A rooftop garden provides natural insulation.
You could be forgiven for having a limited understanding of the energy efficiency of your home.
Eyes glaze over at the mention of R3.5 wall insulation, 2.5kW systems and a 6-star energy rating.
We’ve unpacked energy ratings to make then more accessible, as buyers increasingly look at ways to save money in the home and look after the planet as well.
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Solar panels can significantly reduce power bills.
The Victorian Residential Efficiency Scorecard rates homes on a scale from 1 to 10 stars, based on the average yearly cost to power a home.
A 1-star house costs $5319 each year, while a 10-star home feeds energy back into the grid, actually earning $222 every year for its owners.
Melbourne’s average rating is 3 stars, at an annual cost of $1773.
The Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) is expected to release a new model soon that integrates the statewide scorecard with its own, which is used to rate new builds.
The director of energy rating assessment company Ephe, Cal Forsyth, said installation of solar was a “prime example” of an effective way to improve a house’s energy efficiency.
He said changing light bulbs and shower heads, sealing chimneys and air vents, and weatherproofing doors and windows were cost-effective initiatives that would also reduce running costs.
Thermal mass walls can help regulate temperatures inside.
This house at 8 Olivette Ave, Upper Ferntree Gully was designed with energy efficiency in mind.
Wall and ceiling insulation with high thermal resistance are also critical energy savers.
Many older homes have little to no insulation, letting heat escape through the roof and walls and reducing the property’s capacity to regulate temperature.
Mr Forsyth said the public was increasingly recognising the value of high energy efficiency as both a cost cutter and value adder.
The Upper Ferntree Gully home has an indoor garden.
“People are becoming aware and I think they’re finding previously unknown value in their existing dwellings,” he said.
“You can actually retrofit and increase the value of a property with energy efficient upgrades, whereas some of the modern high-ceiling properties that people thought were of high value are not so much anymore when you’re looking at energy efficiency.”
Victorian Residential Efficiency Scorecard
Star rating, annual power cost
10 stars, $222
9 stars, $0
8 stars, $266
7 stars, $532
6 stars, $798
5 stars, $1064
4 stars, $1330
3 stars, $1773
2 stars, $3546
1 star, $5319
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