The Glen Loddon Homes Healthy Homes System

The Central Victorian region is considered a cold climate regardless of the fact that temperatures rise substantially in summer, as we still use considerably more energy in winter to heat our homes than we do in summer to cool them.

When designing a new home, it’s important to take into account a wide variety of factors such as comfortable living, as well as the all-important running costs of air conditioning systems. Quite often the building code conflicts with the energy rating & bushfire requirements, which require some careful planning and designing to navigate.

One of the outcomes from these design requirements is that roof cavities which previously had plenty of airflow between tiles or around the scallops of the corrugated roofing iron are now sealed up without much air movement at all.

As a result of this, moisture created inside the home from cooking, showering, washing and even breathing can no longer easily escape, so the risk of condensation forming inside the home is higher.

Condensation inside the home should be avoided as it promotes mould growth and damages building materials. There are a number of standard inclusions that Glen Loddon Homes provide when building your new home that manage the risk of condensation and maintain its energy efficiency.

This unique building system is the foundation of the Glen Loddon Homes Healthy Homes system.

WALLS

Proctorwrap is a second generation water-permeable wall wrap designed to allow moisture to escape, whilst providing a barrier against liquid water and dust from outside to protect the various wall elements.

The combination of the Proctorwrap and the insulation Batts in the external walls creates the ideal blend of ventilation and energy efficiency.

VENTILATION

The main source of condensation in homes comes from bathrooms and kitchens. To alleviate the level of moisture in the ceiling space of your home, this area needs to be adequately ventilated and the amount of moisture minimised. How Glen Loddon Homes does this is:

with the use of ducted exhaust fans that are connected to external roof vents, ensuring the steam from the showers and kitchen is discharged outside of the home, and
by fitting a mechanical ventilator to the roof to draw fresh air through the ceiling space. To achieve this, we provide ceiling vents to the alfresco, porch or garage ceilings to create airflow.

METAL ROOFING

Anticon roofing blanket is standard in all Glen Loddon Homes built with a Colorbond roof. The blanket is installed over the trusses and battens, and is used in combination with the ceiling batts to stabilise the air temperature in the home as well as the ceiling space. Some of the benefits are:

Condensation control: reduces the risk of the occurrence of condensation formation under the metal roof which can cause damage to plasterboard ceilings and mould growth.
Noise reduction: reduces unwanted airborne noise such as aircraft or traffic noise, and also provides a damping effect to reduce impact noise such as rain and hail.
Thermal insulation: keeps out the summer heat and prevents the warmth from leaving your home in winter.
Fire performance: the blanket is made from non-combustible fibres and meets the BAL requirement for metal clad roofs in bushfire areas.
Temperature regulation: reduces temperature variation, assisting in minimising ‘metal creeping noises’ which can occur in the building structure.