Beacon

Right from the start, Joe and Hayley loved their NOW Home®.  They had come from a cold, damp house where they needed dehumidifiers on 24/7 and which was hard to heat.  What a change!  Sun poured into the new house during the day, and at night, warmth radiated off the polished concrete floor. All the extra insulation and double glazing kept the warmth in.  Joe and Hayley enjoyed the even heat through all the rooms – no cold back bedrooms.  They only needed to get out a small fan heater and electric blanket for a couple of cold days in winter – the rest of the time they needed no extra heating.  Joe and Hayley described themselves as the ‘Pink Batts family’ (after the TV advert), because they didn’t want to leave the house when the weather’s bad.

With all the natural light flooding in through the windows, the family noticed they didn’t need to switch lights on as often. 

Joe and Hayley loved the solar water heater which provided over half of the household’s hot water.  They always had plenty of hot water, and even better, they could see the savings on their power bills straight away.  In water heating alone, they were saving approximately $367 per year.

In fact, with little space heating, their power bills dropped considerably.  They were paying 45% less than in their previous home.

Most noticeably Joe and Hayley changed the way they used the house in response to its warmer, drier environment and lower energy bills.  The lower running cost buffered the household against rising energy prices, and provided more disposable income. The house was increasingly used as a home office, reflecting that it is a pleasant, warm and quiet place to work. 

Photo: Craig Robertson Photography