ESD and Sustainability Services
Experts in achieving cost-effective sustainable outcomes.
Get your reports done by one of our expert ESD Consultants.
Why choose us?
We are a team of experts with more than 17 years of experience in achieving cost-effective sustainable housing outcomes.
Our time frames
The building process can be long and stressful, and our fast turnaround times will give you one less thing to stress about.
Competitively Priced
We’ve streamlined and automated our systems to offer our clients a fair and honest pricing structure.
Long-lasting relationships
We build long-lasting relationships formed on trust, honesty, and respect. We will never give you a reason to go elsewhere.
We are here to educate
We love teaching our clients about sustainable initiatives and sound design in our ever-growing industry.
Not just words on a website
Don’t believe us? Call us today to have a chat; we love talking about all things sustainable.
Recent news
Visit our blog for the latest in all things ESD and housing sustainability consulting.
Efficient, cost effective sustainability (ESD) reports for building and planning permits.
What clients are saying about us?
Frequently asked questions
- What do the star ratings mean?
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The star band rating that can be achieved is 0 – 10 stars. A 10 star home theoretically requires no energy to heat or cool the dwelling and is comfortable all year round. As you can imagine, a 10 star rating house minimises the cost of running your home. A 0 star home is the opposite and provides no thermal protection to the outside environment. A home with a low energy rating requires significant costs to keep it warm in winter and cool in summer. Due to new regulations every new home in Victoria needs to have a 6 star energy rating.
- Will installing solar hot water or a water tank help with the energy rating?
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No, the energy rating does not take into consideration whether solar hot water or water tanks have been nominated on site. The National Construction Code (NCC Vol.2) stipulates that all new dwellings (Class 1) be fitted with either a rainwater tank connected to all sanitary flushing systems, or a solar water heater system, installed in accordance with the plumbing regulations 2008. These are to be nominated on the working drawings.
- Will installing energy efficient LED’s downlight help with the energy rating?
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No, in fact installing downlights throughout your home could have a negative effect on the overall performance on the energy rating. This is because downlights are required to have a 50mm clearance around them creating gaps in your ceiling insulation where heat can escape. Artificial lighting requirements are specified by the NCC. The NCC Vol.2 stipulates that new dwellings must not exceed 5w/m2. Verandah’s, porches and balconies that are attached to dwellings must not exceed 4w/m2 and garages and carports must not exceed 3w/m2. Our 6 star energy rating reports include an artificial lighting calculator that shows that maximum wattage allowed on your project.
- Will upgrading the insulation eliminate the need for double glazed windows?
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While insulation is now a requirement for all new dwellings and extensions, its rate of improvement diminishes once it gets past a certain thickness, while the price increase becomes quite substantial. The maximum insulation that will fit in a wall cavity is R2.5. The roof area provides greater opportunity to increase the insulation thickness to R3.5 or R4.1, anything after this will provide only a small boost in the energy rating but will add significant cost to the build. As each project is different, it is best to run simulations on both options to work out what will be the most cost-effective way of achieving a 6 star energy rating. PassivEnergy consultants are able to run these simulations if your project requires it.
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We look forward to working with you on your next project.
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