CHAMPIONS OF INNOVATIVE SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGY
ECOVISION'S 7 STEPS TO SUSTAINABILITY
At Ecovision Passive Solar design is at the heart of every build we do. Passive solar is a design principal that takes advantage of the location and climate of your site in order to maintain a more comfortable temperature range for your home all year round and to minimize energy costs for heating and cooling. Generally passive solar design maximises northern light for winter warmth, protects from the harshest of the western and eastern summer sun, and minimizes loss of heat from the southern side. It also takes into account natural shading.
Insulation acts as a barrier to heat flow within your home and is essential for keeping you warm in winter and cool in summer. The West Australian climate can be harsh, especially in the summer months. Insulating cavity brick walls, timber stud frames, double insulating roofs, sealing of all doors and double-glazing windows all contribute to creating a thermal envelope around your home like an 'esky'. This step will protect the structure from the WA climate and help keep you comfortable and less reliant on expensive heating and cooling, regardless of the conditions outside.
Ventilation is a great way to cool your home with minimal cost. We do this by designing your home with “breezepaths” that captures cooling breezes and directs them through your home. Additionally the inclusion of ceiling fans can significantly lower the temperature in your home and eliminate the need for air conditioning, except for the few summer days of extreme temperatures. Did you know that a fan airspeed of just 0.5m per second equates to a 3 degree drop in temperature at a relative humidity of 50%?
According to the Department of the Environment and Energy website, Australian households are directly responsible for one-fifth of Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions. Reducing your home’s reliance on greenhouse gas emitting energy supply while installing renewable energy technologies are both effective ways to reduce emissions. At Ecovision we focus on choosing energy efficient lighting and appliances as well as building every home to be solar PV and solar battery ready. We also encourage the use of energy monitoring systems so that you can see where excess energy is being used in your home.
Western Australia's water supply is under increasing pressure. It's vital that we all take responsibility on water conservation. Installing rainwater capture tanks, storm water and grey water systems can reduce your water bills and provide an alternative supply during water restrictions. Water saving tap fixtures and water wise gardens can significantly reduce your water usage and reliance on mains supply. At Ecovision all these measures are factored in to our initial design to increase the water sustainability of your home and reduce your impact on the environment.
Choosing the type of building materials we use, where they come from, how they are manufactured or recycled and what happens to the waste that is left behind are all key components to reducing the carbon footprint of each build. At Ecovision, where possible, we are committed to using low embodied energy materials, locally sourced materials (reducing transport costs), using materials with a high recycled component and employing waste management strategies that minimize or eliminate waste going into land fill.
Every Ecovision home is a place that our clients will eventually call their home and we are conscious of the 'bio-compatibility' or healthiness of the materials we use. Although the knowledge of toxicity of materials is only developing, we encourage and promote low toxicity materials in every stage of the building process. This is key to providing our clients with a house that is low allergen and free from any potentially harmful materials. Additionally, we endeavor to design homes around the people who live in them and encourage our clients to not only live in their homes but with their homes, creating light and bright spaces that instill a sense of peace and harmony. We also encourage our clients to develop and interact with their green spaces such as creating organic vegetable gardens to connect them with their earth and further increase the sustainability of the home.
As the world experiences rising temperatures and more severe weather patterns, it is becoming increasingly important for people to adapt their living spaces to cope with the changing climate. In Western Australia, for example, residents often face higher energy bills due to the need to keep their homes comfortable during hot summers and cold winter months. However, by following Ecovision's 7 steps for sustainable building, it is possible to create homes that are both energy-efficient and comfortable to live in year-round.
To find out more about how we would incorporate these 7 steps in the home we build for you...
