make your home a Greenchoice home

By adopting items from the list below, you can make your home more 'eco friendly'.

	Home Orientation How your house is positioned on your block is the single most important decision you can make to create an energy efficient living environment. North orientation to living areas is generally regarded as best, as it enables you to maximise the low winter sun for natural heating, whilst also allowing appropriate eaves to help shade your home from the hot summer sun. Natural heating and cooling is being kind to the environment as well as saving you money on energy costs.
	Water Conservation The average South Australian home uses 600 litres of water per day. By incorporating water-saving devices into your home you can slash this figure substantially. A Smartflush toilet alone can save up to 35,000 litres of water per year, and low-flow tap aerators can reduce water usage by up to 40%. A water-efficient showerhead can save 17,885 litres of water per year and 437kg of CO2. The Water Efficiency Labelling Standards Scheme (WELS) provides a zero to six-star rating for toilets, tapware and showerheads. The more stars, the more water efficient the equipment. By 2021, the scheme aims to reduce the country’s domestic water use by 5% and save 610,000 megalitres – more water than is in Sydney Harbour. All Hickinbotham designs include water efficient shower heads and WELS-rated tapware as standard features. Four-star dual-flush toilet systems are also offered. All Hickinbotham homes come with a provision for a rainwater tank to be plumbed into the laundry and toilet. We can also install a system that enables all taps to run on rainwater or be switched to mains.
	Solar Hot Water Installing a solar hot water system is one of the easiest and most cost effective ways to make your home more environmentally friendly and to reduce power bills. It’s also extremely simple – solar collectors on the roof of your home heat the water, which is then stored in a tank. Households who switch to solar hot water can save up to 80% on hot water energy costs. A gas-boosted solar hot water system is the most user-friendly option, as it enables up to 90% of hot water to be sourced emission-free, with the remainder powered by gas. The South Australian Government provides a substantial rebate for the installation of a solar hot water system.
	Energy Efficient Appliances Ovens, hotplates and dishwashers are just some of the appliances that you can install in your new home. It makes sense to choose appliances that have a high energy rating (the more stars, the better). Not only will this help the environment, it will also save you money.
	Lighting Lighting represents around 12% of domestic greenhouse gas emissions, and most homes could reduce the amount of energy they use for lighting by 50%. The easiest way to reduce the environmental impact of lighting your home is to switch to compact fluorescent lamps or downlights, which use 20-30% less electricity than traditional incandescent bulbs and are four times more efficient than halogen. The Federal Government is gradually phasing out these inefficient incandescent lights, with the aim of reducing Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions by four million tonnes by 2015. This simple initiative will have the same impact as taking one million cars off the roads. When building, it’s important to consider the quantity and type of lighting you install. New home buyers can also consider installing a Clipsal C-Bus automation system. Using cutting-edge technologies like occupancy detectors, ambient light sensors, temperature control and variable lighting levels, this innovative system ensures all lights and appliances are turned off at the end of the day or when no-one is home – reducing greenhouse gas emissions and slashing energy bills.
	Insulation Good quality insulation is vital in creating an environmentally friendly home. Not only does it encourage passive heating and cooling, it also reduces noise. According to the Australian Greenhouse Office, a well insulated and well designed home cuts heating and cooling bills by up to 50%, which has big savings in greenhouse gas emissions. Hickinbotham offers Rockwool insulation, which provides high levels of performance in a thinner form than conventional insulation.
	Solar PV Cells Solar panels can halve the energy consumption of an average family home and reduce energy bills considerably. Experts also suggest that a solar energy system can eventually pay for itself. Solar panels can be installed on the roof or as a free-standing unit. An inverter, usually located near the electrical switchboard, converts the DC electricity from the panels into 240V AC electricity. Home buyers can choose different size systems – for example, a 450-watt system will power your lights, TV, video, microwave and toaster, while a 3000-watt system will power an average-size home. The Federal Government is also offering substantial rebates on photovoltaic systems.
	Double Glazing Energy efficient windows will make your home more comfortable and dramatically reduce your energy costs. The Window Energy Rating Scheme (WERS) rates windows according to their annual energy impact on a house. Rated windows carry a label, with cooling and heating performance rated on a scale of 0 to 5 stars – the more stars, the better. Double glazed windows can reduce heating and cooling energy bills by 25 – 60%, as they reduce heat loss in winter and heat gain in summer. Another option to consider is window tinting – this can reduce heat transference by 70%, UV by 100% and glare by 88%.
	Cooling / Heating Heating and cooling account for 39% of an average house’s energy demands. Building a new home presents a great opportunity to address your heating and cooling needs in a cost-effective way. Some of the options include: • Climate controlled Inverter systems - approved by the new Government Energy Efficiency Regulations, uses the latest technology. It can reduce your power consumption by up to 40% compared to a less efficient system. • Ducted reverse cycle – featuring a high efficiency MEPS approved Daikin unit combined with 75mm Gold Ducting, to achieve maximum efficiency from your system. Included are state-of-theart motorised dampers to allow individual zoning to various rooms. • Mitsubishi Electric Power Multi–Reverse Cycle - power multiadopt Inverter control technology that creates a supremely comfortable environment to prevent over-cooling or over-heating while providing energy savings. The unit is capable of running only one room or the whole home, reducing power consumption by up to 40% compared to a less efficient system and helping to reduce CO2 emissions.
	Ceiling Fans placed in your most frequently used rooms, ceiling fans can improve the efficiency of your heating and cooling system. They only use as much power as a 100 watt light bulb, and, in summer, a ceiling fan can reduce air conditioning bills by up to 40%. In winter, run in a clockwise direction to recirculate warm air. For maximum energy saving benefits, consider an Energy Star ceiling fan, which circulates an average of 15% more air than other fans.
	Ventilation Make the most of natural ventilation by aligning windows and doors to encourage cross-flow breezes in summer. Roof ventilation is another option – removing hot air from your roof during the hot months and retaining warm air during the winter. Once installed, roof ventilators cost nothing to operate and require no power, relying on solar energy.
	Shading Up to 40% of a home’s energy for cooling and heating is lost or gained through windows, therefore improving their thermal performance reduces energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions. East/west walls and windows are the most important to shade, as solar heating is the most intense on these sides. Wide eaves and verandahs are some of the techniques used by Hickinbotham to provide shade, however we also recommend clients consider installing awnings, roller shutters and/or pergolas to block out summer sun and retain warmth in winter.