Smart House: Why? How?
I want some simple functions for the H33 house: Energy monitoring: easy with Phisaver at the switchboard House off: turn off all lights (and maybe A/C, vent, etc) with a single switch Ventilation: run the …
ARTICLES
Sustainable Homes
Energy Dashboards
Currently (2021) PhiSaver has one billlion data points. It's a bit hard to display in a single user dashboard. An efficient user dashboard should answer questions. This page charts my progress to the mythical perfect …
Solar PV, Batteries and ... Maths
See updated version at https://brettbeeson.com.au/energy-monitoring-circuit-positives-and-negatives/ Some, it all seems pretty simple, right? It's just import, export, consumption. This post clarifies the sign (+ or -) conventions I use which seem to make thi…
Insulating a Queenslander
Stud Walls Often you can't access the wall without removing weatherboard or plaster. However, the stud bays in my house are open - no noggings, few wires. Therefore I'll try to pump in insulation via …
Daylight Analysis
Level 1 (Ground) We want good daylight - a "daylight factor" (DF) if used with a uniform sky. <2% is dim (dark blue) 2% to 5% is good More than 10% is pretty bright, but …
Solar Analysis
In Brisbane we want zero sun in Summer, a tiny tiny bit in Spring and Autumn and a reasonable amount in Winter. Analysis is straightforward and shows: Shading Take 1 : Base Morning view from …
Architectural Hacking
Layout Moves Sometimes it's hard to predict which layout will look best - often the plan (i.e "in plan", looking down) is doesn't tell the story of standing in the room. Using a 3D package …
Daylight and Sun Shading Analysis - Superceded Pod Design
Shading and Daylighting Using Ecotect and some custom scripts, it's possible to quickly generate "views from the sun". Using Radiance, we can calculate the amount of natural light we'll get from the windows, and which …
Green Star Central - FAQs
How do we share the same projects? Place the project database file on a network drive and point all computers to it: Install GSC as usual. Open GSC and click Advanced> Preferences. Enter or browse …
Green Star Central - Help
Key Principles File Structure “File Structure” refers to where you store your submission files such as credit PDFs reports etc. It is independent to “Database Structure”. Every project has the following structure which is created …
Stair Design
The rise and run of a stairway makes it comfortable (or not). This reference is good but in imperial, this is good too but for the UK . Australian NCC requirements must be checked. Note …
A39 House - Performance and Monitoring
Air Sealing Testing Introduction and Rationale "Build tight and ventilate right" is the mantra for passive houses in cold climates, such as "Passivhaus". The idea is to heavily reduce air entering the building through cracks, …