Do you want to avoid swelling in your next home? Check out these 12 features before renting or purchasing

Hot Australia with the warmest spring heels on record, is baking another burnt summer. The national heat wave contributed to the second warmest January on record. This week, hot, dry, windy weather has been swept across the country again.

Finding a home to stay cool in this heat is a real challenge. Home buyers and renters face two issues: a lack of heat-resistant homes and a lack of reliable, independent information about their performance in the heat.

So, how can you avoid buying or renting “Hot Boxes”? Below is a handy list of 12 features to check when searching for a place to live.

Ask these questions before you test

1. Do you have insulation in your home? Insulation on ceilings, walls and underfloors seals the indoor environment and prevents heat from leaking or leaking.

2. Do you have a double glass window? Insulated glass made of two or more window strips with space between them prevents heat inside in the summer and winter.

3. How big is the house? Australian homes are the largest home in the world. Cooling a large home with air conditioning can be expensive. Check your floor plan to see if you can close the door and close the interior space. This will cool down any necessary parts during the hot spell.

4. Did you have energy and heat performance evaluations at home? Housing Efficiency Scorecards are delivered by the Victorian Government on behalf of all Australian Governments. This report, done by a certified evaluator, assesses the energy use and comfort of the home and recommends improvements. Other ratings also exist.

Look for these during the inspection

1. Check the color and properties of the exterior walls, roofs and surrounding surfaces. Dark-colored roofs and walls, and other hard surfaces such as concrete absorb more heat. This heat accumulates during the day and is radiated at night, causing what is known as the Heat Island effect.

2. Look at the floor and surface inside. If the hot weather doesn’t last too long, the brick walls and concrete surfaces inside are good. That’s because it takes time for the house to get hot. However, these heavy materials take time to cool once the heat wave is over. Good ventilation may compensate for this.

3. Consider the size and location of the windows and doors. Openings on both sides of the room and throughout the house allow for cooling through natural ventilation. You can open the house and let the cold air flow from one side to the other in the middle of the night, or when a cold change comes. Security doors and fly screens protect insects and potential intruders.

4. Are there any external shading such as blinds or green? Ensuring that windows and walls are covered outside is the best way to reduce heat, especially on the west-facing side. Large shaded glass windows facing north and west can make your home hot in the summer. Vertical blinds work well with west facing windows. On the north side, horizontal shades such as Pergola block the sun in the summer. Also, during winter, the sun is low in the sky, allowing you to gently warm your home.

5. Check the ceiling fan. Ceiling fans cool the house and use little energy. Check how many installed and where they are. Ceiling fans are ideal for living spaces, but they also work well in bedrooms that help you stay comfortable on hot nights.

6. Investigate Air-Con. If your home has air conditioning, ask about its age and look for energy ratings at Energyrating.gov.au.

7. Think about the space in your garden. Plants and trees can create a “microclimate” around your home, keeping it cool. Also look at the scenery beyond the property. Tree-lined roads can lower temperatures and improve thermal comfort during heat waves.

8. Pay attention to the location of the afternoon sun. Visit potential homes in the middle of the afternoon or check out the sun’s path through the home. Perhaps use the Sun Tracking app. If your air conditioner is on, think about what this means for your energy bill. How would a house feel without it? Are there other ways to keep the building cool?

For more information about Home Energy Efficiency, visit Yourhome, Renew, Scorecard and read the Home Report Cooling.

Set a higher standard

Most Australian homes perform less when it comes to maintaining a comfortable temperature range indoors. This is especially true for those constructed before the 1990s, when minimum energy performance standards were introduced. However, these standards set a lower bar compared to overseas standards.

This, coupled with the lack of requirements for landlords and sellers (except for the law) to evaluate or declare a home, leaving buyers and tenants in the dark when it comes to making informed choices. It means.

Renters and low-income households have the greatest risk of living in homes that are too hot or too cold. Private rentals in Australia are one of the poorest and most uncomfortable homes in the Western world.

The law introduces minimum energy efficiency standards for rental properties, but national standards contain few provisions that promise to improve thermal comfort.

We hope these tips will help you avoid Australia’s worst hotboxes until you need to disclose regulatory landscape changes and energy performance.

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