Household energy savings

Practical steps towards an energy efficient home
Your Home: Technical manual, Design for lifestyle and the future
1.0 Passive design
http://www.greenhouse.gov.au/yourhome/technical/fs10.htm

National standards for home design
The Nationwide Housing Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) is a government initiative established to promote energy efficiency in all aspects of the home and reduce the production of greenhouse gases. It is a method that uses stars to rate the thermal performance of a building.
To reduce heating and cooling demands in homes, it is becoming mandatory that new houses, including extensions achieve a Four Star level of energy efficiency.
Victoria http://www.seav.sustainability.vic.gov.au/buildings/5starhousing/index.asp is planning to move to a Five Star rating requirement.

Window insulation
Your Home: Technical Manual, Design for lifestyle and the future
1.80 Glazing overview
http://www.greenhouse.gov.au/yourhome/technical/fs18a_2.htm

The ClearComfort system
Windows are critical to the overall energy efficiency of a house. When you apply the ClearComfort transparent membrane to your windows you will instantly increase the Energy Rating (Star value) of your home The ClearComfort insulation system achieves a Five Star energy rating for windows as measured by the NatHERS methodology.

The ClearComfort system has been tested by a NATA accredited auditor using the Australian Window Energy Rating Scheme (WERS) developed by the CSIRO and the Australian Window Association. The audited measurement of energy saving after fitting ClearComfort to a typical bare, clear, single-glazed window of 1500 mm x 1800 mm are:

11% better for cooling
17% better for heating
12% less interior fading