It’s nice to feel some bite in the air in the morning now (when we step outside), and also to see the outside temperature monitor start dipping lower and lower each night. Autumn is definitely beginning and winter is not far away. The reading dropped to 13.59 degrees C this morning before sunrise, while we were enjoying comfortable 21-23 inside. Now is the time of year that we start to appreciate building higher than Code, and we’ll start to close up the windows and revert back to rely primarily on our balanced heat-exchanged ventilation system.
We have filming again on Friday for the Living Green TV Show, due to air later this year, so we’re adding some final touches to the home. When that is complete we will announce some more open home dates.
We’ve also plotted all the energy consumption and production (import and export), and are showing a nice gap proving we are definitely positive energy. The below graph has the import in blue, and export in red.
The first six months we were charging an electric vehicle, however it does not seem to have made a significant difference. Interesting is that our consumption is very flat through the year, as we haven’t used any dedicated heating (an occasional wood fire, more for ambience), so the extra power will be more lighting during the shorter days and more use of the dryer. I’m keen to do some digging around and see the variation between summer and winter for homes in our area which rely on heat-pumps to heat their homes.
We have also just changed over to Ecotricity, and their service has been amazing. They come highly recommended.
IDEAL House - New Zealand 