Most of us have experienced living in a cold and uncomfortable home. Generally, these homes are older, established houses with designs that took little consideration of the chilly Victorian climate.
That is why building a new home is such a wise decision! The brilliant thing about building a new home is you can fine tune your heating and cooling to create a comfortable home whatever the season.
Geelong Homes have been building homes across our region for 26 years—we know the Geelong and Surf Coast region—and the requirements a home needs to keep its occupants warm in winter and cool in summer.
Here are your options to keep your Geelong Homes home comfortable whatever the season.
What comes standard?
No matter what, your new home by Geelong Homes will have heating! Every home comes with gas heating.
For Geelong Homes’ smaller designs—less than 140m2—your new home will come with a Rinnai Energy Saver Gas Wall Heater in the living area. These systems have a minimum 4.8-star rating. According to Rinnai, the Energysaver heaters “outperform almost all other forms of heating. Sending out warm, clean air, they create zero emissions, which is ideal for those susceptible to allergies or respiratory problems.”
For Geelong Homes designs greater than 140m2, every home comes with gas ducted heating, which is installed into the roof space. It comes with manual thermostat control, ducted to the living area and bedrooms (not wet areas). For a Geelong Homes flat roof design it comes with a split system/s.
Want even more warmth?
If this isn’t toasty enough for you, Geelong Homes offers further heating upgrades at an affordable price point. When it comes to our smaller designs, our new home consultants will often suggest an upgrade from the gas wall heater to a three-star ducted gas heating system. This is a great option for budget-conscious families or first home buyers who want every room heated.
If budget is less of a concern, the other option is an upgrade to a 4 or 5-star ducted heating system with the addition of zoning. For obvious reasons, this is one of our most popular upgrades. This system allows you to control the heating in different parts of your home.
Now if you can’t think of anything better than snuggling in front of a warm fire on a winter’s night, then a gas log fire is an excellent option. A gas log fireplace adds luxe and ambience that creates a warm, inviting space.
There is also the option of hydronic heating. Hydronic heating is the most expensive option. What that buys you is a lovely radiant heat with low running costs to create a warm and comfortable home. Hydronic heating circulates hot water through panels that are either fitted to your walls or installed underfloor in your slab. Another great feature is these panels can be turned off so that you’re not heating areas of your home which aren’t being used.
But what about cooling?
Cooling doesn’t come standard with a Geelong Homes home however there are plenty of options!
Firstly, split systems—which offer both heating and cooling—is one of the options. Split systems are energy efficient and can be placed in specific locations to keep only certain areas of the home cool or warm. Some split-systems also conserve energy by using motion sensors that slows the system down when you’re not using the room.
Another option is evaporative cooling—an excellent choice when wanting to cool your entire house as they can be ducted throughout your home.
A popular choice among our clients is ceiling fans. Considering Victoria’s milder summers, ceiling fans are a great, energy efficient option to keep you cool on a hot day. They also work well in tandem with your cooling or heating systems to circulate air for added comfort. In addition to that, they come in all different sizes and styles to really create a focal point in your home.
Other ways to keep your home comfortable
It’s not just about what heating and cooling you put in your home that determines how comfortable it can be! Firstly, all Geelong Homes homes come with wall and ceiling insulation—which will help to retain any heating or cooling inside your home. Another design element we always consider is the orientation of your home, or simply where your home is positioned on your block. This plays a big part in capturing the warmth of the sun throughout the seasons and ultimately can result in less heating and cooling use—and therefore save you money in the long run.
To get the best out of your home’s orientation, Geelong Homes offers the option of mirroring or flipping your floorplan to make the most of the sun’s aspect. This means you can flip your living room to take advantage of the morning sun and create a warm, well-lit and open living space that gets plenty of natural light throughout the day.
You can also upgrade your home with double-glazed windows, which can also improve the thermal performance of your home!
In summary
Geelong Homes have been building homes across our region for 26 years—we know the Geelong and Surf Coast region—and the requirements a home needs to keep its occupants comfortable.
When building your home it’s a perfect chance to create a home that’s comfortable all year round. All Geelong Homes homes come with heating but there’s plenty of affordable options to upgrade this heating and cooling for your ideal home.
Upgraded heating and cooling options include:
- 3, 4 or 5-star ducted gas heating with the option of zoning;
- gas log fireplace;
- hydronic heating;
- split system cooling/heating;
- evaporative cooling;
- and, ceiling fans.
It’s not just simply about heating and cooling options when it comes to creating a comfortable home. All our homes come with wall and ceiling insulation. Geelong Homes also considers orientation when positioning a home on a block—this takes advantage of the sun’s aspect throughout the seasons and ultimately can result in less heating and cooling use. You can also upgrade your home with double-glazed windows, which can also improve the thermal performance of your home!
