ENERGY EFFICIENCY
From their inception Glenway Homes have made a commitment to provide the specialist skills and understanding needed to incorporate energy efficient design features into their clients homes. Their holistic design process assists their clients every step of the way, from the selection of a block and home orientation to room layout, finishings and landscaping.
Principles with which Glenway Homes designers work with include:
- Maximising the exposure of the home to the north to facilitate natural heat gain.
- Careful positioning of doors and windows to encourage the flow of summer breezes.
- Louvered shades to allow the winter sun in but block the summer sun out.
- Strategic positioning of insulation in the ceilings and wall cavities.
- Zoning sections of the home for more efficient heating and cooling.
North - Main living areas in your home are best located on the northern side. North facing windows provide natural solar warmth in winter, while in summer can easily be shaded by awnings, eaves, verandahs or pergolas. Keep blinds and curtains on north facing windows open during the day in winter, but covered during summer to prevent heat gain. |
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West - Intense afternoon sun strikes the western side of the home, so these windows need to be protected; locate west facing windows high on the wall, under eaves and reduce window areas as much as possible. Landscaping with carefully selected trees and shrubs also creates effective shading. |
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East - On summer mornings, east facing windows receive intense heat because of the angle of the sun's rays; shade your windows with external shading devices. During winter the east facing walls emit a small amount of solar energy contributing to the thermal mass of the home. |
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South - In Perth, the 'Fremantle Doctor' blows from the south-west, so it is important to have windows situated on the south wall to take advantage of this cool breeze. In winter these windows receive no sunlight, making rooms uncomfortable; retain heat by hanging curtains, or consider double-glazed glass. |
Although other builders have recently seen some advantage in promoting themselves as energy efficient builders, Glenway Homes has been successfully operating in this area for some time. Glenway Homes commitment was first recognised in 2000 when they were successful in winning the HIA Energy Efficient Housing Award, Perth and Western Australia, for a Glenway home built in Strickland Street, Swanbourne. Glenway Homes is also an accredited HIA Green Smart Regional Partner, reflecting their commitment to improving the environmental performance of the building industry.
In conjunction to the consideration given to energy efficient features, a clients individual style is a big part of each and every Glenway Homes design. Unlike preconceived homes, the design process takes into consideration the smaller details that are unique to a particular project, such as, acoustics, views and the lifestyle requirements of the owners. A Glenway home is a direct reflection of the owners personality, combined with energy smart features.