Heating & Cooling — How To Get The Most Out Of Them In Melbourne?

We all want lower electricity bills, right? Have you ever wondered which is more cost-effective: heating or cooling? Whichever it is, there are many ways to design your house with energy saving systems that will perfectly suit your budget.

40% of the energy consumption in Australia is for heating and cooling. Of course, houses in different parts of the country have different energy consumption, depending on a whole list of factors (local climate, circumstances, type of heating or cooling systems). But a well-designed house in Melbourne can reduce the energy consumption to a “healthy” minimum. That means avoiding the need for heating and cooling appliances altogether. I’ll break the information down, to explain the idea more in depth.

Heating

Use all kinds of passive design principles to increase your comfort and reduce the need for heating. Insulating the roof, walls and floors is an excellent way to keep a stable house temperature for longer. There are basically two types of heating: radiant and convective. However, with each home being a unique ecosystem, it’s best to consult a local specialist with expertise in the field of heating & cooling in Melbourne. That’s actually the only way to be 100% certain what system will suit your house the most. Another bonus of relying on an expert is that they will come and install the system for you and give you sound advice on how to maintain it. But here are the basics:

• It is better to have both radiant and convective heating systems installed in larger rooms
• For small rooms, on the other hand, space convective heating would be the more effective option

Position your heater and furniture to deflect the cold air from the door. Minimise the drafts from the windows with heavy curtains to prevent cold air from flowing through gaps and to also stop convection and radiant heat loss. Some of you may ask yourselves “Is central or space heating more suitable for my home?”. If you want your house to be energy efficient, use space heating only for rooms which require heating. Radiant heaters, such as bar heaters, are good for warming the bathroom, as they deliver almost instant warmth directly to your body.

Energy efficient houses with central heating installation may use less energy than inefficient houses with space heating. Still, many central heaters have energy losses from the heat distribution system, usually ducts or hot water pipes. These should be as short as possible.

Cooling

You need to take into account the local climate specifics in Melbourne area when deciding how often you’ll need cooling throughout the year. You must also pay attention to other factors when making up your mind — for instance, the size of your property. Plus, think well before deciding whether you really need to cool the air itself or just creating a cool breeze will be enough. Insulate your home and shade windows from the strong summer sun. Never use mechanical cooling as a substitute of good interior design.

Your first choice for mechanical cooling should be fans. They circulate air, but do not reduce humidity or indoor temperature. Considered as the cheapest option, they also have the lowest greenhouse impact. Evaporative coolers are the best idea for regions with low humidity. These coolers use evaporation of water as their cooling mechanism. The systems can be mounted in windows and doors which makes it extremely space-efficient. You should be careful not to place them right next to open windows and doors because that can let a lot of heat in on a windy day.

An alternative way for cooling can be the solar air cooling system which uses a fan or ventilator to extract hot air out of the roof space with tile/metal roofs. That way they replace the hot air with ambient air to minimise heat transfer to the ceiling space below.

Maintain all heaters and coolers according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Pay special attention to air filters. Feel free to contact the local authorities in Melbourne for further information and tips on energy efficiency.