Canberra’s own energy engineer – empowering you to build more efficient and comfortable homes. SCROLL DOWN

EER

New Houses and Extensions

Every new house and large housing extensions in the ACT is required to achieve an Energy Efficiency Rating of  6 stars or more. Ratings are based on things like: building fabric (what your house is made of), insulation, building materials, orientation (what direction it faces), glazing (amount and location of windows) and the house layout. A skilled energy efficiency assessor can show you how optimise your design in a cost effective way to achieve your desired rating.

AJP Engineering is an ACT Licensed Building Assessor (Class A – Energy Efficiency), License No. 2011198. This license covers assessment of new, existing and extended houses.

DESIGN OPTIMISATION

Maximising comfort and affordability

  • Specialise in optimising buildings beyond 6 stars in the most cost effective measures
  • Focusing on the design phase of the project to incorporate thermal performance into the design of the house
  • Can show you specific gains and calculate payback periods over the life of the  house for

Typically an EER is sought once the plans have been finalised and just prior to Development Approval from ACTPLA, and the EER is viewed as a final stage of compliance. However some house orientations and designs require significant extra costs to meet the six star rating requirement – for example needing double-glazed windows is not unusual. Most of these costs can actually be avoided by including the EER and optimisation advice from qualified professionals like AJPengineering early in the design process.

Design advice early on can have a significant effect on the comfort, affordability and energy use of your house. The EER process is a value-adding process – for an extra few hundred dollars at the design stage, our clients save thousands over the house’s lifetime. Save money while you sleep, from avoiding heating costs while enjoying comfortable indoor temperatures all-year round. Consider this a secure investment in your comfort – research has shown that energy-efficient houses sell for more.

AJP Engineering understands the requirements of Canberra houses and is passionate about reducing the energy use of houses in the most affordable way. Andrew Pickard has significant experience working alongside architects and builders in the ACT.

TESTING

Ensure best practice building

We identify the weak points of your house by using thermal imaging to detect gaps in insulation and we pressure test your house to locate and quantify the air leakage.  We can show you how to seal up your house or organise for this to be done for you. Thermal imaging alongside an air-leakage test will help us identify the most cost effective retrofit measures – for example, effective draft-proofing of your house can cost around $500, and reduce your heating bill by 30%.

Insulation & the thermal camera

Most people are aware of the importance of having a well-insulated building. Insulation keeps heat in during winter and out during summer, stabilising the indoor temperature of the building. However it is important that your insulation is correctly installed – having gaps of 5% in insulation coverage reduces its effectiveness by 30%.

The thermal camera can quickly detect any gaps in insulation. If you are getting insulation retrofitted, for example in the walls, it can be useful to check that it has been installed correctly and with a high level of coverage.

Air leakage & the blower door test

Most Canberra houses are not only poorly insulated, they also have a lot of unwanted air infiltration (i.e. leaks or holes). These holes mean that a lot of air comes through the house, and no matter how good your insulation is, the temperature inside will be the same as outside.

AJP Engineering is experienced in the ninja art of detecting air leakage – we detect leaks in your house, tell you how to fix them or arrange for them to be fixed for you and give an indication on what savings you are likely to make. For a full report quantifying air leakage, we can do a blower door test. This test uses a large fan to depressurise your house, providing information about how many gaps exist, and can be used in combination with a thermal camera to detect leak locations.

On average, well-placed draft-proofing of a house can reduce heating requirements by 30-50%. Also, draft-proofing (reducing air-leakage) has many other benefits:

  • Reducing dust from the ceiling and underneath the floor entering the house
  • Stops moisture entering the house (both of these have health-related benefits, particularly for respiratory conditions)
  • The house temperature is more comfortable

RETROFITTING

Improve energy efficiency

  • Energy efficiency design and construction advice for renovations and house modifications
  • Consulting advice on retrofitting options to improve the comfort of your home most cost effectively
  • Details of cost benefit analysis and cost projections for different methods
  • Can supervise the installation and organise works to be undertaken

Increasing the energy rating of your home not only saves you money and makes your home more comfortable it can also improve your health and increase the final value of your home.

The higher the star rating, the lower your energy costs will be. The star rating directly relates to the amount of energy your house will need to keep it warm in winter and cool in summer. An 8 star house uses 60% less energy than a six star house. Energy requirements in Canberra are very high given our more extreme climate, so the energy savings can be large.

WHO WE ARE

People and Projects

AJPEngineering is lead by Director and Founder, Andrew Pickard. With an engineering background, Andrew has specialised in sustainable building design and renewable energy technologies. Andrew’s experience has covered managing large mine expansions to delivering quality home solar PV installations – experience which has equipped Andrew to understand the needs of both large and small projects and to understand the needs of clients, builders and architects alike. Prior to AJPEngineering, Andrew worked as an energy assessor and building diagnostician with Jenny Edwards in leading sustainable Canberra businesses, Jigsaw Housing and Scinergy.

Andrew’s passion for sustainable design and building makes him well-equipped to find affordable solutions to reduce energy bills long-term and help you create the most comfortable home possible.

Andrew Pickard, Director

  • Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering (Hons)
  • Bachelor of Human Geography
  • Qualified NatHERS thermal performance assessor
  • ACT Building Assessor (Class A – Energy Efficiency), Lic no 2013432

CONTACT

Get in touch

AJP Engineering

PO Box 4718
Higgins ACT 2615

EMAIL

andrew@ajpengineering.com.au

CONTACT:

Andrew Pickard, Director

0401 268 558