Get Off Gas House 2024

House Notes – Get Off Gas House

Our core motivations for our renovation on the home were threefold. One, the urgent need to reduce the carbon footprint of our energy consumption. Two, a desire to create a comfortable space for living in all seasons. Finally, reduce our energy bills with efficient appliances powered by our solar panels. The original structure of our home was a former bulkfood supplies warehouse, developed into 10 townhouses in 1995 with no consideration of energy or thermal efficiency. Like many Victorian homes, it had a leaky thermal envelope, largely gas fueled appliances and no heating or cooling.

Since purchasing our home in 2021, we have slowly and purposefully gone about retrofitting and renovating each aspect of the property to achieve these goals, with most of the work being undertaken ourselves (one half being an electrician/the other with no idea about renovating). In the first six months, we re-insulated the ceiling cavity (Earthwool R4.0 batts) and walls (Earthwool R5.0 batts), sealed around doors and windows with weatherproof adhesive tape and screw-on strips, and installed a 6.2kW Enphase solar system, immediately feeling the thermal benefits and electricity savings.

We replaced inconvenient and leaky kitchen wind-out windows with a beautiful double glazed fixed pane (inside the existing reveal) looking onto a newly green-ified courtyard, installed double-glazed skylights (providing city views!), installed 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.

Following the solar install, we went all-electric. We replaced the old gas cooktop with induction, gas hot water with a heat pump hot water system, and a diesel guzzling V6 ute with an electric vehicle. The EV manages to effortlessly support the day-to-day jobs of a small electrical business, without the $150p/w spend on diesel. Recently, we’ve added a native meadow in our front courtyard and on our roof to enhance cooling in summer, and an electric Weber BBQ.

We’re extremely proud of the changes we’ve made within our small footprint and want to share our learnings with others. We’re passionate about helping other households become all-electric and have the technical electrical knowledge and real-world experience to do so. A full list of the changes we made to achieve an all-electric, comfortable and cost-efficient home is below.

Rensulated ceiling with R4.0 batts and R1.5 blanket – minimal existing insulation was present
Reinsulated walls with R5.0 batts
6.2kW Enphase solar system
Retro-fit double glazing to North Windows
LED lighting
Induction cooktop – replaced gas
Heat pump HWS – replaced gas storage HWS
Reverse cycle split-systems x 4
Honeycomb blinds
Ceiling fans x 2
Sealing penetrations in brick facade
EV and EV Smart charger for solar self consumption
Home energy consumption and production monitoring
Efficient plumbing fixtures and fittings
Rooftop meadow for cooling and soaking up rain prior to stormwater runoff
Electric Weber BBQ
Heat Pump Dryer

THE NUMBERS
Old Gas+Elec Bill Avg – $150/month
Old Diesel Bill – $520/month = $8040/year
New energy bill incl EV = $30/month = $360/year
Totals Savings = $7680/year
Cost of energy efficient specific works = $35k
Sold ICE Car $35k Bought EV $70k