Advertising Feature
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This weekend marks Sustainable House Day 2018 and therefore the perfect opportunity to take a wander through the Enviro 9.
The Alatalo Bros display home at Thurgoona display boasts an 8.8 star energy rating.
It will be open on Sunday, September 16, from midday to 4pm.
Operations manager Mike Alatalo said the main objective when designing and building the Enviro 9 was to create a light-filled home that was comfortable all year around.
"Most new homes that are built locally perform OK in the summer months but struggle in the colder months," he said.
"The climate in Albury-Wodonga requires heating for about five to six months of the year.
"Keeping a poorly insulated home warm for this amount of time can be very costly."
Mr Alatalo said the Enviro 9 had exceeded "all of our expectations" with its ability to retain heat during this colder-than-average winter.
He said 6 stars was the minimum energy rating required.
"And while that is OK, we believe that 7 or above isn’t that hard to achieve and will result in a more comfortable home," he said.
He said there were three main things to consider to help improve a home's energy rating:
- orientaion;
- insulation; and
- windows.
"Orientation is so important and it doesn’t cost anything to do it correctly," he said.
"Orientating a home the right way will create a light-filled home that makes you smile.
"The Enviro 9 is full of light and maximises the winter sun."
Mr Alatalo said his company also encouraged its customers to upgrade the insulation in their new homes because it was a small expense in the big scheme of things and something they would not regret doing.
This advertising feature is sponsored by the following business: Alatalo Bros
When it comes to windows, he said there were many options but double glazing was by far the most popular.
"Keeping window sizes on the south to a minimum and having larger ones on the north and east all helps," he said.
"The cost to upgrade an average size home from 6 stars to 7 and above, can be as little as $5000 with the right orientation.
"It may take a while to recoup this money by having lower energy bills, but you will be living in a home so comfortable you won’t ever regret the extra spend. Having an in-house design team who are passionate about all of these issues makes it easy for our clients to achieve a higher energy rating home."
The Enviro 9 display home is located at 104 Stockman Circuit, Thurgoona.