Building Tips

Before you build your dream coastal home at Port Coogee, please consider the Port Coogee Design Guidelines and the following useful information:

Home truths

Consider all these elements in planning your home: design, materials, availability, cost and energy-use. Also think about resource consumption and pollution emissions over your home’s complete lifecycle and not just in the short term.
For more information on how to design a sustainable home visit yourhome.gov.au.

Get Solar Savvy

Millions of Australians are switching on to the cost-effectiveness and efficiency of solar power and in a country blessed with as much sunlight as ours, who can blame them?
There is a host of solar power products available on the market now, which for what they save in energy bills, don’t cost the earth either.
To find out more about purchasing a solar system and the benefits solar power can provide visit energymatters.com.au/buying-a-solar-system.php.

Keep your cool

Use passive solar building design - orient windows and walls and place awnings, porches and trees to shade windows and roofs during the summer while maximizing solar gain in the winter.
Thick or insulated walls, shade trees, deep eaves, and window awnings are all useful for making sure that conducted heat doesn’t make it indoors.
Take advantage of Port Coogee’s idyllic location and funnel the refreshing coastal breeze into your house to flush heat out of it on the other side.

Windows of opportunity

Install insulated window shades or shutters on the sunny sides of your house, to keep both radiated and conducted heat from coming in your windows.
Contrary to popular belief throwing open your windows in the heat of the day actually allows hot air in, sending temperatures soaring in your house. To cool it, close both your windows and your shades in the morning and open them again at night as soon as the temperature outside begins to drop.
Glass is the biggest path for heat loss and gain, so choose energy efficient windows, doors and skylights. Look for the WERS (window energy rating scheme) label on products.

	Building Tips Before you build your dream coastal home at Port Coogee, please consider the Port Coogee Design Guidelines and the following useful information: Home truths Consider all these elements in planning your home: design, materials, availability, cost and energy-use. Also think about resource consumption and pollution emissions over your home’s complete lifecycle and not just in the short term. For more information on how to design a sustainable home visit yourhome.gov.au. Get Solar Savvy Millions of Australians are switching on to the cost-effectiveness and efficiency of solar power and in a country blessed with as much sunlight as ours, who can blame them? There is a host of solar power products available on the market now, which for what they save in energy bills, don’t cost the earth either. To find out more about purchasing a solar system and the benefits solar power can provide visit energymatters.com.au/buying-a-solar-system.php. Keep your cool Use passive solar building design - orient windows and walls and place awnings, porches and trees to shade windows and roofs during the summer while maximizing solar gain in the winter. Thick or insulated walls, shade trees, deep eaves, and window awnings are all useful for making sure that conducted heat doesn’t make it indoors. Take advantage of Port Coogee’s idyllic location and funnel the refreshing coastal breeze into your house to flush heat out of it on the other side. Windows of opportunity Install insulated window shades or shutters on the sunny sides of your house, to keep both radiated and conducted heat from coming in your windows. Contrary to popular belief throwing open your windows in the heat of the day actually allows hot air in, sending temperatures soaring in your house. To cool it, close both your windows and your shades in the morning and open them again at night as soon as the temperature outside begins to drop. Glass is the biggest path for heat loss and gain, so choose energy efficient windows, doors and skylights. Look for the WERS (window energy rating scheme) label on products.	The Signature home was built following Port Coogee design guidelines