A new electric-window system for a house could reduce the need for heating in the house and increase energy efficiency.
A study published in the journal Energy Efficiency and Environmental Design found the system could reduce energy consumption by about 30 per cent compared to existing heating systems.
The researchers found that the system also helped to reduce energy bills by up to 50 per cent.
“It can be very efficient in reducing energy consumption, and can also reduce energy cost,” lead researcher Dr Srinivasan Nair said.
“We’ve shown that it’s very scalable and affordable.”
The study used the existing heat pump, which uses energy to heat a house.
To reduce energy usage, the researchers turned the pump on for a couple of hours a day, for 30 minutes at night and for two hours in the morning.
They also fitted the system with solar panels, and added an electric heater.
“The design of the house itself can also be very energy efficient,” Dr Nair added.
“In the winter months, when there’s less sunlight, it can reduce energy expenditure significantly.”
Dr Nairs team tested the system by using the same house in the summer, when solar panels were not available, and they found that they could reduce their energy consumption significantly.
“With a solar-powered heating system, the heat pump can be used for a period of three to four hours at night,” he said.
The study found that installing a solar heater also reduces the need to replace the heating systems every two to three years, compared to installing heating systems twice a year.
“This saves us money in energy costs,” Dr Sreenivasan said.
Energy-efficient homes A new energy efficiency and environmental design system is being developed to reduce the energy consumption of buildings, and reduce the cost of heating in them.
The system can also help to reduce fuel use, and save money.
A new study has found that a new design system could lower energy consumption in a house and save about 50 per to 70 per cent of the energy used by heating systems compared to current heating systems, as long as the new heating system can be powered by a solar system.
“A solar-power heating system is one of the simplest and cheapest ways of reducing energy use,” said lead researcher Srinadasan Narsad, from the Centre for Sustainable Energy Research and Technology at The University of Melbourne.
“There are no special systems to use.
The only requirement is a solar energy system.
You just connect the energy supply and the heating system.”
To make the solar system work, the team had to modify the existing heating system.
For example, they installed a heating system with a gas-fired heating unit that had a cooling element that could cool the water.
“So we added a cooling water element to the heating unit,” Dr Swarup said.
A solar-electric heating system could also reduce the amount of energy needed for heating.
“One of the advantages of solar-based heating is that the energy that comes from the sun can be converted into heat by the solar panels,” Dr Zoya Zengar from the Australian Energy Market Operator said.
He said solar heating systems could reduce costs by up the 30 per to 50 cent.
A lot of people in Australia are struggling to find energy-saving alternatives to traditional heating.
Dr Narsada said that in the United States, one of several countries in which the US solar industry is booming, solar energy is now used more than any other form of energy.
He says the US is also starting to adopt a similar system, which he said would save consumers money.
“Right now, we’re looking at systems in Europe and China where you could have solar-thermal and solar-water heating and heating in solar-energy-efficient houses,” he explained.
The Australian Solar Council said it was very pleased to have found such a successful energy efficiency system.
It said it expected the new design would be installed in Australia and other countries in the next few years.
“Our customers are looking for solutions to their energy-related needs that are both energy efficient and sustainable,” a spokesperson for the organisation said.