What is the Difference Between a 7 Star Energy Rated Home and a Sustainable Home
While sustainable homes and 7-star energy efficient homes overlap in promoting eco-friendliness and energy efficiency, a sustainable home encompasses broader environmental considerations beyond energy efficiency alone. Read on to learn the difference between a 7-star energy rated home versus a sustainable home.
Sustainable Homes Explained
A sustainable home is environmentally-friendly and aims to minimise its impact on the environment. There are various things a custom home builder in Ocean Grove like Live Green Homes looks at when building a sustainable home.
Home Design & Orientation
By working with the orientation and fall of the land, your custom home builder minimise the impact on the natural environment while maximising the passive heating and cooling elements. This provides a home that is comfortable all year round, requiring less artificial heating and cooling.
Passive home heating and cooling methods that can be used are:
Utilising the sun in winter allows us to naturally heat the home.
Adding eaves or open pergolas provides cooling shade in summer.
Natural crossflow ventilation and window functionality can provide another natural way to heat and cool your home.
All Abilities Access Design
Designing a sustainable home that allows you to transition with your family over the long term, reduces the need for expensive upgrades or alterations down the track. Examples of an all abilities access design can include:
the use of level entries
recessed frames to external doors
wider hallways allows for accessibility
Sustainably Sourced Building Materials
Choosing materials that are sustainably sourced or manufactured in a sustainable manner contributes to the overall sustainability of your custom home. From the external cladding, bricks and roof materials, through to internal flooring, cabinetry, tiles, fixtures and light fittings, there are many sustainable options to choose from. Choosing a product that is durable and requires less maintenance is better for the environment as it reduces the need for replacement. Not to mention you spend less time maintaining it over the years.
Most suppliers have information on their website around their sustainability and carbon footprint, so it is easier to make the right choice. Live Green Homes chooses Weathertex as our supplier for all external cladding as they are made from Australian hardwood, have no nasty chemicals and have less than zero carbon footprint.
At Live Green Homes, we are proud to work with local suppliers across Geelong, the Bellarine and Surf Coast to source sustainable materials.
Construction Process
Emphasising sustainability and durability during design and material selection ensures long-term environmental benefits.
Insulation plays a crucial role in maintaining optimal indoor temperatures year-round. Therefore, it’s important to ensure insulation is installed to 100% of the walls and roof space with no gaps. At Live Green Homes, we use Californian Junctions in every custom home build to guarantee thorough insulation distribution throughout your entire home.
Additionally, having a ventilated cavity between the walls and external cladding is very important for airflow. This allows any moisture or condensation to quickly dry out. Not only does a ventilated cavity help with the energy performance of your custom home it contributes to the longevity too!
7-star Energy Rated Homes
The 7 Star Energy rating for new homes under the National Construction Code 2022 focuses on increasing the energy efficiency of homes being built, which in turn reduces the cost of living for the household.
Main areas crucial in achieving the 7 Star Energy rating can include:
Home Orientation
In Victoria, ideally your home’s living space would face North, to utilise the sun in winter to heat the home naturally. Adding eaves or open pergolas to north-facing areas also provides shade in summer to help cool the home naturally.
Building & Construction for Custom homes
Double glazing to all windows and doors will assist with the transfer of heat and cold from the outside, allowing the home to stay cooler in summer and warmer in winter.
Insulation rating to the slab, ceiling and external walls also assists with the heating, cooling and energy efficiency of the home.
Energy Efficient Appliances
Heat Pumps – the use of a good quality heat pump for heating water can save you up to 80% on hot water costs and is environmentally friendly.
All electric appliances – choosing all electric appliances such as induction cooktops, electric ovens and electric heating and cooling are more energy efficient and can be offset by the use of solar energy.
Rooftop Solar (PV) – installing a renewable energy source such as a rooftop solar system can offset your remaining energy usage and make provision for electric vehicle charging and solar battery installation.
At Live Green Homes, we prioritize both sustainability and energy efficiency, sourcing sustainable products and employing responsible building techniques to create healthier, more sustainable and passive homes for the future. Contact Live Green Homes for more information on 7-star energy requirements or building a sustainable custom home in Ocean Grove, Geelong, Surf Coast or surrounding regions. View our gallery of completed homes or read testimonials from our satisfied clients.