You'd like to have a comfortable home, save energy and dollars, reduce pollution, and protect the environment. But where do you start?

These are some of the ideas our designers use when designing your dream home:

A house can be planned to deliver comfortable conditions of temperature, air movement and radiated heat - in other words, the best possible indoor climate . The design starting point has got to be the outdoor climate - how can the house modify the ambient/exterior conditions, so that indoors is usually more comfortable than outdoors?

North-facing windows in living areas (but the windows should be large in cool climates, small and high-set when summer is hot and dry);

Not much east-facing glass, even less on western walls (but no eastern or western windows at all in hot, dry climates);

Cross-ventilation (crucial when summer is warm to hot and humid);

Insulation (but the type of insulation and the amount needed varies with the climate).

Want to know more about climate and comfortable, low-energy housing?

Because of the intense sunshine we need: -

Pale surfaces (especially the roof) to reflect the sun;

Small north-facing windows, set high under wide eaves. The hotter the summer, the smaller the windows and the wider the eaves. There is a tradeoff, however: small windows reduce night ventilation.

Vegetation and/or verandahs around the house, if water supply permits, to provide shade;

Earth-sheltered are ideally suited to this climate;

This is the perfect climate for solar power.

Because of the low humidity of the air Evaporative coolers work well in the dry atmosphere, and use little energy.The natural evaporative cooling effect of plants will be specially effective.Water features such as fountains and little garden pools are beneficial, if water supply permits.

Because of the large day/night temperature swing: -

Considerable heat-storage capacity (bricks, stone, concrete) is needed in living areas, to keep daytime temperatures down;

Bedrooms should be of lighter construction, so they cool quickly at night;

Through ventilation on summer nights is essential (check the prevailing wind direction on warm summer nights). Roof-mounted exhaust fans can cool buildings at night by extracting hot air via grilles in the ceiling and replacing it with cool air drawn in through open windows;

Because blowing dust can be a problem in this dry climate: -

Vegetation around the house is desirable, to filter dust from the air, by impaction.

Heat storage capacity

Bricks, stone and concrete are effective heat storing materials. They need to interact with the house's internal environment. For example, a concrete slab will absorb and store the sun's heat during the day, if it's covered with slate, hard vinyl or ceramic tiles. When the sun sets, the slab is still warm, so your house keeps a pleasantly even temperature around the clock. If the concrete slab is covered with carpet or cork, the heat coming in through the windows cannot be stored in the slab, because cork and carpet are thermal insulators - these floor-coverings will prevent heat flowing into and out of the slab. Slate or tiles (ceramic or hard vinyl) are good choices in rooms where the sun comes in.

A beautiful view, but it's not to the north

If the view is to the east or west, an extremely wide verandah can be used. It will provide shading for windows facing the view, as well as a big outdoor living area with an outlook to the view. Toned or reflective glass will decrease the heat flowing through east or west-facing windows. These types of glass lessen the risk of over-heating in summer, without affecting your view.

When the north side of the house will face a busy highway or a refuse dump, large north-facing windows may not seem like a good idea. Translucent glass or perspex bricks can be used instead of sheet glass, to provide natural light while allowing privacy and reducing noise. Double-glazing with an air gap of at least 75 mm reduces sound transmission with negligible effect on transmission of heat from the sun, although loss of heat from the house is greater than with the recommended 15 mm air gap. Thicker sheet glass also reduces traffic noise, while allowing the sun's heat into your house.

Security concerns prevent night ventilation

Many people may not wish to leave doors and windows open while they sleep. For early risers, this is no problem, as the coolest time of day is around sunrise. Opening the house to the cool air at this time will make it more comfortable during the heat of summer.