Initial service was good. The smaller blinds work fine. Material does crease if bent. Some problems with construction of the the large width blinds - cords…

I am not overly convinced that a slab in contact with the ground is necessarily a good thing. It greatly depends on the average soil temperature in your location…

When attaching the iron, put some battens down to create an air gap and then line with foil then your cladding. This will also create a chimney effect where…

Typical annual solar output is about 1600 kWh/kW system. In Adelaide it is about 2/3rds of this in winter and 1/3rd higher in summer.
i.e. for a 1…

Sisalation will block > 99% of radiant heat which is the main source of heating during the day. As mentioned, good shading of walls and roof by tall trees…

Ceiling fans set at low speed can push the hot air down and improve circulation.

External shades are a more flexible solution. Film also blocks useful sun in winter.

Reflective foil laminate - RFL e.g. Sisalation under the roof will block out >99% of radiant heat transfer. It can reduce AC requirements by up to 20%.

http://www.affordair.com.au/whatisairco ... m#inverter

Sizing is based on the steady state heat loss of the building when it has reached the target temperature. It isn't related to how quickly it takes to…

The living room will be cold all winter.

And your relative humidity, indoor temp and outdoor temp during the night?

It is generally easier to shade a house with excess solar exposure in summer than try to improve one with inadequate sun in winter.
However, you will tend to need vertical…

We have a passive solar design with R 3.5 ceiling insulation R 2.5 wall, reflective foil in all and double glazing. Winter temps get down to around 2-5 degrees.…

The absolute values are probably not all that helpful. It is more a way of comparing the relative efficiency of the house construction.
Occupancy behaviours can cause 50% of…

Where is the condensation occuring? Frame? Edge of glass? Centre of glass? Is it all over or localised to one part?

Can you describe the rooms where this is most prominent e.g. occupancy levels, usage, ducts/openings. Window coverings can increase the problem because it exaggerates the temperature gradient between…

A convective heater heats the air which then just gets blown away by a open area. Radiant heat transmits heat directly to the nearest solid object.

Condensation occurs when warm moist air strikes a cold surface.
This occurs if the temperature of the surface is below the dew point (which is a function of indoor temperature and…

Yes, the outer skin is redundant from a thermal point of view but useful for a durability one.
But most ICFs are insulation:mass:insulation which makes the mass redundant thermally…

You've lost me but this is the theory.
Thermal mass is the heat storage battery.
Solar radiation is the charging source,
You want the sun to pass through the window, enter the building,…

http://www.efficientwindows.org/spacers.cfm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desiccant

Have you considered cellular/honeycomb blinds?

Although DG will help reduce heat loss, the first thing to do is minimise excessive amounts of glazing. Do you really need large panes - even a modest reduction…

Argon fill is expensive and doesn't offer that much over air fill. 24mm is way to wide an air gap - convection currents will occur. 16mm is ideal.
The…

They should have put a dessicant in the gap to prevent this. Alternatively the gap isn't properly sealed or the frames are badly engineered.

220mm skin skin Hebel has been approved for temperate climates by BCA to provide enough insulation and thermal mass without added insulation. It is hard to insulate a skin…

http://www.clearcomfort.com.au/

N or NNE is better. It is best to get as much early morning winter sun whilst it is still very cold outside.
For NW facing, summer sun is…

Electrical resistance heating is always expensive to run - even more so if it has to heat the tile before it heats you.