Good design of a new building is integral to its energy efficiency and will make it easier to achieve higher BASIX ratings. Even here on the Tablelands, very little energy may be needed to heat or cool a well-designed home – a home that has appropriate insulation, draught-proofing and passive solar design.
For existing houses, high efficiency heaters, draught-sealing, insulating blinds or curtains with pelmets, energy efficient hot water and lighting, and effective shading can assist with reducing energy bills.
However, even if your house design or renovation is efficient, behavior is still critical to how much energy a household uses. For instance, closing off unused parts of the house, opening blinds to let in winter sun and drawing them at night, dressing appropriately, letting your hair and clothes air dry instead of running a machine, not leaving heating on overnight, and maintaining systems will all reduce energy use.
A spot to safely and conveniently store bikes can encourage their easy use. One-quarter of all car journeys are less than three kilometres, yet most of us still use a car to travel that distance. To ride a bike the same distance uses less than one-fiftieth of the energy and has positive effects on our health and wellbeing.
When selecting appliances, use the Energy Rating label to compare energy consumption of similar products.