A new survey shows that seven in 10 NSW homeowners believe that energy efficiency was either not relevant or only a minor consideration when purchasing their home.
In launching Think Brick Australia's online Climate Design tool, environmental architect Tone Wheeler believes this thinking will need to change as more severe weather conditions become the norm and energy prices start to soar.
To address this issue and make it easier to design more sustainable new homes, Think Brick Australia has developed an online Climate Design Wizard, which provides homeowners, builders and architects with information about their local climate, as well as design strategies which when adopted achieve a more environmentally sustainable outcome.
By clicking on the desired climate location on the wizard, design ideas and advice for local conditions such as air temperature, humidity, heating and cooling degree hours, solar irradiation and sky condition, rainfall and wind data are instantly available.
The survey also shows that the vast majority of Australian homeowners said they want to make their homes more energy efficient, including 82 per cent in NSW. In contrast, little interest has been shown in energy efficient design strategies. Only a small minority of homeowners said they had adopted environmentally sustainable design strategies to help keep their home cool, such as installing shading (8 per cent), installing roller shutters (2 per cent) or investing in window coverings (16 per cent).
