THE CONVERSATION: Keen to retrofit your home to lower its carbon footprint and save energy? Consider these three things – Daily Maverick

With temperatures plunging and power bills skyrocketing, heating (and cooling) our homes is an energy-intensive, expensive affair. ()

Myresearch into net-zero emissions retrofittingidentifies three broad categories that must be considered when retrofitting existing homes to be more climate friendly:

Its vital to understand how much sunlight the outside and interior of your home is exposed to. One can, accordingly, re-organise interior functions based on the demand for lighting, heating or cooling needs.

During summer, spaces used often during the day, such as your home office, could benefit from being in places that receive less direct sunlight, so are cooler. In winter, consider moving your home office set up to a room with higher levels of direct sunlight, where its warmer.

This will naturally reduce the amount of energy needed to cool or heat these rooms while allowing for comfortable working conditions.

Other ways we can find more visual comfort include modifying the size of windows and skylights to let in more sunlight. To diffuse harsh lighting, consideradding screens, sun baffles, overhangs, or pergolasover windows.

You can also replace your lights with LEDs equipped with linear controllers and motion sensors in places where lights tend to be left on.LEDs use around 75% less energy than halogen light bulbs.

Older homes are incredibly draughty, and a lot of the energy we spend cooling or heating our homes escapes outside due to poor insulation. Retrofitting to improve your homes natural ventilation can reduce the number of times you need to switch on the heater or air conditioner.

Sealing outside and internal surfacesuntil theyre airtight is crucial.Different surfaces whether walls, floors or ceilings require different methods, types and thicknesses of insulation.

Walls, for instance, require a blow-in method. This can involve installing cellulose foam orglasswool(made from fibreglass) into the wall, via asmall hole through the wall cavities(for cellulose foam) or laying glasswool batts in wall cavities. Floors, on the other hand, can require insulation panels fitted between timber or steel supports or foam boards.

Also importantis to choose materials and methods that maximise insulation while minimising thermal bridging. Athermal bridgeis a weak point where heat is lost, such as wall intersections, connecting points of mounting brackets, and even penetration points of electric cables.

Betweenten and 35%of the energy we spend cooling or heating our homes escapes through single glazed windows and doors. Installing double or triple glazed windows and doors will go a long way to keep temperatures more stable inside.

Its worth noting theenergy performance rating systemson measurement labels, which are often attached to window and door units you can buy in stores.

Ultimately, a combination of improved natural ventilation and mechanical ventilation (such as air conditioners as fans) can result in considerable energy savings up to 79%in some instances.

While the above strategies will result in significant energy savings, its also vital to consider the energy required to produce and manufactureretrofitting materials. Consider using salvaged or recycled materials where possible, or choosing locally made products that avoid emissions associated with transport.

Effectively installing solar panels can offset this hidden carbon. Lets say youve done all you can to lower your homes carbon footprint youve rolled out insulation, installed double-glazed windows and made the most of sunshine.

You can then calculate the energy you still use to heat or cool your home. This number will determine how many rooftop solar panels you should install to break even, rather than simply installing as many panels that can fit. ()

Its worth opting for solar panels with micro-inverters, which capture optimal energy performance per panel while allowing you to add more panels in future if needed.

Another option is to useair-source heat pumps, which absorb heat from outside and bring it inside (like a reverse air conditioner). These can take the form of mini-split heat pumps for individual rooms, or multi-zone installations.

They can sense indoor temperature, and operate at variable speeds and heating or cooling intensity, which means their energy performance is very efficient. Myresearchfinds well-planned use of such systems can reduce the energy used for heating by 69% and cooling by 38%.

These retrofitting ideas might seem expensive, or take too much time. However, theyll often save you money in the long run as energy prices become increasingly uncertain.

You can look toEvery Building Counts, an initiative by theGreen Building Counciland theProperty Council of Australia, which provides practical plans for emission reduction.

One can also learn from ongoing efforts by the Energiesprong networkin the Netherlands. This network is industrialising energy efficiency withprefabricated retrofitting building elements.

Some initiatives include lightweight insulated panels that can simply be placed in front of existing walls of homes. These panels are precisely fitted after carefully laser scanning a facade and robotically cutting openings to match existing homes. Harnessing contemporary technology is vital for a speedy net-zero transition.DM/ML

This story was first published in The Conversation and was mainly focusing on Australia. It has been edited slightly.

Nimish Biloria is an Associate Professor of Architecture at the University of Technology Sydney.

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THE CONVERSATION: Keen to retrofit your home to lower its carbon footprint and save energy? Consider these three things - Daily Maverick