[items in red are notes to the organisation running the training, on changes that should be made to this booklet to make it relevant to your community care workers]
Home Sustainability Audit Worksheet Date: ________ Client Name: ____________________________Client Phone No: ________________ Client Address: ________________________________________________________ Community Care Worker Name: ______________________Phone No: ____________ Explanations of the recommendations in this document can be found in the Home Audit Information Booklet for Community Care Workers. The numbered sections correspond in the two documents for ease of reference. Each section covers a different part of the home where resources are used, e.g. In the Kitchen or Heating and Cooling. The majority of the suggested solutions or actions are no‐cost or low‐cost for the client. Larger possible retrofits or new appliances are in some cases listed in the audit, for discussion when you think appropriate. [If any items are to be provided free of charge to clients, explain this here.] If you are unable to do a complete audit, please list the reason here: Client has difficulty understanding English. Impaired hearing. Impaired mobility. Other. Please record:___________________________________________________
Instructions for completing the Home Sustainability Audit [Amend according to your process]
1. Fill in your name and client information on page 1 of this form, and the client communication and disability information above. 2. Work through the audit section by section. Move through the client’s home according to the section you are working on. Tick the yes, no or N/A boxes in the left hand column of the audit table.
Some of the audit questions can be answered with a sight‐check of the client’s home (e.g. do the windows have heavy curtains or blinds?). Others can be answered by asking the client (e.g. do you heat or cool just the rooms you are using?). , advise the client of the suggested If the correct tick‐box has an arrow solution or action in the column to the right. If the tick‐box has no arrow, go down to the next question. 3. In the Suggested Solution or Action column of the audit tables, tick the boxes next to actions you recommend to the client. 4. Discuss your recommendations with the client, and where appropriate their family. 5. Return this Home Sustainability Audit worksheet to your supervisor when completed. 6. Ensure that the client (and where appropriate their family) receives a copy of the completed Home Sustainability Audit at your next visit. [Some community service organisation have provided their clients with free assistance in implementing some of the recommendations. E.g. Some local councils have had their home maintenance department carry out draught blocking on any homes where this was needed; another option is providing free low flow showerheads through your local water company. If you are providing any additional services such as this, please add information here on which items are available free of charge and how community care workers should request them (e.g. by filling in a job order form).]
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GreenPower
Question 1.1 Do you purchase GreenPower from your electricity supplier? Yes – no action required No N/A 2 Heating and Cooling
Suggested Solution or Action 1.1.1 Advise client that they/their family can speak to their energy provider for information on purchasing 25%, 50% or 100% GreenPower.
Question 2.1 In cooler months, is the heating set at higher than 21°C? Yes No – no action required N/A 2.2 In warmer months, is the cooling set at below 24°C? Yes No – no action required N/A 2.3 Do you heat or cool just the rooms you are using? Yes – no action required No N/A
Suggested Solution or Action 2.1.1 Adjust thermostat to set heating at 19°‐21°C. OR 2.1.2 Check room temperature with a thermometer. 2.2.1 Adjust thermostat to set cooling at 24°‐27°C. OR 2.2.2 Check room temperature with a thermometer. 2.3.1 Only heat or cool the areas being used. 2.3.2 Close doors to stop warm or cool air from escaping the room you are in. 2.3.3 Block draughts between heated/cooled rooms and rooms that aren’t being used.
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Insulation, Draughts and Windows
Question 3.1 Is the ceiling insulated? Yes – no action required No/Not sure N/A (e.g. if living in a multi‐storey apartment or flat) 3.2 Are there draughts entering the house through gaps around doors or windows? Yes No – no action required 3.3 Are there draughts entering the house at other points? Yes No – No action required N/A 3.4 Do the windows in high use rooms (lounge, bedroom, kitchen) have thick curtains or blinds? Yes No N/A
Suggested Solution or Action 3.1.1 Advise client that installing ceiling insulation saves up to 40% of heating costs.
Gaps need to be blocked at these locations: 3.2.1 Under external doors, or under doors which isolate a cooled/heated zone in the home 3.2.2 Around external doors, or around doors which isolate a cooled/heated zone in the home 3.2.3 Around windows Gaps need to be blocked at these locations: 3.3.1 Open fire places 3.3.2 Cracks in wooden floors 3.3.3 Fixed wall vents 3.3.4 Exhaust fans 3.3.5 Old ceiling roses 3.3.6 Other cracks and gaps located at:_______________________ 3.4.1 Install thick curtains that cover the whole window space, leaving no gaps (in high use rooms).
