Commencement Date: Dec 2005.
Completion Date: Mar 2007.
This sustainable home is occupied by a young couple - David & Tania. We decided to open our home to show how we choose to live sustainably and preserve habitat for local flora & fauna. Our greatest surprise came at the end of the build when we began to experience lifestyle & the living spaces that we could enjoy with family and friends! Prior to this, we lived in a small unit at Dee Why for 10 years with no garage and saved as hard as we could to reach our goal of building this home. We began with a slow start where we chose to pay the architect over 18 months to design and logde the DA. We were supported by the NAB who took alot of interest in our project, with several regional banking executives visiting the site during the build. Our message: set your budget and timeframe, and do what you can.
NEW DATA (posted 15/12/2009): 6kW PV Solar Array
The peak energy generation per day when the sun is directly overhead is 4.1 - 5.3kW (Winter - Summer).
The average energy generated in Winter per 24hr period is 28kWh.
The average energy generated in Summer per 24hr period is 44kWh.
Our home consumes an average of 31kWh every 24hr period (home is heated with gas hot water/ hydronic heating).
Our homes average vampire energy (load consumed while we sleep and most things turned off) is 800W (aim is to reduce this load to <500W).
The PV Solar Array has been matched to provide a net zero electricity profile for the home based on 6 cloudy days per month (producing <20kWh in 24hrs).
Tours
Tours are conducted on the hour, starting at 10am and the last one commences at 3pm. Tours take approx 45mins. Please arrive 10 min before the hour.
David's Background
David Burns is a qualified analytical chemist and a co-founding director of a successful contract laboratory specialising in environmental testing. The laboratory operated from 1997 and sold in 2008. Interest is now firmly in sustainability. Most recently, David & his wife collaborated with a leading architect to design & build their own residential home demonstrating as many sustainable features as possible. Their home was a finalist in the 2008 RAIA awards (NSW Chapter) - sustainability category. Architecture is by Misho & Associates Pty Ltd, based in Tasmania. Misho is well known for his sustainable design skill, particularly his Darling Harbour Australian Wildlife creation in Sydney above the Aquarium.
Design
The design is a simple repetition of multiple 3m x 6.6m grids, using steel, LVL timbers connected to a concrete core. The position of the home was centred in the middle of the 584m2 block of land to allow nature cooridoors to be featured along both long boudaries, creating perspective, shading, & privacy. The mass planting of mostly indigenous flora aslo functioned as an example of an eco-effective front fence. Central to the design of such a narrow home, was the layout of the rooms, use of high ceilings & large windows that look into the nature cooridoors. We also minimised the use of hallways.
Key Design Inclusions (in order of our priority)
- The ideal home size is between 200m2 - 280m2 regardless of family size (ours is 250m2). Respect & value biodiversity.
- PV Solar grid-connect system 6.0kW.
- Rain water harvesting capacity of 20,000L to supply gardens, pool, ponds (we regret not connecting one shower).
- DGTS (domestic grey water treatment system) capacity 2500L to supply toilet flushing.
- Temperature is controlled by ceiling fans, cross ventilation, & hydronic heating/ polished concrete floors (gas to be effective in winter).
- Energy efficient appliances & ligting (highest stars possible).
- Design a roof line with large eaves (1.8m - 4m) & light coloured roof & facade to reflect long wave radiation.
- Utility monitoring device (electricity, gas, water) that provides real-time usage patterns.
- Recycle building materials from the old demolished home, and Kimbriki Tip.
- Forest Stewardship Certified (FSC) flooring (we regret not sourcing FSC joinery).
- Minimise off cuts from building materials.
- Choose low volatile organic compound (VOC) paints.
- Avoid copper-chromium-arsenic (CCA) treated timbers, synthetic carpet (we regret using PVC pipes for plumbing).
- Gravel driveway.
