Clearwind 2025

Clearwind

We, Win and Clare, came to live at the property, now called Clearwind, in 1987. The original architect and owner of the house were clearly not motivated in the way we are by sustainability gains, but the house has always been an all-electric house: never connected to gas. We have worked steadily over the intervening years, investing strategically when we had spare funds, to decrease the property’s impact on the planet.

The house was built in the early ’80s under a pre-existing hayshed. This confers all the advantages of living under a huge roof, which include fire safety, generous water catchment and protection from summer sun, not to mention masses of storage area and no need for separate garages.

We have 12 solar panels and solar hot water. We installed double glazing in the downstairs living rooms and are (still!) working on fixing our draughts. In winter, our wood heater is the only heating we use (with wood from the property). We cook on the wood stove and, thanks to a hot water jacket, it heats our hot water too. Thermoshield, an albedo treatment, on the roof keeps the house significantly cooler in summer. We have a composting toilet, so no precious water is wasted in flushing. All the greywater is used on the property on fruit trees and the worm farm. The house also achieved 8 stars with the Victorian Residential Efficiency Scorecard a few years ago. Since then, we have made further sustainability improvements.

Three years ago, we bought a Hyundai Ioniq electric car. Very nearly all of the charging comes from a special, 100% renewable, electric car charging rate.

In November last year, we lost our extremely generous electricity rebate that we had held since 2005, as we were early adopters of solar panels. For all the intervening years, our electricity account was nearly always in credit, even after the addition of our electric car. Now that we are on a more normal electricity reimbursement rate, and hoping soon to purchase an electric ute, we are reconsidering our power set up and more panels and a battery are probably on the shopping list.

We are self-sufficient in water with 57,000L of drinking water, 76,000L of dedicated fire-fighting water and four dams on the property. We grow all our own fruit and vegetables all year round, and have both a compost heap and a worm farm capable of producing at least 5 tonnes of castings a year. We keep chooks and bees.

On Black Saturday, the entire property was burned, though we managed to save the house itself. Afterwards, with huge help from family and our community, we built a 40m  x 8m rammed-earth shed as workshop, storage, etc. Since the clay for the build came from the site and the sand from 2km away, the shed looks as if it has always been here (which, you could say, it has): building it used up very few ‘building materials miles’.

We have extensive plantings of indigenous vegetation as we collect and sell seed from  indigenous understorey plants for revegetation projects.

Sustainability Features

Years Open
2016, 2017, 2018, 2025
ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENT FEATURES
    • Energy efficiency:
    • Draught proofing
      Efficient lighting
      Efficient appliances
      Energy monitoring

    • Energy efficiency:
    • We dress according to the weather!
    • Passive heating cooling:
    • Cross ventilation
      Deciduous planting around house
      External planting
      Shading

    • Passive heating cooling:
    • Huge overhanging roof (house built under a hayshed). Thermoshield on roof
    • Active heating cooling:
    • Ceiling fans

    • Active heating cooling:
    • The house dam is regularly visited in summer!
    • Water heating:
    • Solar hot water (evacuated tube)
      Wood fire wetback
    • Water harvesting and saving features:
    • Rainwater storage - Above ground
      Compost toilet
      Grey water system
      Drip irrigation

    • Above ground rainwater storage Type:
    • We are frugal in our use of water.
    • Water harvesting and saving
    • Compost and biochar used extensively in the veggie garden and orchard. We don't have an ornamental (water consuming) garden.
    • Energy Efficient Lighting
    • LED lights throughout
      Natural daylight
    • Electric Vehicle
    • Hyundai Ioniq electric
    • Window Protection:
    • Adjustable Shading
      Awnings (external)
      Blinds
      Deciduous tree/vegetation
      Drapes/curtains
      Eaves
      Pelmets
SUSTAINABLE & RECYCLED MATERIALS
    • Recycled and reused materials:
    • Recycled materials used all around the property: bricks, timber, gates, wire, etc.
    • Sustainable materials:
    • Rammed earth shed walls.; timber floor in sitting room cut from wood on the property
    • Recycled and reused materials:
    • Appliances
      Bricks
      Pallets
      Paving
      Rocks/stone
      Sleepers
      Tapware
      Timber

RENEWABLE ENERGY SPECIFICATIONS
    • All-Electric Home?
    • Yes
    • Renewable energy used:
    • Solar PV grid connect

    • Renewable energy
    • Wood-fired stove / heater / hot water jacket
    • Average Daily Energy Consumption:
    • 7.6 note this includes an electric car doing rural km!
HOUSE DESIGN SPECIFICATIONS
    • BAL Rating
    • No BAL rating requirements at time of construction
    • Roof
    • Galvanised iron with thermoshield treatment
    • Wall Materials
    • Cement sheet
    • Window and Door Types
    • Awning
      Clerestory windows
      Retrofit Double Glazing
      Sliding windows/doors
    • Universal Design Features
    • Slip resistant flooring
      Strong fittings like towel rails that can be used as hand rails
    • Number of bedrooms
    • 3
    • Number of bathrooms
    • 2
    • Healthy Home Materials
    • Natural light and ventilation
GARDEN AND WASTE REDUCTION
    • Garden / Outdoors
    • The decorative garden contains almost entirely indigenous plants whose seed we have collected ourselves locally, and we harvest and sell the seed for revegetation projects
    • Garden / Outdoors
    • Bee keeping
      Bee hotels/friendly
      Bird-nesting boxes
      Chickens
      Composting
      Drip irrigation
      Edible garden
      Frog friendly
      Local indigenous plants
      Orchard
      Organic
      Permaculture
      Native plants
      Natural swimming pool
      Worm farm

    • Waste Reduction Practices:
    • Book exchange/library
      Compost all food scraps
      Make jams/conserves
      Pickle and preserve food
      Recycle
      Repair
      Swap with friends and neighbours
HEALTHY HOME FEATURES
    • Healthy home features
    • Natural light and ventilation
Location
Glenhope VIC 3444
    • Housing Type:
    • Standalone House
    • Project Type:
    • Continual Improvement
    • Disaster Resilient Design
    • Bushfire Resilience

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