tip
When heating or cooling, close
windows and external doors, as
well as doors to unheated
areas such as laundries and
bathrooms, so you’re not
heating the great outdoors:
save up to 3 kilograms of
greenhouse gas per hour.
Home heating and cooling
The energy used for heating and cooling a typical home generates more than
one and a half tonnes of greenhouse gas and costs more than $200 each year.
Energy use and greenhouse gas emissions from heating and cooling are very dependent on climate. In a cool climate, a large house with central heating could produce 10 tonnes or more of greenhouse gas and cost more than $1,000 to heat each year.
Energy use and greenhouse gas emissions from heating and cooling are very dependent on climate. In a cool climate, a large house with central heating could produce 10 tonnes or more of greenhouse gas and cost more than $1,000 to heat each year.
How can I save?
- Make your home more efficient: Limit the flow of heat through your roof, walls, windows and gaps.
- Insulate ceiling, walls and floors. As much as 35% of heat loss from a house is through an uninsulated ceiling; uninsulated walls account for a further 15 to 25% and uninsulated floors lose between 10 and 20% of heat.
- Blinds and curtains should have white or reflective outer surfaces—dark colours absorb solar energy, adding to cooling problems.
- Place rugs or carpets on timber or elevated slab floors.
- Cover internal walls, particularly those that face south. Even a large woollen wall hanging can provide extra insulation, reducing heat loss in winter.
tip
Only heat rooms you are using
and close doors between the
heater and unoccupied rooms.
- Fully insulating your home can halve heating and cooling greenhouse gas emissions and costs and dramatically improve comfort all year.
- Windows are the weakest point of most houses. In winter a window can lose 10 times as much heat as the same area of insulated wall. In summer, each square metre of glass exposed to sun can gain nearly as much heat as running a single bar radiator.
- In winter, close fitting blinds or curtains that create a layer of still air next to the glass are most effective. External shading is twice as effective as an internal blind at blocking out summer heat.
- Unshaded skylights and roof glazing can overheat in summer and lose heat in winter. Careful design is needed.
Cool your home efficiently
- On mornings of hot days, close up the house and shade all windows to block out the summer heat. When it cools down outside, open up the house to breezes.
- Clean filters of airconditioners and heaters as recommended by the manufacturer: a clogged filter reduces air flow and efficiency.
- In climates with dry heat, evaporative coolers provide comfort while using as little as a tenth of the energy of an airconditioner with much lower greenhouse gas emissions.
- In hot humid climates, when you need cooling use a high efficiency refrigerated airconditioner. Airconditioners carry energy labels so you can compare their performance. See www.energyrating.gov.au.
Heat your home efficiently
tip
Seal out draughts by sealing
cracks and gaps around doors,
windows and skirting boards,
fitting dampers to fireplaces and
open exhaust fans, and blocking
unnecessary vents: cut annual
greenhouse gas emissions by
hundreds of kilograms and
improve comfort.
- Select a low greenhouse impact source for heating (see graph below). Reverse cycle airconditioners and gas heaters carry energy labels to help you choose an efficient model. See www.energyrating.gov.au.
- If using a wood heater, use only dry, seasoned wood, and operate according to manufacturer’s instructions to minimise pollution. Consider switching to another option.
- Leaving heating or cooling running when no-one is home generates more greenhouse gas and costs more money. Timer controls can switch equipment on when it’s needed.
- Dress appropriately for the weather: put on a jumper before turning on a heater, and take off excess clothes before using an airconditioner. A thermostat setting of 18–20°C in winter, or 26oC in summer is usually comfortable. An extra 1oC difference in temperature between indoors and outdoors can add around 10% to heating or cooling costs and greenhouse gas emissions.
Approximate greenhouse gas emissions from heaters
(kg/unit of heat delivered)
