Footprint Garden Farm 2023

House Notes – Footprint Garden Farm

“Electrify Everything” may be the latest catch-phrase, but we can now demonstrate that we planned and were able to achieve it with a minimum of fuss, even with our all-electric garden tools. Last year our gas BBQ died and we found an excellent electric replacement, which really completes the picture!
Following on from our Eco Home Stirling, SHD openings, this is the fifth year of opening our new build – Footprint Garden Farm. It is the fourth home we’ve built and incorporates all the latest sustainability features that we were able to find and afford.
Our new block is smaller than our previous one, but we’ve finished creating an urban Permaculture garden farm, which we can show to those interested in a sustainable and carbon sequestering lifestyle.
Being constrained to a smaller footprint meant using a ‘loft style’ plan and minimising waste space.
We have incorporated higher-than-average insulation with a low-cost self-designed wall, sub-wall and roof system; plus high thermal mass, including a virtual ‘earth-coupled’ slab.
Our plan for ageing gracefully here includes low-maintenance cladding and top-quality fittings.
Though only gaining a medium NatHERS certified rating (7.7 stars) due, we think, to software constraints, our passive design has already gone through 4 summers with little cooling energy and not much winter heating either. We have kept and graphed our power bills which indicate an actual rating nearer to 9+ stars! With the benefit of our PV system, they previously totalled $536.63 credit, now reduced to about $200 credit p.a. due to powering our EV. So, we’re still Carbon positive!
We can demonstrate how simple things like changing the HW heat pump timer and running appliances (including ‘pre-conditioning’) while the sun is shining, and changing habits, help sustainable living.
We firmly believe in promoting ‘climate resilience’ and see showing our house and garden on SHD as a very positive way of doing this.

This house achieved a NatHERS rating of 7.7 stars using NatHERS accredited software (FirstRate5). Find out how the star ratings work on the Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) website.