Habitat Regeneration
Our aim was to return the old concrete driveway and the tiny property offsets back to the original landscape reflected in the council bush reserve across the street. The landscape is based on a mass planting of nursey grown and tubestock indigenous natives. The landscape is complimented with a tired water feature of stacked horse troughs running the entire length of the building to attract native fauna. There is a huge council park and kids playground at the end of the street which provides a connection with the local community and access to green open space. Termite activity is monitored via 28 in-ground stations positioned every 2 meters inspected by the local pest control company every 3 months. The termite monitoring stations consist of several sacrificial timber battens and a natural substance that releases small amounts of carbon dioxide into the soil which attracts termites. If termites are discovered, an expandable foam containing 1g/kg chlorfluazuron is introduced into the monitoring stations which the termites feed on and take back to the nest and kills the population. The chemical used is non-toxic to people, birds, lizards, and worms. The chemical destroys any insect with an exo-skeleton only. Garden art is by Chris Bennets from Ishi Buki who carves Sydney sandstone, some of which were sculptured from salvaged sandstone blocks (demolshed public works building)
Recycling (upcycling)/ Reuse/ Avoidance
The house was designed to standard sizes of materials to reduce off-cut waste & save on labour. Softwood timbers (oregan) from roof trusses were salvaged from the demolished house, ripped in half to produce two equal sized battens and erected along the entire western facade to shade the home from the summer sun. We expect this screening element to last at least 10yrs. Hardwood timbers were also salvaged (floor bearers), nails removed with an angle grinder, and then used to support the new outdoor decking. The stove from the old demolished house was salvaged and new stainless steel front panels replaced where they were badly scratched. Scars in the off-form concrete were not repaired, but instead were left intact as features to be admired similar to those found on tree trunks & large sandstone boulders in adjacent bushland. We avoided construction of two internal gyprock walls (between bedrooms & upstairs hallway) by using double sided wardrobe joinery to effect room divisions. Marine ply balustrade installed throughout home. The garage door was sourced as a brand new unwanted order from another homeowner. The entire garden comprises of 45m3 of crushed sandstone rubble from a local development site, 15m3 low P native soil, and approximately 40m3 of recycled mulch material (includes timber pallets, plastic wedges) from ANL.
Water
We believe that rainwater is intended for drinking (tank or mains supply) and to replenish the landscape/ rivers - we shaped swails into our landscape to collect rainwater falling in the gardens and to harvest stormwater. We installed a DGTS to flush toilet waste and an outlet to wash the car as we cannot bring ourselves to use highly treated drinking water with all of its logistics for this purpose! In times of drought, we can suppliment our rainwater storage with treated greywater to ensure our garden is always healthy and looking great, noting that continued reliance of greywater on native gardens requires caution!
Note: (we regret not looking at plumbing efficiency - ensuring pipe runs are fat, straight, and have long radius curves to minimise friction and allow the pumps for the greywater toilet flushing system, pool, & garden drip irrigation to be smaller and cheaper).
Energy
We are constantly looking at ways to reduce our energy usage, including emboddied energy incorporated into the products that we buy. Most recently, we have chosen to work from home to significantly reduce our impact of driving to work and occupying a workplace environment. Our home includes a climate control chimney that also functions as stairs over three levels, a place to hang art, and a library at the bottom. Lighting after dusk is a combination of IRC halogens (35W), fluoros, and Galaxy LED's for laundry and access areas requiring illumination for long periods of time each night. All wall cavities and ceiling spaces have been insulated with themal insulating material. I am also a strong believer in heating the person rather than focusing massive amounts of energy in heating the air space inside a home to effect the same outcome - this means we heat our home to a responsible point, then dress & use blankets if extra warmth required.
Transport
Our home is one street away from a bus stop that connects us to a shopping centre and the local street markets. Manly Ferry is within 5km to travel to the city (Sydney). We recently purchased a SMART car to travel about the local community.
Community
The home is positioned near bushland trials and local sporting fields to connect with neighbours. David is an active WIRES rescuer & foster carer, and volunteers time to the local council as a community sustainability committee member.
Monotoring
The basic principle required to manage something means it must be measured. We monitor our utilities (electricty, gas, water) via a 15” touch screen monitor mounted centrally on the living room wall that is easily accessible. The individual utilities that the system monitors in real-time via graph & numerical display is as follows:
- Electricity Consumption & Costs Incurred
a. Total electricity.
b. General power.
c. Lighting.
d. Water pumping.
e. Air conditioning (we recently installed a single unit in ensuite to counter hot morning sun until gum trees outside mature).
- Electricity Generation
a. Total photovoltaic solar electricity generated.
- Net Electricity Billed.
- Water Consumption & Costs Incurred
a. Sydney mains water
b. Rainwater
c. Treated greywater (DGTS)
d. Hot water
- Tank levels
a. Separate rainwater tank capacity & treated greywater bladder level remaining
- Gas Consumption & Costs Incurred
a. Total gas usage
- Carbon Emmisions Calculator
a. Calculation using total gas & electricity consumption data
The next step is to decide what to do next and what buget to allocate (new & continuing budgets). View my website @ www.sustain450.com.au that provides free information to show consumers how to make an informed decision and where to spend money to make a home more sustainable. The information is presented as tables and provides a graphical comparison between the various choices of sustainable action and purchases. The expandable category tables provide information on How to Build Green: water, energy, home design, building materials, landscaping, & utility monitoring devices and generates an Eco-Contribution Rating for your choices. Additional tables provide information on How to Live Green, and How to Work Green.
David Burns is a National Solutions Council member of the Rocky Mountain Institute, and visits Greenbuild in the United States (the largest green building trade show).
(August 2009) (
