Our home renovation was driven by our desire to slash our carbon footprint, create year-round thermal comfort, and eliminate soaring energy bills. The original structure of our home was a former bulkfood supplies warehouse, developed into 10 townhouses in 1995 — a leaky shell with gas appliances, no climate control, and no consideration for thermal efficiency.
In 2021, we started purposefully retrofitting the property ourselves. We began by tackling the low-hanging fruit; sealing doors and windows and installing a 6.2kW Enphase solar system, immediately feeling the thermal benefits and electricity savings.
The transformation continued with high-impact upgrades: replacing draughty kitchen windows with a beautiful double glazed fixed pane (inside the existing reveal) looking onto a newly green-ified courtyard, adding double-glazed skylights with city views, and installing four efficient reverse-cycle split systems and ceiling fans. The difference is incredible – the house holds a comfortable temperature all year round for minimal running cost.
Finally, we broke up with gas entirely. We swapped the cooktop for induction, hot water for a heat pump, and added an electric Weber BBQ to the courtyard. We even traded our diesel V6 ute—which cost $150 a week to run—for an EV that effortlessly handles the daily demands of our electrical business.
The final and most recent addition to our home is a 27kwh Tesla Powerwall 3 home battery which charges from our rooftop solar and the grid to cover all of our usage needs. The Federal Government's home battery rebate made this investment possible for us, and we are already seeing the benefits.
We are proud of what we’ve achieved on a small footprint and are passionate about sharing our experience and technical expertise to help others do the same.
