don't even know what heat pump is! Are they expensive to buy? To Is that the kind of thing that will keep our bills down?

  • invert_colorsQ8. SOLAR HOT WATER

    The sun doesn’t shine at night. What is the best way of supplementing the water heating when the sun's not shining on the solar collectors?

  
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• Running Cost Questions:

  • inputQ9. APPLIANCES

    I know fridges don't use all that much power, but they are switching on and off every day of the year. I read somewhere that chest fridges + freezers are much more energy efficient than upright fridges and freezers. If I want a really low energy fridge what's the best thing to buy?

  • settings_overscanQ10. HOUSE SIZE

    I guess smaller houses are easier to keep cool in summer and warm in winter. Do you think I have to maximise the size of my house for resale?
    
    For more questions check out the Site+Size
    
    

  • picture_in_pictureQ11. BUILDING ZONING

    When the kids are out we really don't need to heat the whole house I suppose. What ideas do you have for how we can make our heating strategies really effective just for part of the house?

  • thumb_upQ12. COMFORT

    You have said that you can design really good low energy houses. Can you guarantee that I will be comfortable in this house no matter what?

  • power_settings_newQ13. POWER WASTAGE

    I have seen a newspaper report saying that standby power uses a surprising amount of a house's electricity. What ideas do you have for helping us to control and minimise the amount of standby power our house uses?

  
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• The building itself Questions:

  • alarm_onQ14. MONITORING

    It's all well and good to have some nice appliances in our house but I really have no idea how much power our house is using from moment to moment. Then I get a big bill at the end of the quarter ... it's too hard to know what's going on! What can I do to get real time updates on how our house is performing?

  • storeQ15. PHOTOVOLTAICS

    I want to get a really large photovoltaic system. Do I not have to worry about the design of the house too much?

  • settings_overscanQ16. ROOF SIZE

    I have a family of four, we don’t want air-conditioning, but we do need a big fridge because my boys eat a-lot! We want to produce enough energy onsite to meet all our energy needs. What sort of roof area and costs are we talking about?
    
    For more questions check out the Site+Size
    
    

  • fast_forwardQ17. GREEN POWER

    I just want to make sure but I'm not contributing to global warming. Is it better to pay a little bit extra through my energy company or to get my own private solar panels?

  • storeQ18. SHADY ROOF

    My house has got some big trees around it which mean my solar panels will be in the shade for most of the day. My family really wants to have a “zero bill design” Is there anything I can do to still generate some on-site power?

  • open_withQ19. AIR TIGHTNESS

    We used to live in a really drafty house. It was always really hard to keep warm and the bills were really high. What ideas do you have for making sure our building is really well sealed so that all the heating gets used for my family and doesn't just leak to the outside?

  • shuffleQ20. GAS vs ELECTRICITY

    I think I read somewhere that gas has less carbon emissions than electricity. Does that mean all of my water heating and house heating should be gas?

  • not_interestedQ21. NO BILLS HOME

    Electricity and gas prices have been going up and up. We really want to have a zero bill house or at least a very low bill house. Roughly how much extra will I have to pay up front to be sure that I don't pay anything in energy bills?

  • warningQ22. CARBON EMISSIONS

    OK I understand that different fuels have different effects on the environment. What type of heating has the lowest amount of carbon output and would still heat my house?

  • swap_vertical_circleQ23. SYSTEM COSTS

    I want you to choose the right energy system for my house and I know that has a big effect on the running cost for years and years. How can I be sure that you have my month-to-month budget in mind when your fees are based on construction costs?

  
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