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Energy
Sustainable solutions for home and office
including space heating, water heating, appliances and lighting
1
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Lose that
heat loss
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Minimise heat loss by insulating your house properly. Make sure that all gaps around windows and doors are filled or eliminated using weather-seal. Also seal infiltrations around pipes and wires ducts. Seal unused chimneys.
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2
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Use free
heat from
the sun
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Sunlight is the cleanest, most renewable source of energy on earth – and you don't have to pay for it! When planning a new house make sure that the design takes advantage of passive solar heat gain by including some or all of the following: optimal orientation, window design and placement, building materials such as concrete that have thermal mass, and air flow.
If you are renovating an existing house, this is a good time to consider upgrading your home’s passive solar design features.
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3
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Clean up
your heat
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There are many options for heating your home and there are a number of factors – like the size, layout and construction of your house – that will affect the type of heating you will use.
The most sustainable options are the clean, energy efficient ones. Heat pumps and modern wood burners and wood pellet stoves are good options. Avoid gas, oil and coal-burning heaters.
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4
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Choose energy
efficient
appliances
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Products such as personal care and cleaning products, fire retardants (on fabrics for example), pesticides and paints often contain hazardous, synthetic ingredients which end up in the environment and do not break down building up to toxic levels. It is more sustainable to use products that are natural and not made from petrochemicals and synthetic chemicals.
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5
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Make your
own energy
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Over 30% of New Zealand’s electricity is generated from natural gas and coal and is therefore a large contributor to our greenhouse gas emissions. There are many ways you can reduce electricity use – some of the most effective include having good insulation, buying a new, highly efficient fridge, installing solar or heat pump water heating and using compact flourescent bulbs. You can also generate your own electricity.
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6
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See the light
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Lighting accounts for 8% of home energy use. Incandescent lightbulbs are extremely inefficient so switching to CFLs is the best solution because they are five times more efficient. Also, turning off lights when they are not in use will help save energy.
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