The energy assessors at Energy Rating Perth are always asked by our clients what a heating/cooling load and what effect it has on the energy efficiency of their homes.
A heating load is the amount of energy required to heat a space in order to achieve thermal comfort, which essentially means to maintain a constant dry bulb temperature and humidity in an acceptable range. A cooling load on the other hand is the amount of energy used to remove heat from a space to maintain the same thermal comfort.

 

Part of our job as energy assessors is assessing the energy efficiency of a building and to ensure that the proposed building does not exceed the legal heating/cooling loads. As this is case sensitive, it is dependent on the BCA climate zone the building will be constructed in hence ensure that your energy assessor is aware of state-specific energy requirements. For instance, if you live in Hobart, your building will have a different heating load requirements from a region like Darwin where there is no heating load in place. The energy assessment completed at Energy Rating Perth takes into account several factors that are beyond just the “energy required”. Our energy assessors at Energy Rating Perth will consider several factors to get an accurate energy star rating.

 

The foremost factor to be considered is the building envelope i.e. the materials used, construction methodologies, the insulation, the amount of glazing and glazing system. Then by modelling the heat gains/losses due to orientation of the building, the assessment takes into account the heat transfer through conduction/convection through walls, roofs ceilings and the radiation through glazing. By doing so, the assessment denotes whether the building will be efficient and will meet its required legal heating and /or cooling loads. This will not only mean complying with the energy requirements of the NCC but also it mean savings over the years on your electrical bill as your building will perform better to stay cool or warm throughout the year.