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When drawing up your renovation plans, it’s crucial to consider your local climate.
Australia offers some fairly extreme weather, particularly in summer. Failure to account for this in your renovation or new home build could hinder your heating and cooling efforts and add to your future household energy bills.
To make sure you’re setting yourself up for cool and comfy warm weather days and nights, we’ve listed some easy-to-forget considerations for your renovation.
1. Future-facing air conditioning
If you’re already renovating, it could be a good time to consider purchasing an air conditioner. Even if you have a system in place, you may want to scope out the latest tech to ensure you’re getting the most bang for your buck in terms of heating and cooling effectiveness, and energy efficiency.
Consider whether individual wall units or a ducted system suits your needs. Picture: Fujitsu
When it comes to picking a new air conditioning system for your home, think about the size of your space, your needs, and your budget, to help determine the size and type of your system. Fujitsu General has the perfect tool to help you find the right unit for your needs. Just follow the prompts to get your personalised recommendation, subject to a final heat load assessment by an air conditioning installer.
Technology like Fujitsu General’s anywAiR ducted controller allows you to better control your cooling in up to 10 different zones. The main hub is a wall-mounted touch pad; however, it can also be accessed via an app on your smart phone or tablet for when you want to control your indoor comfort remotely.
2. Room and window placement
Are your bedrooms in the hottest, lightest part of the house while your kitchen sits in relative darkness?
If you’re building a home from scratch or doing major renovations and shuffling the floorplan, don’t make a silly mistake like this. You want to use light and heat to your advantage.
Consider where your windows are positioned in a room to maximise airflow and cooling. Picture: Fujitsu
Traditionally, you wouldn’t want a north or north-east facing window in your bedroom in Australia because it will bake in the heat for most of the day in summer.
If you can’t move the positions of the rooms, think of how you can use window placement, insulation and shade to make these spaces more comfortable.
Remember, your living and sleeping areas should be the most relaxing and restful corners of your house.
3. Make the windows and doors airtight
While the pane is one thing, the frame is another. Look for window frames that effectively seal gaps between walls and windows, ensuring there’s no air leakage when trying to control your indoor temperature.
However, don’t make everything airtight. You still need vents to help keep your indoor air fresh.
4. Effective window coverings
If you’re not able to reposition your windows, the next best option is getting the right window coverings to help you out.
Does your room need shutters, blinds or curtains? Consider the purpose of the room or aspect of the windows before picking a window covering. Picture: Unsplash
Whether you opt for blinds, curtains or shutters, consider how much light and heat you need to let in or out before making a final choice.
You can even swap out window coverings between seasons. For instance, having a combo of shutters and thick curtains might be a great insulating combo for winter. However, for summer, shutters and sheer curtains may suffice.
5. Don’t forget fly screens
So, you’ve got some high-quality windows and put them in the right positions and fitted and sealed them correctly. Now you can open them and let that evening breeze fly right through, right? Definitely not.
Don’t forget summer’s most insidious predator: the mosquito. Remember to fit fly screens to all windows and doors to keep those little critters out.
6. A good linen press
“How does this relate to summer?” you may ask. Well, you want a home that can transition easily from winter to summer and back again. This means having adequate storage for those chunky winter woollens, like blankets, rugs and even clothes that you only use for part of the year.
If you’re renovating, don’t underestimate your required amount of storage space!
The post 6 summer essentials to add to your renovation plans appeared first on realestate.com.au.
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