Our “Rossmoyne Eco House” was completed in mid 2022 as our “forever” home. We desired to build a comfortable sanctuary that was as environmentally friendly as possible, and we are very happy with the result. Living in the house with its stable, quiet inside environment is an absolute pleasure, and low energy and water bills are a bonus.
The sustainable features we used are the following.
1. Structurally Insulated Panel (SIPs) construction.
2. Double glazing with e-film.
3. Airtightness with a Heat Recovery Ventilation (HRV) system.
4. Aerated concrete (Hebel) panels on first floor.
5. A solar PV system with battery and blackout protection. (6.6 kW of panels, 5 kW inverter and 10 kWhr battery).
6. An underground rainwater tank (10,000 l)
7. An insulated hydronic cooling pad within the slab in living area which uses cool water from the rainwater tank.
8. Heat pumps for internal heating/cooling.
9. A heat pump for water heating.
10. Rainwater is used to flush toilets.
11. Grey water is used for irrigation.
12. Recycled bricks were used.
13. Native plants are used instead of lawn.
14. Eaves and awnings are designed to protect against the worst of the summer sun.
15. Fibreboard cladding was used for extra insulation, minimum maintenance, low embodied energy and fire resistance.
16. We also used recycled materials from our previous house.
Cost savings over and above our previous “conventional” house amount to $3,000 savings in energy, $500 savings in water and $2,500 in vehicle fuel and maintenance.
We have been in residence now for three years and the home has been a huge success.
