In today’s design landscape, creating an energy-efficient home is one of the most powerful ways to live a greener life. If you’re choosing to build your new home from scratch, integrating sustainable design features can offer your family a range of benefits. Not only will it reduce your carbon footprint - it’ll also keep your energy bill low and potentially save thousands of dollars.

Not sure where to start? Here are Clarendon Homes’ top tips to help you plan your energy-efficient and beautifully designed space.

7-star BASIX

Importantly, as of 1 October 2023, the BASIX standards have increased. The minimum standard of compliance with the Building Code of Australia’s energy efficiency requirements has increased from 5-stars to 7-stars.

At Clarendon Homes, we are making a range of changes to ensure that our homes follow this new standard. We will ensure all the homes we build receive a 7-star BASIX certificate by applying a range of measures to our design and build, including installing appropriate insulation and glazing, and making the most of natural lighting and ventilation.

Clarendon customer Chris Wilson decided to choose Clarendon Homes to build his family’s dream home in New South Wales. For Chris and his family, knowing Clarendon takes the BASIX regulation seriously was an important point of difference when choosing a home builder. “Energy efficiency is important to us. We are very climate minded. We did a lot of research into different builders, and it impressed us that Clarendon was taking their 7-star responsibility seriously and are planning for the future.”

For Chris and his family, reducing their environmental footprint was a huge consideration when they set out to build a new home. “I think of the limited resources that we have in Australia, and this makes me very keen to limit the damage we personally do to this planet.”

“One thing that impressed us with Clarendon is they're known as efficient volume homebuilders, but we found them to be much more flexible than we expected," said Chris. “They were helpful within this energy efficiency remit when finding the right options, but also more broadly with adapting our house plans to our requirements as a small family.”

With Clarendon’s help, Chris has made his home as fossil fuel-free as possible. “Solar has been key for us. We have also tried to eliminate gas appliances and features from our home where possible in favour of electric options. We even have an electric car and have had an electric car charger installed.” Chris said.

“We upgraded our insulation, so we hopefully don't have to heat and cool the house as much. We also installed fans, to reduce the need for using air conditioningChris added.

What about aesthetics?

Many people building a new home are quick to associate energy-efficient design with large fiberglass glazed solar panels or oddly placed windows. The good news is it’s no longer necessary to compromise on your sense of style when building a greener home.

With Clarendon, there are some easy choices you can make that are both eco-friendly and aesthetic such as the colours of your roof, façade, interior walls and floors. For example, light colours – white, beige and ivory – complement traditional architecture and are better for regulating temperatures. On the other hand, darker colours such as charcoal, can overwhelm the façade of your home and take away from year-round thermal comfort.

For New South Wales-based Clarendon customer, Jarrad Rispen, the BASIX changes are a step in the right direction. For Jarrad, designing an energy-efficient home was about striking the right balance between comfort and environmental impact. “We’re looking at doing double glazing on all windows, mainly because I don’t like haze, but also because the clear double glazing helps with insulation and the transfer of heat,” said Jarrad. “So, it accounts for our comfort, but is also environmentally friendly.”

What impact will building energy-efficient homes have on cost?

With energy costs on the rise, it makes sense to ensure that your new home is as energy-efficient as possible. While there is indeed a higher cost associated with the building components required to meet the new BASIX standards, the good news is that energy-efficient homes can deliver major financial savings over time. The NSW Government estimates that complying with the BASIX 7-star Home standard means households will save as much as $980 a year on energy bills.

For Jarrad, the higher price tag on energy-efficient home design was a no-brainer in the long run. “The point of spending money on things like double glazing, the insulation, and the light-colored roof is that less energy efficient heating and cooling appliances don’t have to be used as much in the first place.”

Start your energy-efficient journey today

Clarendon Homes is committed to a sustainable future for you and your family. If you’re interested in learning more, the Clarendon Homes Lifestyle Studio gives you the opportunity to explore some of these features and visualise them in your own space. With the help of Clarendon’s experienced style consultants and partners, customers can choose all the sustainable fixtures and materials that will ensure they truly love coming home.

Located in Beresfield and Norwest, the Clarendon Homes Lifestyle Studios are open Monday to Friday 9 am to 5 pm. The Norwest studio is also open on Saturdays from 10 am to 2 pm.

Phone (02) 8850 9111

For more information about the new BASIX regulations, go to our recent article, BASIX: Building your 7-Star Home