Will Solar Panels Add Value to Your Home? The Benefits of Solar Panels Benefits of Solar Panels Environmental Benefits Solar panels do not emit any harmful pollutants into the atmosphere, making them a clean source of energy.Solar energy reduces greenhouse gas emissions and reduces our dependence on non-renewable fossil fuels. Cost Savings Solar panels can…
Environmental Sustainability &Energy Usage in Buildings-Part X & XA In 2011, in an endeavour to make our buildings more sustainable, and to decrease energy usage in South Africa, a new part was added to SANS 10400, The application of the National Building Regulations. Part X deals with environmental sustainability, and Part XA deals with energy…
Electric Cables – What is Legal We get a lot of questions about which electric cables are legal and how they must be installed. So here is a brief rundown of the different types of legal cabling available and the way an installation could be done. There are various accepted methods and we illustrate a…
Fenestration and Glazing Guidelines, Procedures, and Calculations. Window area guidelines below The guidelines featured in the pdf below give an idea to anyone wanting to calculate the Fenestration Compliance Procedures in terms of Sans 10400-XA:2011 and SANS 204:2011, what is required, and what is involved. Step-by-step There is a step-by-step guide to area (nett floor)…
Part XA – Energy Use In Buildings Energy Use in Buildings in South Africa: A Focus on SANS 10400-XA Energy consumption in buildings is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and a major driver of climate change. In South Africa, the energy use in buildings is regulated by the South African National Standard (SANS) 10400-XA:…
Picture Above: The roof with dark tiles absorbs heat and is not energy efficient Cool Roofs Reduce Energy Bills by up to 70 percent On site research proves that it is possible to save as much as 70 percent on energy with a “cool roof”. This is because cool roofs reduce roof temperatures by reflecting…
By PENNY SWIFT Are you Ready to go Green? South Africa, as a country, has been incredibly slow to take up the challenge of sustainable living. Yet we really do need to embrace this challenge and build using sustainable materials and sustainable methods, so that we have sustainable homes. We also need to live a…
Chimneys, Flues, Hearths and Fireplaces Used for Space Heating-Part V Anyone searching through the National Building Regulations for information about chimneys and flues, hearths and fireplaces, might go straight to the part that deals with Fire Protection. The next step would probably to look through the part that deals with Walls – after all chimneys…
