Climate Friendly Homes

An air source heat pump is an essential component of a climate friendly home. It works by transferring heat energy from one location to another, similar to how a refrigerator operates. During summer, it moves heat out of the house, and in winter, it brings heat into the house. This process involves evaporation and condensation using a refrigerant that circulates between indoor and outdoor units.

Heat pumps provide a lot of benefits:

• year-round comfort: a heat pump functions as both an air conditioner and a heating system
• affordable: heat pumps are generally more cost-effective to operate than gas furnaces
• maximum efficiency: a well-installed heat pump uses significantly less energy, about half to a third, compared to electric baseboards or a gas furnace
• climate friendliness: switching an average home to a heat pump reduces the home's carbon footprint by approximately the same amount as not driving your car for nine months of the year
• better indoor air quality: most heat pumps enhance airflow and dehumidification, with options for advanced air filtration, promoting healthier indoor environments
• great versatility: central heat pump systems can utilize existing ductwork in homes, while ductless mini-split systems offer flexibility without requiring ducting installations.

An efficient hot water heater will meet the water needs of most households in Victoria. For well set-up homes, a heat pump water heater is the most efficient electric option for heating water, making it the most climate friendly choice.

Here's how it works: the heat pump extracts warmth from the surrounding air and compresses it to raise the temperature. This heat then transfers through a condenser coil inside the water system, heating the water. Some models also have an electric heat element as backup during high-demand periods.

Heat pump hot water heaters offer several advantages:

• energy savings: they use significantly compared to other water heaters
• climate friendliness: heat pump water heating systems provide a clean-energy alternative to natural gas
• reliability: these systems provide the same dependable hot water you're used to
• smart controls: they come with adjustable operating modes that allow you to optimize settings based on your hot water usage

Cooking with a blue flame not only creates greenhouse gases but also releases harmful pollutants into your kitchen. In comparison, induction cooktops offer several advantages: they are faster, safer, healthier and more responsive to heat. Induction cooktops use electromagnetic fields to directly heat cookware, keeping the surrounding surface cool to the touch. Professional chefs are increasingly choosing induction because of its safety features and the cooler kitchen environment it provides.

Here are the benefits of using induction stove tops:

• speed: Induction cooking heats food much faster than a blue flame because it heats the pan directly, not the burner

• safety: Induction stove tops have no open flame and keep the surface cool to touch, reducing the risk of burns

• health: Induction cooktops produce zero pollution

• efficiency: Induction cooktops are about 95 per cent efficient, while conventional electric cooktops are about 80 per cent efficient

• temperature control: Induction cooktops offer precise temperature control, making it easier to adjust cooking temperatures as needed

• comfort: Induction cooktops do not release excess heat into the kitchen, creating a more comfortable cooking experience

Note: Aluminum and copper cookware are not compatible with induction cooktops.

Even though they work independently, elements like insulation, heating and cooling systems, windows, doors and ventilation in your home function together as a multi-component system. This means that changes to one part can affect others in unexpected ways.

Before upgrading your home's efficiency with a retrofit, it's recommended that you first seek professional guidance. This ensures that your investment in energy improvements meets your expectations without creating new problems. Taking a 'house-as-a-system' approach in planning retrofits gives you a comprehensive long-term energy improvement strategy.

For personalized advice on enhancing your home's efficiency, visit the Home Energy Navigator.