Elegant Simplicity

Creating Simply Elegant Home Designs For Your Family

0407 900 068

green home design Archives - Page 4

Areas That Need All The Possible Energy Attention In Homes

by

insulation materialEnergy will soon get tired of us, if we do not change our stance that is. It is such a huge entity that once it comes to us dressed up as “Crisis” our whole technological advancement will fall short of coping with it.

This is not to say that we are not taking the right steps. It is just that our moves give an impression of being patchy and intermittent. What we require is robust, all-encompassing steps. Such steps should also be like a continuous tirade…those that attempt to bring renewable energy resources to the fore.
Read More

6 Tips To Achieve Delightfully Low Electricity Bills

by

thermostat settingsGone are the leisurely centuries when there was such an abundance of energy resources that we could afford to be careless. Today, we are staring at an unprecedented energy crisis, enough to freeze us in our bones.

Wisdom tells us that we should do all that is in our hands to help the cause of energy-savings. By all means, the effort should begin with our homes. Let me take you through 6 energy-saving ideas, those which can help you fetch really low electricity bills.
Read More

Real And Nominal R-Value May Differ A Lot

by

R-value of insulationBy insulating your home effectively you secure it with a thermal barrier that can resist heat and cold. However, you will always need some yardstick to gauge how strong the barrier is. This is where the R-value comes into picture. To define, R-value is the efficiency rating for any given insulation technique.
Read More

3-Pronged Approach For Boosting Your Indoor Air Quality

by

toxic contaminantWhat if I share with you a 3-pronged approach, aimed at enhancing the quality of air in your home? I know you will love the idea because poor indoor air quality has been a silent assassin for long. It has offered fertile grounds for allergens, and they have done enough to make our home a high dome of respiratory illnesses.

In fact, science tells us that poor quality of indoor air can not only trigger asthma and bronchitis related fears but also process less oxygen than the threshold limit to our brain, thus making us considerably duller. So here then is my 3-pronged approach.

Read More

How to Handle Windows in Older Homes For Energy Savings

by

handling historic windowsI am all for historical houses; they support my strong conviction that there is no future without a past. However, I am also a building designer and can’t shy away from the challenges of energy-efficiency posed by these building/houses.

Take the case of their windows. Without a doubt, they add to the aesthetic value of such homes and are a treat for visitors. The downside though is that they can’t be retrofitted with ease, can’t possibly be substituted (replacement windows for a home with history are not very popular for reasons of heritage) and are almost always an energy burden. So the question- How to handle windows in older homes (for energy savings) becomes crucial.

Read More

Retractable Awnings To Control Your Home’s Climate

by

awnings for controlling climateAs a hobby writer I have always avoided definitions in the first sentence of an article. Treat this piece as an exception to the rule because I will start with defining an ‘Awning’ for you.

Best put, Awning is a fixed structure which serves as a canopy to doors, windows and walkways.

So how do awnings benefit us? In many ways; in fact, if you assumed it had to do only with sunlight protection, mark me when I say that awnings are great against rain and hail too.

Read More

Home Energy Audit Walkthrough

by

Energy audit tools precisely fathom areas where you might be losing energy. Sometimes, our powers of perception are not enough to do the needful. Home energy audits, every so often, can be the difference between mounting electricity bills and those bills which are well in control. Energy runs out through vents that include, but are not restricted to, doors, windows, walls, structural gaps in awnings, and host of electrical appliances. Let me take you through the best ways to minimise energy loss.
Read More