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Customized Home Builder

Sustainable home features that will save you money

The first step to building a sustainable home is good design in the initial stages. A well-crafted design can save energy, water and money throughout the lifecycle of the house. Lofty Building Group is the custom home builder Adelaide residents use to bring their sustainable living ideas to life.

In recent years sustainable living has moved to the forefront in most people’s minds. Especially now that many Australians are spending more time at home, comfort and energy-efficiency are more important than ever. Ideally, we would all like to live in a comfortable home with less impact on the environment that could also save us money.

There are many money-saving and environmentally friendly features you can include when building your new home. 40% of our household energy use comes from heating and cooling our homes and in 2017 it was reported that Adelaide had the highest electricity prices in the world. Thankfully, a follow up study in 2020 has shown we have since had prices drop to a more respectable level. You can minimise this cost by designing a home with our unique Adelaide climate in mind.

Lofty Building Group is the custom home builder Adelaide locals know will understand the climate, because we are local.

Here are some of the features we can include in your home design to make it more sustainable.

Insulation

 

Insulation is an essential part of an energy-efficient home, and it’s a cost-effective way to make your home more comfortable.

When building a new home, you can save big money on energy bills by properly insulating your home.

If you insulate the walls, ceilings, and under the floor with eco-friendly insulation material, it will help trap in warmth in winter and reduce the amount of heat entering your home in summer. A worthwhile investment indeed.

Orientation

 

Something to consider when building your home is the placement on the block. The orientation can have a large impact on sustainability.

Design your house to take advantage of the suns position. Ensuring you have a comfortable amount of sunlight entering your home at all times of the year.

The placement of windows, doors, and rooms to best utilise or block the sun’s rays can also help to reduce your electricity bills. By positioning solar panels and solar hot water systems to take full advantage of the sun’s natural energy, you can potentially save yourself thousands in energy bills.

With plenty of Government incentives and $0 upfront payment options available from solar companies, it has become increasingly popular for Adelaide houses to utilise solar power, drastically reducing monthly energy costs, and in some cases, actually earning a credit with the solar company for supplying excess power back to the grid for distribution.

Windows

Double glazing on your windows can help keep your home comfortable in many ways. It reduces the amount of heat gained in the summer months and the amount of heat lost during the winter. While also reducing the amount of noise from outside.

Depending on the orientation of your home, in alignment with the sun, specific window placement and sizing can minimise your energy costs. Well-designed shade from the eaves and verandas can lessen the need for air-conditioners in the summer, again saving you money.

The benefit of using our experienced Adelaide custom builders is that we can use smart design to allow winter sunlight into your home while blocking out the sun in summer.

Cross Ventilation

 

While wide hallways, high ceilings and large bi-folding doors are an attractive and highly sought-after feature of a home, did you know, they also help the air to circulate more freely?

If you combine these features with ceiling fans and a design that allows doors and windows to open on both sides of the home, it will help your home to cool down faster. Keeping you cool and comfortable all year round without excessive energy use.

Water Efficiency

Water in Australia is a valuable natural resource. New homes in Adelaide must now install a water tank for collecting rainwater. Each council in Adelaide has different requirements, so be sure to check what they are in your local area before installing yours.

Even in an existing property, a rainwater tank is a great idea. You can save thousands of litres of water each year in an average-sized home. Collect the water to use for drinking, as well as watering your garden and washing your car.

By installing plumbing and a pump, you can use tank water in your home to flush toilets and fill your washing machine or dishwasher.

By selecting smart, energy and water-efficient appliances, as well as low flow showerheads and toilets, you can help conserve our resources as well as save on your water bill.

Are you ready to talk to the expert custom builders at Lofty Building Group about your sustainable dream home?

As you can see, living in an energy-efficient home can save you money well into the future. It’s great for the environment and a win for you financially.

When designing your home, the team at Lofty Building Group can help you include money-saving, environmentally sustainable features throughout the whole process.

We are proudly South Australian and value our relationships with local tradespeople and suppliers. By using locally sourced trades and materials, we can help reduce the carbon footprint of your new home.

Call our friendly team today on (08) 8266 0011 or browse our website to see how we can help you design and build your ideal, sustainable home.

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