Slash Your Water Bills by Investing in ECO-Friendly Bathroom Renovations in Melbourne

Melbourne is currently enjoying a welcome break from its long endured drought. Despite this reprieve, Australia is a hot country and one that will suffer the consequences when global temperatures rise. Water efficient products are a must for Melbourne householders, especially when investing in bathroom renovations.

When undertaking Bathroom Renovation in Your Melbourne Home, planning for the future is directly linked to the kind of products you choose to install. To help conserve water in your home and reduce the costs that surface each financial quarter, you can fix leaks, purchase energy-efficient washing machines and install low-flow basin and shower fixtures. Melbourne’s water companies, City West Water and Yarra Valley Water, are rewarding residents for their conscientious efforts to promote smart water usage in their homes. They have introduced a swap scheme to help your renovation save you money straight away and in the long run. You can now exchange the old showerheads in your home for free, by simply swapping them with new 3-star rating showerheads. If you are unsure what type of showerheads are in your home simply check whether they predate 1992. This is because these older showerheads have a wasteful flow rate of 20.9 litres per minute. It’s important to note that water-efficient bathroom products may not be compatible with gravity fed or some older instantaneous hot water systems.

The WELS Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards scheme is an Australian initiative that launched in 2005. WELS requires certain products to be registered and labelled with their water efficiency in accordance with the standard set under the national Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards Act 2005. Water rating labels help you choose water efficient products, conserving Australia’s water supply and reducing your bills. According to WELS projections and estimates, over one third of water savings will come from more efficient showers, about 34 per cent from washing machines and 23 per cent from toilets and urinals.

Showers generate approximately 25 per cent of water savings when using a WELS scheme. By installing a water-efficient showerhead, residents can save up to 14, 500 litres per household each year. The average showerhead releases nine litres of water per minute, while a low flow showerhead can release as little as five litres per minute. A gas hot water system used in conjunction with a standard showerhead can cost $1, 500 over ten years. When considering a water-efficient device, your cost is dramatically reduced to $790 over a ten-year period. This is a 47 per cent saving with a good WELS model.

With schemes like the WELS initiative, the Australian Government hopes to save $1 billion on water and energy bills by 2021. Consider very seriously when undergoing bathroom renovations that you install fixtures and fittings that benefit you, your community and the environment. To find out more about comprehensive and step by step personalised bathroom renovations, call Alkira Homes on 0415 345 144 or alternatively, you can visit their website at http://alkirarenovationsmelbourne.com.au/.

The Trouble Facing Bathroom Renovations Specialists in Heritage Listed Areas in Melbourne

The city of Melbourne is renowned for preserving a substantial amount of Victorian architecture. When you wander the streets, you’ll notice an extensive juxtaposition of old and new architecture that characterises the look and feel of the vibrant city. However, as beautiful as the old architecture is, it can create a challenge for those homeowners who want to undertake bathroom renovations in heritage-listed homes in Melbourne.

Before considering whether you can invest in bathroom renovations in your property, it is important to establish whether your home is heritage listed. The Heritage Council of Victoria determines places and objects that are of State significance, and lists them on the Victorian Heritage Register. If your property is identified on the Victorian Heritage Register, you must contact Heritage Victoria for permission to make changes to your site. While in this instance Heritage Victoria is the responsible authority for heritage matters, you may also be required to apply for planning permission from your local council. Your local council, through the application of Heritage Overlays, protects sites of local significance, like your home. You can view this information by checking the Victorian Heritage Database. It’s interesting to note that heritage listed sites can include buildings, trees, parks and gardens, streetscapes, archaeological sites and even cemeteries.

Renovating can be a very difficult time for homeowners that were unaware that their home was heritage listed. Melbourne Architect, Darren Naftal, can attest to how challenging a home renovation can be in his book, A Block in a Hard Place. However, while restoring and renovating heritage-listed homes is challenging, there are of course ways to get around this. When it comes to bathroom renovations, they can be very costly which is why it is vital that you identify whether law in fact protects your property before you begin. If this is the case, there are some key parameters to follow, which are outlined below.

Notify and liaise with your local council. They have access to heritage and ‘zoning’ information for your property and can assess any future renovations based on planning controls and the property’s heritage value.  

Ensure you are speaking with an architect or planner that is experienced with heritage properties. Experienced professionals are aware of the obstacles and difficulties faced with renovating heritage properties and will have a plan of action to overcome these problems.

During the renovations process keep in mind that you bought your property for a reason.  By ensuring your heritage-listed property is renovated correctly, you could end up having the most exquisite home in your suburb.

When deciding on how to renovate something as small as a bathroom, or as big as a house, be ‘sympathetic’ to the integrity of house and the characteristics of the suburb. Unsympathetic renovations tend to fetch up to $300, 000 less than houses that have kept their original features. 

With kitchens and bathrooms often considered the two rooms that require constant renewal, it’s important for homeowners to understand the heritage restrictions in place. One bathroom renovations company that is more than aware of the heritage laws is Alkira Homes. With more than 25 years of experience in the industry, they are suited to assist homeowners when they want to renovate or remodel their heritage-listed home. To learn more about their quality Bathroom Renovations in Melbourne heritage-listed homes, check out their website at http://alkirarenovationsmelbourne.com.au/.