The Shearing Shed
New Build: The house was built in 2001 by local builder Stuart Grundy to the owner’s design and was inspired by the form of local shearing sheds. The house is sited and oriented to achieve optimum passive solar inputs. The building is well insulated with appropriate overhangs and a clerestory for further passive energy savings.
Water Harvesting:
Two 22,500 litre above ground tanks service the house with a third 22,500 litre tank filled from the nearby shed providing back up supply and water for a vegetable garden. The house is serviced by a traditional septic system and soakage pit. This is the lowest energy alternative.
External Walls:
Walls are timber framed (plantation pine) and clad in corrugated zincalume. External walls are insulated with both foil and rock wool to a total value of R4. The cladding was chosen for a timeless and ageless simplicity to suit the rural setting.
Roof:
Roofing materials continue the shedding theme with zincalume. The roof style mimics local shearing shed design with a south facing clerestory to create a light interior and assist with passive temperature control.
Floor:
The concrete slab is a waffle pod construction to counter the local clay soil’s expansion and contraction. The slab provides the thermal mass in the building with walls of lightweight materials to cool rapidly on summer nights. Flooring is clip-lock floating throughout to lessen exposure to dust mites and to allow ease of cleaning.
Window Treatments:
Window treatments are locally supplied aluminium frames for ease of maintenance. Clerestory windows are laminated glass to lessen heat loss in winter. Four hopper windows open to allow heat to escape on summer nights. No internal window dressings are used. Instead external roller shutters are used to control internal temperatures.
Energy Generation:
Power is provided by a 1.5kW amorphous silicon grid-return system that provides over half of the yearly power requirements.
Heating and Cooling:
Heating and cooling is passive for most of the year with temperatures most commonly around 20-24C. Temperatures of 19-29C are tolerated with heating and cooling supplemented by a reverse cycle air conditioner.
Water Heating:
Water is heated by an electrically boosted Solco solar HWS which uses a plastic bladder rather than the traditional copper piping. In the event of the water freezing the bladder simply expands and returns to its original shape as the water melts.
Appliances:
Appliances are all mainstream but selected for best power and water efficiency from those readily available.
Other:
The house has been aligned to face solar north with large windows on the northern face and suitable overhangs to allow shading of windows in summer. The garage is located on the western face to provide a pool of insulating air. Small windows face south to reduce heat loss. The house allows good cross ventilation. A bokashi bucket accommodates degradable waste while other recyclables are accommodated by the roadside collection.
(August 2009) (
