Serenity
Nestled amongst Currumbin Valley’s serene bushland, the Gold Coast’s harsh, humid summers and mild winters guided our comprehensive NatHERS 7 Star thermal performance assessment and energy efficiency compliance solutions.
Designer: Private / Owner
Location: Currumbin Valley QLD
NCC Climate Zone: 2
NatHERS Star Rating: 7. 1 Stars
Design Considerations
A beautifully designed home nestled amongst nature.
This exquisite family sanctuary is surrounded by Blackbutt and Hoop Pine Forests, Currumbin Valley, instilling both privacy and tranquility as well as providing ample shading from Queensland’s harsh summer sun.
Being impacted by an increase in building materials and other associated costs as a result of Covid 19, our client was particularly ‘budget conscious’ therefore, much time was spent relaying sustainable and energy efficient solutions to achieve the desired outcome, whilst complying with the NCC house energy efficiency provisions.
Climate Considerations
Australia has 8 main climate zones as defined by the National Construction Code (NCC 2019). Each of these climate zones has different design and construction requirements.
The Gold Coast falls into the NCC Climate Zone 2, whereby the summers are warm, muggy, and wet; whilst the winters are short and mild.
In hotter, more humid climate zones, it is commonly understood that the summer season impacts the cooling load more so than the winter season impacts the heating load.
These are important factors that must be considered by all parties during the design process.
The Heating Load is the amount of heat energy that is to be added to a living space to maintain the temperature in an acceptable range.
The Cooling Load is the amount of heat energy that is to be removed from a living space (cooling) to maintain the temperature in an acceptable range.
NatHERS Assessment Results
Thermal performance is the amount of heating or cooling that makes the interiors of a home comfortable. It is a measurement of how efficiently your home can retain heat.
A building with good thermal performance will need less energy to keep the insides warm and comfortable. (CSIRO)
The below table indicates that the heating load target for this particular climate zone is 12.5 megajoules per square metre per annum, whilst the cooling load target is 55.4.
Thermal Performance Solutions
Our client opted for polished concrete floors, ceiling fans and a combination of single glazed louvred and sliding windows to enhance cross ventilation and cooling breezes.
With great consideration to the design and the decision to incorporate hardwood batten shade screens as well as raw fibre cement cladding, the following thermal performance solutions were selected as a result of the NatHERS Assessment.
Building for 7 stars doesn’t have to be costly or complicated. Simple design features and material choices make a big difference to energy efficiency and the rating outcome.
The most important first step is to get your NatHERS assessor involved early in the design process.
Stellar Thermal’s accredited NatHERS assessors are extensively trained to improve ratings and providing solutions to achieve 7 stars and beyond.
