NEWS / BLOG

At Energy Rating Perth, we aim to provide clients with every probable solution to help improve the thermal performance of their homes.  A large number of clients at Energy Rating Perth might not recognise the importance of landscaping and the ability of your home to achieve thermal comfort. Trees can provide shading on the walls and windows, which can greatly improve the interior thermal comfort. However, just like the concept of eaves, we may not require shading on all sides all around the year. For this reason, deciduous trees can be planted towards the northern side so in the winters, they can allow full sunlight penetration while evergreen trees are preferable for the eastern and western facades. This can help in keeping your home cool in the hot summers by providing shade and avoid unnecessary solar heat gain. In colder climates, trees can also limit the harsh cold air from penetrating into the building by acting as a barrier. In hot/humid or even moderate climates, this may be a limiting factor therefore, when choosing trees, they should be ones that allow air movement through

At Energy Rating Perth we always inform designers and our clients that the key factor for energy efficient glazing is the window size and correct orientation. A designer must be mindful to ensure the window sizes are not too large to allow unnecessary heat gain and neither too small to allow not enough heat gain and light entry. It is recommended to place larger windows on the northern façade for passive solar design while smaller ones on the eastern and western façade to avoid excessive heat gain in the summers. Our energy assessors urge our Energy Rating Perth clients to include this early into their design process rather than implementing it reluctantly once they have their hearts set on their new home designs.   While the performance of the glazing is very important, it is the overall glazing assembly that denotes the glazing performance and the natural cross ventilation in your home. Common window types are given below: Casement: These are an older style of window usually with a timber frame. This is made of one or two panels hinged on the sides onto

While most energy assessors will quickly jump to the most obvious solution to improve the energy rating of your home, the energy assessors at Energy Rating Perth offer advice that includes several alternative solutions that can help achieve the same object at a lower cost. Several glass types and window Treatments can help improve your energy rating. They are summarised below: Double/Triple-glazing: This consists of two (or three in case of triple) sheets of glass separated by an insulating layer such as air or an inert gas like argon. It is a very efficient system in reducing the U-value of a window but does not affect the SHGC much. This glazing system is preferable for climates when the external temperature is extreme for a long period of time or even in milder climates where a large amount of glazing is an aesthetic preference. While this may be the first preference of most energy assessor, installing double or triple-glazing is a costly exercise. Secondary glazing: This is a retrofit system which converts an existing single glazing unit into a double glazed one by attaching another