Urban Forest House
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House Notes – Urban Forest House
Our house was hot in summer, cold in winter. The garden was full of noxious weeds. We wanted to change this and make the house comfortable for our family, reduce our energy and water use, and plant a native forest.
Over 20 years, we have gradually made such changes – often when we had to make replacements anyway. The big changes have been installing external shading, a white roof with insulation, cementitious cladding with wall insulation, double glazing upstairs, extractor fan, heat pump and solar PVs.
Passive and active ventilation allows the house to track outside temperatures when the weather is mild, but it can be closed up on days to exclude extreme hot or cold.
The result is less maintenance, cool breezes, lower energy use and a happier family (well, mostly).
Sustainability Features
- Energy efficiency:
- Draught proofing
Efficient lighting
Efficient appliances
Energy monitoring
- Passive heating cooling:
- Passive solar designed home
Shading
- Active heating cooling:
- Ceiling fans
- Active heating cooling:
- Whole house extractor fan (1.3m diameter)
- Water heating:
- Hot water heat pump
- Water harvesting and saving features:
- Rainwater storage - Above ground
Grey water system
Stormwater management
Low flow shower heads
- Average water consumption per day:
- 80kL
- Above ground rainwater storage Type:
- PVC tanks
- Above ground rainwater storage Size
- 9,000L
- Energy Efficient Lighting
- Natural daylight
- Energy Efficient Lighting
- Fluorescent and LED
- Window Protection:
- Awnings (external)
Blinds
Deciduous tree/vegetation
Drapes/curtains
- Recycled and reused materials:
- Benchtops
- Insulation Type:
- Under-roof
External walls
- Under Roof Insulation Type:
- Reflective foil
- Under Roof Insulation Rating:
- R2.7
- External Walls Rating:
- R2.0 for insulation, R2.7 total
- External Walls Type:
- Bulk – glass wool
- All-Electric Home?
- No
- Renewable energy used:
- Solar PV grid connect
- Size of PV system:
- 3.9kW
- Average Daily Energy Consumption:
- 2.5kWh
- Cost estimate of sustainable home/features:
- $50,000
- Estimate of annual savings:
- $5,000
- House Size
- 256m2
- Roof
- Metal (Colorbond)
- Wall Materials
- Cementitious sheet 8mm
- Window and Door Types
- Double glazing
Louvre windows
Low-e, films
Sliding windows/doors
- Number of bedrooms
- 4
- Number of bathrooms
- 2
- Garden / Outdoors
- Bird-nesting boxes
Composting
Local indigenous plants
Native plants
Water wise plants
Worm farm
- Waste Reduction Practices:
- Book exchange/library
Compost all food scraps
Recycle
Repair
- Healthy home features
- Airtight house design
Automated ventilation system
Natural light and ventilation
- Housing Type:
- Standalone House
- Project Type:
- Retrofit
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