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3.5 Are there window pelmets above curtains/blinds in high use rooms? (lounge, bedroom, kitchen) Yes – no action required No N/A 3.6 Do the windows which get most sun (north or west facing) have external shading in summer? Yes – no action required No N/A
3.5.1 Install window pelmets (if thick curtains or blinds are in place). 3.6.1 Install external blinds or awnings. 3.6.2 Install tinted/reflective window. adhesive (note: will affect incoming winter sun as well).
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Hot Water
Question 4.1 Is the hot water system set at a higher temperature than it needs to be? Yes No – no action required 4.2 Are sections of the pipes from the hot water service exposed to the elements outside the home? Yes No – no action required N/A
Suggested Solution or Action 4.1.1 Set the hot water service to 60°C if it’s a storage hot water service (a large tank), or to 50°C or less if it is an instantaneous system (a small box on the wall). Note: use thermometer to measure water temp at tap – should be no higher than 55°C. 4.2.1 Insulate exposed hot water pipes with lagging (foam insulation tubing available at hardware stores).
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Bathroom and Toilet
Question 5.1 Are there any leaking taps in the bathroom? Yes No – no action required 5.2 Are there any other water leaks in the bathroom? (E.g. from pipes.) Yes No – no action required 5.3 Are the hand basin taps fitted with flow‐control discs or aerators to reduce water use? Yes – no action required No 5.4 Is there a modern water‐saving shower head? Yes – no action required No 5.5 Is the toilet cistern dual‐flush (two buttons)? Yes – no action required No
Suggested Solution or Action Water leaks need to be fixed in these locations (Please write which tap.) 5.1.1 Hand Basin. Hot (H) or Cold (C) ____ 5.1.2 Shower. H or C _____ 5.1.3 Bath. H or C _____ 5.1.4 Other leaking tap/s located at Water leaks need to be fixed in these locations: 5.2.1 Toilet 5.2.2 Under the hand basin 5.2.3 Other water leak located at (location)________________________ 5.3.1 Install tap aerator on the hand basin tap.
5.4.1 Change the old showerhead to a modern water‐saving shower head. 5.5.1 Add a toilet dam or bottle of water to the existing cistern to reduce water used when flushing OR 5.5.2 Install a dual‐flush cistern. Note : refer to grants & rebates available. 6
5.6
Are taps easy to turn on and off to prevent wasting water? No Yes – no action required N/A 5.7 Do you have showers for longer than 4 minutes? Yes No – no action required N/A 5.8 Can the shower water be used on the garden or lawn? Yes No – no action required N/A
5.6.1 Change taps to enable easy on/off operation. 5.7.1 If possible, reduce shower length to 4 minutes or less per day. 5.7.2 Use a shower timer (there are some specially designed for elderly people). 5.8.1 Install a grey water diverter from the shower/bath outlet pipe.
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In the Laundry
Question 6.1 Are there any leaking taps in the laundry? Yes No – no action required 6.2 Do you use cold water when washing your clothes? Yes – no action required No N/A
Suggested Solution or Action Water leaks need to be fixed in these locations (please write which tap) 6.1.1 Laundry trough. Hot (H) or Cold (C) _____ 6.1.2 Washing machine tap. H or C _____ 6.2.1 Wash clothes in cold water and on the economic wash option. 6.2.2 Adjust water level to suit the size of the load. Note: washing when you have a full load uses less water than several smaller loads.
