We moved into this house in 1999 and renovated the house in 2002. The rear of the house faces north and an important design feature was getting the eaves the correct width so that sun enters through the windows and doors in winter and is excluded in summer.
Since then our main focus has been on reducing our household’s CO2 emissions. The main changes that we have made have been: installing solar PV and opting for 100% green power for all electricity that we buy from the grid; changing room heating from gas to reverse-cycle air-conditioning; changing from a gas storage hot water system to a heat pump; changing to electric vehicles; and in 2025 adding a home battery.
We have reduced our household CO2 emissions (electricity, gas and motor vehicle) from 12 tonnes per year to less than 1 tonne per year. Our total energy bills (fuel, electricity and gas) have reduced from $6,500 pa to $1,000 pa.
