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House Name: Rowes Bay Sustainability Education Centre
Demonstration type: Major retrofit with extensive landscaping and minor building works
Summary: Townsville City Council has retrofitted the Council depot Caretaker's cottage at Rowes Bay, a pre-1980's concrete block home, to demonstrate the retrofitting of energy efficiency measures and renewable energy together with the benefits of maintaining biodiversity through urban nature.
The Rowes Bay Sustainability Education Centre is a focal point of Townsville City Council’s whole of catchment education program providing an interpretive education experience for the wider Townsville community and particularly school groups.
Features of the home include white solar reflective roof paint, a whole of house extraction fan, solar heat pump hot water heating, water efficient taps and shower fittings, 2.5kW grid connect solar panel system, energy efficient lighting, shaded outdoor living areas and water sensitive landscaping and plantings.
Owners: Townsville City Council
Climate zone: Townsville is located in the Dry Tropics – there are two seasons: a hot and humid (November to April) wet season, and a warm to hot dry season with low humidity for the other half of the year.
Construction type: Pre-1980’s concrete slab on ground home with concrete block walls both externally and internally. The metal roof has a low pitch with minimal roof space and has been painted with a white heat reflective paint. The building has moderate (500mm) to wide (900mm) eave overhangs, the carport, pergolas and trees shade the building. Breeze blocks between rooms, and multiple banks of louvre windows in each room in combination with large sliding windows facilitate good airflow throughout.
SUSTAINABLE ELEMENTS OF THIS HOME
Special Garden Features
- Demonstration low water use landscaping featuring a variety of lawn species, a diversity of mulches, low water use native and introduced plant species and water efficient irrigation system.
- Water sensitive urban design including permeable paving and rock-lined drains.
- An edible garden featuring raised beds, composting, worm farming, organic and permaculture gardening principles.
Solar Power Generation
- A 1kW grid connected solar panel array on the roof of the building.
- 1.5kW grid connected solar panel array integrated into the pergola roof.
Tropical Design Features
- Roof painted with white heat-reflective roof paint.
- Retention of louvre windows and breeze blocks for airflow.
- Replacement of old whole of house extraction fan with new.
Hot Water Heating
- Replacement of the existing electric hot-water system with a solar heat-pump.
Energy Efficient Features
- Energy efficient lighting (ie long and circular fluorescent lighting) retrofitted throughout.
- Demand reduction air-conditioner (part of an Ergon Trial) the compressor of which can be turned off remotely by Ergon at peak power loads.
- Demonstration Solar Street Light.
Water Efficient Fittings
- Installation of water-efficient shower head, bathroom and kitchen taps.
Use of recycled materials
- Replas and Modwood both recycled plastic decking products used in landscaping.
Health & Wellbeing
- Low VOC paints used internally.
- CrimSafe screening of windows and doors for security, mosquito screening and shading of glass.
This story created by Sandy McCathie of ecoSAVVY together with Townsville City Council.
(August 2009) (