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6.3 If physically able, do you dry clothes on a clothes line when possible? Yes – no action required 6.3.1 Dry clothes on the line and reduce No use of the clothes dryer (if physically able) 6.3.2 In cold or wet weather, hang clothes inside on a clothes horse. N/A 6.4 Do you use a tumble dryer? 6.4.1 Minimise tumble dryer use. Yes 6.4.2 Clean the lint filter after every use 6.4.3 Separate heavy items from light items and dry separately. No – no action required 6.5 Can the laundry water be used in a garden or lawn? Yes 6.5.1 Install a grey water diverter from the laundry outlet pipe. No – no action required N/A
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In the Kitchen
Question Suggested Solution or Action 7.1 Are there any leaking taps in Water leaks need to be fixed in these the kitchen? locations (please record which tap) Yes 7.1.1 Kitchen sink. Hot (H) or Cold (C) _____ 7.1.2 Other tap leaks need to be repaired at:__________________________________ No – no action required __________________________________ 7.2 Are taps fitted with flow‐ control discs or aerators to reduce water use? Yes – no action required No 7.2.1 Install tap aerator on kitchen tap. N/A
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7.3 When boiling water, do you fill up the whole kettle/jug? Yes No – no action required N/A 7.4 Are the fridge and freezer operating at the most efficient temperature? (4°C for fridge, – 15°C for freezer. Check with the thermometer.) Yes – no action required No 7.5 Do the fridge coils have good ventilation? Are they at least 20cm from the wall? Yes – no action required No 7.6 Do fridge doors seal correctly? Yes – no action required No
7.3.1 Only fill the kettle/jug to the minimum level, or with the amount of water needed, e.g. 1 cup of tea requires 1 cup of boiled water. 7.4.1 Set the fridge to 4°C . 7.4.2 Set the freezer to 15°C below zero. 7.4.3 Defrost the freezer. 7.5.1 Move the fridge 20cm away from the wall to ensure ventilation. 7.6.1 Ensure hinges work correctly. 7.6.2 Ensure nothing in the fridge prevents doors from closing. 7.6.3 Replace fridge and/or freezer door seals. Note: Check fridge seals – will the fridge and freezer doors hold a piece of paper? If the paper is not held firm by the closed door, seals should be replaced.
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Standby Energy and Lights
Question Suggested Solution or Action 8.1 Are appliances left on standby? Switch off the following appliances at the (Standby energy is used by wall when not in use: appliances that are plugged in 8.1.1 Mobile phone charger all the time and have a small 8.1.2 TV red or green light, clock, 8.1.3 VCR/DVD player remote control or stay warm 8.1.4 Stereo to touch). 8.1.5 Microwave Yes 8.1.6 Air conditioning or heating unit No – no action required N/A 8.2 Have all light globes in the high‐use areas of the house been changed over to low‐ energy compact fluorescent light globes? Yes – no action required No 8.2.1 Change over all the light globes in the high‐use areas to low‐energy lights. N/A
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Waste
9.1
Question Suggested Solution or Action When shopping, do you use plastic bags from the supermarkets and other shops? Yes 9.1.1 Take reusable shopping bags to the shops. No – no action required Do you buy reusable, refillable and long‐life items when shopping? Yes – no action required No 9.2.1 Choose reusable, refillable and long‐life items when shopping.
9.2
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9.3
Do you place recyclable materials (paper, cardboard, glass bottles and jars, plastics
[insert which types are recycled in your area – see www.recyclingnearyou.com.au],
9.3.1 In the kitchen use a box/bag to separate the recyclable materials from the waste, and to carry recyclable materials to the recycling bin for collection. 9.4.1 Place a ‘No Advertising Material Thanks’ sticker on letter box.
tins and cans) in the recycling bin for collection? Yes – no action required No 9.4
9.5
Do you receive unwanted advertising material? Yes No – no action required N/A Do you separate garden waste and food waste (that is, organic waste) from general waste? Yes – no action required No N/A
9.5.1 Place a container (e.g. an ice cream container with a lid or kitchen caddie bin) on the kitchen bench to collect food waste and for ease of carrying to compost bin or worm farm. 9.5.2 Deposit garden and food waste in a compost bin or a worm farm, or bury it in the garden.
10 House Cleaning
Question Suggested Solution or Action 10.1 As much as possible, do you 10.1.1 Purchase low impact cleaning use environmentally friendly, products (these can be purchased from the low‐irritant cleaning products? supermarket or health food stores). No Yes – no action required 10.2 Do you use disposable dish 10.2.1 Purchase reusable (washable) dish cloths for washing up? cloths. Yes No – no action required N/A 11
Disclaimer: Environment Victoria provides this document as a guide. It cannot take responsibility or liability for any loss, damage or injury incurred as a result of the use of any of the information within this guide. We recommend that you obtain appropriate professional advice and assistance where necessary.
This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Australia licence. However logos are protected by copyright.
This project was funded by the Department of Sustainability and Environment.
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