DARREN BOWMAN DESIGN

I participated in the BDAV webinar presentation by Tony Isaacs yesterday, which offered tips on how to improve energy ratings using FirstRate5 software. Tony is a guru of energy ratings and had a part in the system's development when working for the Sustainable Energy Authority (now Sustainablity Victoria). Tony presented plenty of great tips for tweaking energy assessments and improving building thermal performance. One that made an impression on me, was that insulated concrete sla...

I called in to see how our McMannus Drive project was coming along over the long weekend. Unfortunately the builders actually took the weekend off and I couldn't get in.  I can't wait to walk through this project now, so I'll be going back!  

The AWA have supported the HIA policy not to support a carbon tax. An interesting stance given the number of green building schemes and regulations being rolled out. Promotion of clean energy production could only be a good thing, but perhaps there is insufficient detail to draw conclusions on a carbon tax and the cost implications to ordinary Australians. Maybe stringent efficiency standards are the go if we are to meet our CO2 targets, though that could surely be made simpler than it is wh...

The 6-star standard came into effect yesterday in Victoria. Don't panic! Although more onerous than the 5-star standard that it supersedes achieving 6 star compliance isn’t difficult if basic design principles are considered from the start. The right orientation is now even more important. The standard also considers glazing, insulation, draft-sealing, etc as it did before and it still includes a requirement for a rainwater tank or a solar hot water system. The 6-star standard also r...

I recently made the following comments on BuildingGreen.com in response to an article about ceiling fans.

In my experience ceiling fans are very useful in winter where houses have higher ceilings. We use a slow combustion wood burner as our main heating source as we live in the country in Victoria, Australia. Our main living area has a feature cathedral ceiling ...

The date that we must meet 6-star energy performance is fast approaching. From 1 May all new homes, additions and renovations must meet the Building Code of Australia 6-star requirement. Thermal performance assessment includes all of the elements that form the building envelope; walls, floor, roof, windows, etc. The Building Commission says that 6-star houses will use 25% less energy for heating and cooling than 5-star houses, equating to an average annual saving of $100.

We've had p...

We all know that we should be driving an efficient car to reduce greenhouse emmissions, but how many of us consider the greenhouse emmissions from our hot water heater.  According to the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency (DCCEE) your water heater could be pumping out 4 tonnes (on average) of greenhouse gasses each year - equivalent to the average family car.  The energy hogs that they are referring to are greenhouse gas intensive electric resistance water heaters. A...

A recent magazine article prompted me to write to the editor.  As is typical in a lot of print media available now I felt that the sustainability was overstated.  Many magazines now sell the idea of sustainability in housing.  What concerns me is that sometimes houses that are excessivly large (and have huge heating demands) or are overglazed or use products that have a particularly devastating effect on the environment are promoted as sustainable living because they incorporat...