Home Design Guides: Cooling, Heating
How to calculate heating and cooling costs
Heating and cooling can be very expensive, and knowing what you're paying to use your heaters and air conditioners is a good way to rein in your usage. Here's how to calculate your costs.
What is passive design?
Ever noticed that some houses are cooler or warmer than others without relying heavily on powered cooling or heating devices? This usually comes down to clever design...
Heating and cooling management
Heaters and air conditioners can easily account for most of your energy consumption if you allow them to. Find out what you can do to minimise the need for artificial heating and cooling, and to reduce your consumption.
Geothermal heat pump systems
Geothermal heat pump systems are able to draw heat from the ground to use for cooling your home. Geothermal systems are expensive to install but very cheap to run.
Insulation and climate control
Artificially cooling an area depends heavily on how well you can keep heat out of it. Good insulation is vital to ensuring that your house remains cool.
Heat pump or reverse cycle air conditioner
Reverse cycle airconditioners are effectively heat pump heaters. They are a cheap and efficient heating option, and provide both heating and cooling.
How to clean heating ducts and vents
Heating ducts carry air all around your house, and vents often get dirty as a result of how much air flows through them. Find out if (and how) you need to clean them.
Automated climate control
There are a great many ways in which a smart home can use technology to improve and automate climate control. Find out how automated climate control might suit your home.