Half the energy efficiency battle is won by selecting the right block

As the true cost of heating and cooling your family home becomes more of a 21st Century issue, the battle for establishing a truly energy efficient home is heating up. Today, customers who are getting new homes built are not only more savvy, but expect their builder to be on the same page, and provide genuine advice and guidance. Because they are forking out a significant sum for their new home, which will have a likewise significant effect on their lifestyle for a large chunk of their lives, they want workable results when it comes to reducing the real costs of running a practical and liveable home. Fortunately, better products, improved technology and greater awareness have made this easier and much more achievable than it has ever been, but there are traps for the unwary, just the same as some food products labelled ‘diet’ or ‘low fat’ can have the appearance of benefits, but not the substance. That’s why The Avenues in Highfields has achieved a major advance for those who really want to build an energy efficient home. Essentially, the gridded street layout, like much of old Toowoomba, is orientated north-south and east-west. This orientation is the singular important aspect of establishing the most cost-effective energy efficiency — in fact, about 50% of your new home’s efficiency is determined by the right site orientation. Every other cost-saving aspect is underpinned by it. Another hidden benefit is that each block drains to the street, meaning there is no complex stormwater drainage system taking up valuable metres at the rear of each block. The best news is that around 80% of blocks in The Avenues have the ideal orientation, making the rest of it — building an energy efficient home — the easy and fun bit. And when it doesn’t cost any more to have a well-orientated site — that is, there is no added premium for it — it makes it so much better. Our guarantee is that we will give you all the benefits of our thorough research and construction experience in building truly energy efficient homes.