Better design needed
Mid-winter is upon us, as is some cold weather. Well-designed houses are now benefitting from the sunny days by utilising some basic design principles.
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These are: North facing windows; Heat storage in a cement floor or internal thermal mass; Thick insulation; Thermal curtains or blinds which are drawn at night; and Suitable width eaves.
A look at many new homes in the Bega district shows these basic principles are not being observed, to the detriment of the comfort of home owners and added costs in energy.
It would be good if land developers drew up sub-divisions with blocks maximising a northerly aspect. In addition builders should adjust their plans to observe the above principles to save energy.
A wonderful source for this information is www.yourhome.gov.au. This is a comprehensive source of technical information explained clearly. It also has plans, which can be copied free of charge, and thus give prospective home owners valuable information.
Given the recent meetings on the environment I urge the Bega Valley Shire Council to examine passive solar design principles when appraising development applications and suggesting how plans could be made more energy efficient. This action by the council could help Bega Valley Shire become one of the leaders in energy conservation.
Rob Robilliard, Bega
Dignams Creek water
It would appear York Civil has applied to pump water from Dignams Creek for the construction of the bridge.
Did they not think about it before taking on the contract? Did they just assume they could pump out fresh water for their use as they went along? A bit late now asking for objections, since they started months ago.
How much water? Is it going to affect the water supply to neighbouring properties that have relied on it for perhaps 100 years?
What happens to the waste water that will find its way into a fish spawning sanctuary? What happens to the fish life and habitat in this sanctuary which has been a safe breeding ground for many years?
This pollution will not only affect fish, habitat, and the quality of fresh water for residents on Upper Dignams Creek, it will also flow through to Wallaga Lake, affecting more residents, caravan parks, recreational fishers and more.
This unhealthy, unsafe practice should be stopped.
Tony Pye, Tilba Tilba
Koala dreaming
At the forest forum recently held at the Tathra Hall (BDN, 10/6), a NPWS representative provided the organisations' ideas about koalas. Regrettably, the representative made no mention of extensive canopy die-back, the major threat to coastal koalas.
This omission would seem to be consistent with rumours the NSW government is aiming to roll-over the Regional Forest Agreements for another 20 years. So when the coastal koalas are driven to extinction, logging can resume.
On the tablelands koalas, the NPWS inferred, again, that the population is endemic to the local area. However, the NPWS omitted the genetic information referred to in the Cooma-Monaro draft Comprehensive Koala Plan of Management.
This information indicates there are two genetically distinct koala populations on the tablelands that aren't related to coastal koalas.
The only plausible explanation for this situation is that both tablelands koala populations were sourced from over-abundant Victorian koalas and trans-located to the tablelands.
While the NPWS ignores the major threat to coastal koalas and misinforms the public on tablelands koalas, claims it is helping the species confirm it must be dreaming.