Climate Change Didax

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84
Indicators
Reads text and completes answers about the design of
an energy-efcient home.
Rates own home for energy efciency.
Draws and labels aspects of an energy-efcient room.
Worksheet Information
Other aspects that have not been mentioned include
choosing a block of land on which to build the house
that allows the home builder to erect the home with the
best orientation; varying home designs to suit climate,
such as homes on stilts in tropical areas to allow cool
breezes to circulate underneath; grouping rooms with
similar uses to create zones; the use of doors rather
than open-plan design to retain heated or cooled air;
grouping kitchen, bathroom, and laundry areas so that
long hot-water pipes are not needed (heat loss through
pipes results in more hot water use); including solar
hot-water heating systems; the use of rainwater tanks
or adaptions to use gray water for garden use, and
so on.
Many government departments assist home builders
who want to build more energy-efcient homes. They
can provide a compass card to help owners orient their
home best, supply brochures with information about
energy-efcient heating, cooling, and other appliances,
or brochures that give simple tips to save energy in
the home. They conduct community seminars and give
information about particular case-study homes built for
energy efciency.
Students may need their own home plan or a simple
sketch of it with compass points for the activity on page
74. A simple sketch completed for homework before
doing the worksheet may be necessary so information
is more accurate.
Quiz questions relating to this section can be found on
page 16.
Answers
Page 86
1. orientation
2. Orientation places the house on the block of land
so it utilizes the suns rays for heating in winter and
excludes summer heat.
3. Answers may be chosen from the following list: size,
placement, curtain or blind treatment, tinted glass,
reective lm, double glazing.
4. Teacher check but answers will be similar to:
(a) Insulation forms a barrier to keep heat in during
winter and to reduce the amount of heat that enters
the house in summer.
(b) Building materials vary in their ability to keep heat
in during winter and out during summer. Double
brick is better than brick veneer, but brick veneer is
better than weatherboard, ber cement, and other
lightweight materials.
(c) Cross-ventilation allows cool breezes to ow
through the house in summer.
5. Deciduous trees and lots of grass can help regulate
homes temperature.
Page 87
Teacher check
Cross-Curricular Activities
Students can research information about, and then
design, their own energy-efcient home plan.
Investigate ways the school layout and design are energy
efcient, and then list ways to improve the energy-
efciency level.
Visit a home display center and collect brochures of
energy-efcient buildings, products, and appliances.
ENERGY-EFFICIENT HOME DESIGN
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We must all take responsibility for looking after our world and the environment. After all, its the only one
we have! The home is the obvious place to start when thinking of becoming more energy efcient.
A truly energy-efcient home begins with the orientation and design of the house itself. The most energy-efcient
house is one that is placed on the block of land in such a way that it uses the suns heat to warm the home in winter
and excludes the heat in summer. In the Northern Hemisphere, this means having windows and the most-used
rooms, such as living rooms, facing south to receive maximum winter sun. Wide eaves or verandas should shade
the hotter areas of a house.
The size and placement of windows affects the amount of heat that enters a home. The type of curtains or blinds
used on windows also makes a difference. Thick curtains can keep out or retain heat in rooms. Skylights in dark
rooms reduce the need to turn on lights. Tinted glass, reective lm, and double glazing on windows reduce the
amount of heat entering a room.
Insulation in the roof and walls of a home forms an efcient barrier to heat ow, reducing heat lost from a home in
winter and the amount entering in summer.
The types of materials used to build a home can also make a big difference. Double brick walls are more efcient
than brick veneer, while weatherboard, ber cement, and other lightweight walls are the least efcient, as they heat
up and cool down quickly. Concrete oors are more efcient than timber. Even painting the exterior of a home a
lighter color will help reect summer heat.
Providing cross-ventilation to capture cool breezes in summer and draft-proong around doors and windows to
prevent heat loss in winter will help as well.
Plants and trees can also be used to make a home more energy efcient. Deciduous trees and vines planted
correctly will provide shade in summer but allow winter sun to warm the home. Grassed areas and large areas of
paving or concrete shaded by trees can help to reduce heat reected into the house.
A home designed for the local climate with energy efciency in mind not only saves money on energy costs for its
occupants but may also reduce the impact that humans have on the environment.
ENERGY-EFFICIENT HOME DESIGN 1
Climate Change Didax

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Use the text on page 85 to complete the following.
1. What is the rst thing to consider when building an energy-efcient home?

2. What effect does this have on energy efciency?




3. Name four ways windows can be energy efcient.




4. Write a short explanation to show how each affects energy efciency.
(a) insulation


(b) building materials


(c) cross-ventilation


5. Explain how plants and trees can be used to enhance energy efciency.




.
Some countries, such as the U.S., give homes as well as appliances an energy rating based on
insulation, windows, construction, heating, and cooling equipment used and the use of energy-
efcient appliances in the home.
ENERGY-EFFICIENT HOME DESIGN 2
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1. In the box below, draw a simple plan of the design of your home. Include compass directions; verandas; patios;
courtyards; grassy, paved, and concrete areas; arrows for hot and cool breezes and winter and summer sun; and
large shade trees, shrubs, and vines.
RATE YOUR OWN HOME
Many homes have so many air leaks from holes made for plumbing, wiring, lighting, and ductwork
that it is like having a window open all year around. This can waste 20 percent or more of the
energy used to heat and cool a home.
2. Give your home a rating to show how energy efcient the design is. Allocate one star
for best orientation for your climate, another for good shade provision in summer,
another star for methods of allowing cool breezes to get into the home in hot weather,
another for having insulation, another for ways to let in winter sun, and a nal one for
using the best building materials.
3. Select the room in your home
that you think is the most energy
efcient. Consider size and
placement of windows and doors,
the use of skylights, window
treatments, paint and decor colors
(lighter colors are usually cooler,
as are greens and blues!), oor
treatments, heating and/or cooling
options, and the use of trees, vines,
awnings, and blinds outside the
room to provide shade. Draw and
label the room plan, showing all the
ways the room was made energy
efcient.
AWESOME DESIGN!