Top 5 tips for building a NEW HOME, to end up with a more energy efficient house.

[@rhyscantrill540]

Love all the informative videos guys. Knowing it isn’t perfectly sealed, have you tested Evap cooling with vents ‘closed over’. I know it isn’t the best practice but also being in cold Ballarat we will only use cooling for perhaps two months of the year so closing them off isn’t a hassle for me. We are about to build but thinking we should ask the builder to axe the Evap and install split systems perhaps.

[@simonwax7575]

Thanks good to see these issues being addressed in Oz.

[@ryanmicro]

We just got our new finish, went through fair bit of effort to make its a higher class, we have foil board around the outside then fiberglass inside, extra insulation in internal walls for thermal mass and sound insulation got double glazed windows. Strangely enough simple mistakes made were no insulation around the angled ceiling in the lounge( 600 high) no insulation around the skylight(1200 by 800). They also just threw the 350mm return air duct down the wall which is a 600 square hole,lets a heap of roof space air when any exhaust fan on. I did notice that the slider stacker doors we have and the 1200 pivot door are a very poor seal, the sliding windows arnt too bad but there are some spots i can actually see through. I really wanted to do all my insulation but they said i wasnt allowed, i was allowed to do the electrical though.the insulation installers left whole batts out where heating ducts were.

[@ecoevo]

Ryan Macklin Yup, these are huge issues that make a massive difference, to the performance of a building. Thank you so much for sharing your experiences. I can confirm that you aren’t the only suffering from these short falls.

[@maxthecat9857]

Are all these points still relevant in todays construction methods? Considering this video is 4yrs old ?

[@ecoevo]

Of course! All of these issues are still current. We are about to wage full scale war on ducted heating returns being open to mouldy roof cavities. It’s rampant through out Australia. kzbin.infoL_Qm-skkshs?feature=share

[@OthmanAlikhan]

Thanks for the video =)

[@TIPPAH308]

I am currently building a steel frame house and have just discovered air tight sealing. I am going to use SIGA tapes to seal from the slab to the second story roof. Is there a Performance difference with Bradford Enviroseal Proctor wrap RW and SIGA Majvest or is there an alternative. I have HEBEL powerwall on 35mm top hats as the exterior cladding. Availability of the SIGA exterior wrap is the issue.

[@ecoevo]

Where are you located? Both products are good but there are subtle difference which is highly depended upon the local condition of your site, how long will the wraps be exposed to elements, how much direct traffic or potential contact/ rubbing by other material.

[@TIPPAH308]

@@ecoevo the wrap would be installed and be exposed for a week at most before the Hebel would be fitted. I am located on the south coast NSW in Kiama.

[@josephcheung3964]

@@TIPPAH308 The two product should perform very much identical for your location. The key is to check if all joints are sealed with tapes or caulking. One area that is commonly overlooked is the seal below damp proof sheets or the termite barrier.

[@TIPPAH308]

@@josephcheung3964 I am going to use SIGA tapes to completely seal all joints, windows and doors, bottom plate to the slab and and penetrations. Thanks for the INFO.

[@pancakeninja445]

We have gas ducted heating in our two storey home, the return air vent is downstairs what options do I have ?

[@Deniseandgavin]

I have a 1 storey building with the garage on the NE corner. Do I need to insulate the garage ceiling bearing in mind there are no rooms above it.

[@ecoevo]

Only if you had a conditioned space above the garage, and you would be insulating the floor of the room above, not the ceiling of the garage. Does that make sense?