Saving money starts with environmentally friendly home design

Ready to build your dream home at Kinma Valley? We spoke with Queensland Regional Sustainability Manager Karen Greaves on how to design a home that’s good for your health, the environment and your wallet.

“When it comes to designing and building your dream home, there are plenty of eco-friendly and practical design ideas to reduce your home running costs, and ease your impact on the environment.” Karen said.

“We want to encourage community members to think about sustainability in their builds and talk to their project builders about how they can incorporate these ideas,” Karen said. “Affordability and liveability are top of mind for home buyers, and whilst there may be some additional costs at the time of your build these tips and tricks can make a really big difference for home owners to reduce urban heat, improve energy efficiency and importantly reduce your electricity bill.”

Check out these simple sustainable design tips:

Consider your block aspect
Good orientation can improve your comfort and reduce your heating and cooling needs, making your home more energy efficient.

• For larger lots, rectangular shaped homes with the shorter walls facing east and west is best for reducing heat in summer
• For smaller lots, a north-south orientation and shape is best to cool your home in summer and heat your home in winter
• Garage and bathrooms are best placed on the eastern or western sides of the house to keep your main living spaces cool
  
  

LED Lighting
Did you know LED lights use less energy and have a longer life expectancy than other globes? You can also home control systems like Google and Alexa to reduce your electricity usage.

Light coloured roof
The colour of your roof shouldn’t be overlooked! Dark roof and wall colours absorb heat, so it’s best to avoid them in favour of lighter colours, which absorb less of the sun’s energy and help keep your house cooler.

Landscaping
In hot and sunny Queensland, clever landscaping can make a big difference in reducing the amount of heat absorbed by your home. Including trees and shrubs in your landscape design can provide much needed shade and windbreaks, cooling your home and outdoor areas down.

Heating and cooling
A home with great natural light and natural ventilation more comfortable, and cheaper to run. Ceiling fans can help you feel cooler in summer. Talk to your builder about the NatHERS rating of your home design, aiming for 7 star or higher.  Improving the energy efficiency of the house will help your house stay at a more constant temperature all your round and help your AC unit run more efficiently, reducing your electricity bills.,  

Water saving fixtures
An important part of sustainable building design is reducing your water use. Choosing ater saving fixtures including showerheads, taps and toilets, helps you keep your water bill down.

Think clever design
Discuss clever design choices with your builder, such as:

• Orientating operable windows to capture the cooling north-east breeze on those hot summer afternoons. Ideally windows and doors should be on opposite sides of a room to create a breeze path.
• Including wide eaves and internal or external shutters to shade walls and windows
• Keeping west and east facing windows small with raised sill heights
• Choosing energy-efficient windows to make your home more comfortable
• Use reflective and bulk insulation to reflect the sun in summer

Go Solar
Want to reduce your electricity bill and your carbon footprint? Solar panels generate electricity from the sun and reduce your need to buy electricity during the day, helping the environment and your wallet. It’s a win-win!

Sustainable home design at Kinma Valley
When you move to Kinma Valley, you’ll be part of a leafy address designed to blend with its stunning natural surrounds. 

We encourage sustainable and innovative housing designs that complement our local environment and enhance your lifestyle benefits. Our team of dedicated design and planning professionals have developed a range of building guidelines for residences within Kinma Valley, ensuring that your home and landscape align with our vision for our community.

Check out the Home Design Guidelines for more tips on designing a sustainable home at Kinma Valley here.