Star Rate It - Energy Efficiency Assessors

27/05/2013

http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/wind/IDCJCM0021_wind_roses.shtml

Information about maximum wind gusts, as well as mean 9am and 3pm wind speeds, is provided for each available site in the Tables of Climatic Averages.

27/05/2013

In the process of designing a new home? Do some research and check on which direction the sea breezes or cooling breezes will come from. Check the Bureau of Meteorology web site when the designing process begins. There is nifty tool that allows you to pick a location and it will give you a wind rose. This wind rose tells you the direction the winds will come from, how often they will occur and in what session you can expect to get them. All this data is based on previous occurrences. Then design your new home to capture the summer breezes and tunnel it through the living areas and if possible bedrooms and block out those nasty chilling winter winds.

12/02/2013

Good performing glass in your windows and doors can be a very effective way of making your home comfortable. Some methods of making windows and doors energy efficient can be expensive but there are also cheaper options. In Queensland your annual energy costs will be less if your house is designed to predominately keep the sun out. Window tinting or tinted glass is a cost effective way of increasing the performance of your windows and doors and reducing the heat inside your home. Shading the glass externally with good eave overhangs or timber blinds either horizontal or vertical will reduce the heat transfer into your home. If you’re trying to design a new home keep the windows on the west side to a minimum. Talk to Star Rate It today about making your home more comfortable this summer.

19/11/2012

Received our new business cards - thanks Terry from Budget Express Ipswich they look very smart!

13/11/2012

The performance of glass in our homes has a massive impact on the comfort levels inside the home. Here is a neat picture to show how the conditions outside impact on your comfort inside. After all, the only thing between you and out there is a single sheet of glass.

16/10/2012

For those of you that would like to see the ACT report into star rated homes, here it is.

16/10/2012

Star Rate It can perform an energy rating on your existing or new home. Once completed the rating is indicated by stars, 1 star being poor performance and 10 stars being exceptional performance. Now, I know we have all heard about the cost of energy increasing (power & water) this increase will also impact on your biggest asset, your home! As energy prices increase the demand for energy efficient homes will also increase. This means that poor performing homes will be worth less than good performing homes. A Study in the Australian Capital Territory found that an addition star in a homes energy rating was worth an average of $10,000 more when sold. So a small financial outlay for an energy rating on your home and a few minor modifications like insulation, window tinting or some timber screens may just pay off when you decide to sell.

29/08/2012

If your planning your new home or considering an extension or alteration to your existing home give some thought to ways that you can make your home more comfortable. In Queensland’s climate your attention should be focused on keeping the sun out of your home in the warmer months. Sure the beautiful sun that creeps into your home on a cold winters morning is sensational but there are cheaper and more energy friendly ways to warm your home than to cool it. A reverse cycle air conditioner for example uses less energy to warm the air than to cool it. So by designing to keep the sun/heat out of your home you’re annual energy cost should be reduced, this means more money in your pocket. Contact Star Rate It today to discuss your energy efficiency needs.

24/07/2012

24/07/2012

When considering the location and design of your new home a good idea is to bear in mind passive solar design. What is good passive solar design you may ask, well its designing your home to make the best use of the suns natural energy. A good passive design will require less mechanical heating or cooling. Star Rate It can help by performing a thermal energy assessment on your proposed homes location to ensure maximum comfort is obtained. Passive solar houses can look like any other home but they are more comfortable to live in and cost less to heat and cool.

12/06/2012

Building a new home? Request your builder use Star Rate It Energy Assessments to illustrate your new homes compliance with the thermal requirements of the Building Code of Australia. Star Rate It can minimise cost and maximise efficiency. If you wish to go above the Building Code and have a super comfortable home Star Rate It can help by advising what further steps can improve your new homes comfort. The goal here is to use little or no energy (electricity, gas etc) to keep your home at a comfortable level year round and where energy does have to be used, it is used efficiently.

10/05/2012

I have talked about maintaining your ideal comfort level within your home for longer. This is where Star Rate It fits into the picture by requesting a thermal energy assessment on your home we can determine how it performs. Does that nice comfortable warm air we previously talked about cool quickly or slowly, turning the inside of the home into an esky. Star Rate It can determine where insulation is best utilised to maintain that comfort level. It also means on those really cold days when you do have to turn the heater on that energy will be used more efficiently. Contact Star Rate It today to discuss your energy efficiency needs.