Crazy Energy Bills? This is the Pocket-Friendly Solution You Need

Is your home too hot in the summer, too cold in the winter, or maybe you’ve just got really big bills? It’s very easily explained by understanding the Cost / Comfort equation.

The Cost / Comfort equation (or Cost / Comfort Chart) is used to visually determine whether the energy efficiency in your home is leaning towards comfort or cost. It is also a quick way to explain the reason for your unusually high electric bill.

You can see in this chart that increasing comfort goes up the vertical axis.  In this context, we are talking about comfort within your own home during times of summer heat and winter cold. Across the bottom of the chart is increasing cost.  You need to put more energy, and therefore more cost, into your home in order to achieve thermal comfort.

The equation also classifies one’s home under three zones: Red, Yellow, and Green.

Homes classified under the Yellow Zone are moderately insulated homes. These homes rely mostly on heating and cooling systems at every change of season to sustain a reasonable level of comfort. Most homes are somewhere around this zone.

On the other hand, homes in the Red Zone are like a cardboard box with holes poked in them. Because these houses have poor insulation, it is impossible to maintain a comfortable temperature in summer and winter because the “holes” allow your cooled/warmed air to escape. As a result, homeowners end up using far too much energy to keep their homes comfortable through the seasons.

In the Green Zone are the really fantastic homes. These are well-insulated homes, mostly with passive solar design. That is, they make maximum use of the winter sun coming in to warm the home in the wintertime, and they shade the windows and walls beautifully well in the summertime. So very little energy is required to keep those homes at a really high level of comfort all year round.

Now, if you identify your home to be somewhere in the Yellow and Red Zones, you might be thinking about moving to a home with greater comfort. Bear in mind that moving is a big undertaking, and highly expensive at that!  

You’ve got agent fees to sell your home. You’ve got stamp duty for the new one. You’ve got to find the new home. You’ve got to sell your home and buy the new one at the same time, and there’s no guarantee that you’re not going to get another Yellow or Red Zone house.

The most practical idea is to invest in your existing home in order to move it from the Red / Yellow Zone up into the Green Zone. An ecoHome Energy Assessment is the best way to get you started. It’s going to give you the exact steps, sequenced in order of maximum benefit for minimum cost which will make your home more comfortable regardless of seasons.

Our expert assessor will then design a retrofit plan tailored to your needs so you can be more comfortable in your home with less energy. This includes a set of draught proofing and insulation solutions that help prevent the entry of draughts into your home and stop your home heating/cooling from escaping.