Draughty houses

[Guest Guest14361]

It's official now.....Australian home builders knew that badly insulated houses are good for us

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3457368/Air-fresheners-scented-candles-blame-pollution-home-kills-40-000-year.html

[Tamara (Homes Down Under)]

I will remember that in a few months time when the weather turns cold!

 

I have spent a fortune on insulation and heating but the double brick houses are a nightmare to heat. The newer modern builds are ok...different standards and star ratings.

My daughter is having a unit built and they are calling for triple glazed and a 6 star energy rating.

[Guest Guest14361]

I've always said its chemicals we use in day to day things whether it be shampoos, air freshners, etc etc are causing cancers. We have a log burner to heat our place ,silly as it sounds we leave a window or two open slightly. Never use air freshners....except in the loo lol. According the the article having a draughty house is good for us

[Nellyinoz]

I cant believe it can get that cold...are you serious

[NicF]

I cant believe it can get that cold...are you serious

 

Yes. Very much so. A lot depends on the type of heating you have and how willing you are to spend money keeping it going. We had reverse cycle air con in our rental (still have in the house we built) which costs a fortune to run for any length of time. And once you turn it off the heat just disappears almost instantly. We arrived in July and one the first things I bought was a fluffy dressing gown.

[Blossom]

I cant believe it can get that cold...are you serious

Have you been here in winter? Brrrrr.

[Tamara (Homes Down Under)]

I cant believe it can get that cold...are you serious

 

It's a different cold!

 

The winter nights can get quite cold. It was 3 degrees last year and we are on the coast so it's a little warmer because of the sea temperature...that was rare though...single figures for night time are common. The daytime temperatures of 10 to 18 degrees sound warm but the wind chill factor makes it much colder. I lived in Old Reynella for a few months (about 15 km from Port Noarlunga) and we were scrapping ice off the windscreen (not every morning) but on occasions.

If you are arriving in winter...bring warm clothes and check that your home has gas heating or a reverse cycle system...ducted into each room.

It's not unique to Adelaide. Australian standards have improved considerably since then...

As Nobby said...they didn't plan and build houses properly in the 60's and 70's and many of these homes have insufficient insulation, glazing and heating...but the wind blowing through does keep the home pollutants at bay!

[Rammygirl]

I still prefer a well sealed, well insulated house. Then I can choose to open windows, which I do, often. I much prefer a fresh breeze through the house but when it is 40 degrees I don't want to spend money cooling the garden!

 

Equally when it is cold I want the house to heat up and stay warm, so I can open the window a bit for fresh air if I want. Poor insulation is common here. Maybe now electricity is so expensive people will build better!

[PatP]

I cant believe it can get that cold...are you serious

Yes it gets cold we lived on a hill side in Happy Valley great for the cool summer breeze Whistle down the wind in winter ! We put gas ducted in after our first winter Have told the tale before of standing at Hallet Cove station to go to work in our first winter wishing I had taken my sheepskin coat !

[Bailey]

Interested to know Tamara where your daughters unit is..... 'Tripel glazed and 6 star rating'...!!!

 

This is what Adelaide needs to work towards PLUS solar panels!!!

[PatP]

Interested to know Tamara where your daughters unit is..... 'Tripel glazed and 6 star rating'...!!!

 

This is what Adelaide needs to work towards PLUS solar panels!!!

Double glazing alone is very expensive becoming more the norm in large building my son is a glazier and does install them but it is normally on commercial buildings or very expensive homes

[Rammygirl]

Well we built a modest home in the hills. Extra insulation and yes double glazing. After much sucking of teeth and doubt from builder they sourced the windows for much less than they thought. Didn't increase the costs that much at all and the Windows are still good nearly 8 years on.

 

Doesnt have to to cosr the earth and now standard in new builds in Tas.

 

Time me they caught up.

[NicF]

Double glazing is becoming quite common in new builds as it's needed to reach the required 5 star rating. When our neighbours built just over 3 years ago they were told they needed it on the windows on the west side and decided to put it in for all the windows. It was still aluminium frames though. When we built ours we specified UPVc double glazing and upgraded the insulation (to R3.5 in the walls and R5 in the roof if anyone is interested). The builders found a UPVc double glazing place for us but we had already found several ourselves. The place the builders used told us they were regular suppliers to a different building firm (I can't remember exactly which). We also spoke to another, higher end, builder who regularly use UPVc in their builds due to the energy efficiency.

[Rammygirl]

Yes people here have been lead to believe it is very expensive and that you can't easily get domestic Windows. This really wasn't the case when we built and certainly isn't now. More people are using dg when building their homes. Architects and builders need to be convinced though

[Tamara (Homes Down Under)]

I have had a look at my daughters plans. She's building a big unit in her back garden in Port Noarlunga...I mean big (160 square metres). The architect has stipulated triple glazing...strange sizes that don't seem standard...and the build is a 6 star rating that has been approved by Onkaparinga council.

[PatP]

That's interesting about the ' plastic ' Windows I have now looked on the web and noticed there is a place at Lonsdale doing Rehau which has a good name It's years since we looked at that type of window and there was only one company doing them and the costs were huge

My son does more commercial work than housing and aluminium is still the norm

Interesting about a large unit in the back garden too as we plan to either extend at my sons or build a separate unit and its Onkaparinga Council Has your daughter split the block though ie a different title ? Don't think our son can do that as his place is rural

[John Browning]

I've always said its chemicals we use in day to day things whether it be shampoos, air freshners, etc etc are causing cancers. We have a log burner to heat our place ,silly as it sounds we leave a window or two open slightly. Never use air freshners....except in the loo lol.

According to the article having a draughty house is good for us

 

well not quite : it's the fresh air that is good for you, not the draughts:

 

the Dept of Industry Innovation and Science believe about 25% of heating and cooling costs can be cut by reducing draughts

 

Guess we still need to fix the draughts, but find other ways of bringing in the fresh air. Personally I always sleep (-all year round-) with the front and back doors open but with the security doors locked...... works fine - best of both worlds

 

JB