Girards Hill House 2016

Girards Hill House

I bought my WW2 era weatherboard cottage 15 years ago and am gradually renovating it to make it more comfortable and sustainable. It is now more liveable and I save about $3000 a year on power, water and gas after installing solar hot water (replacing gas), a 1.1kW solar pv system, smart glass windows, blinds, building a west facing covered deck and installing ceiling/roof insulation and a Heat Recovery Ventilation system.

I use recycled and sustainable products where possible e.g. recycled floor boards, Inex wall board, camphor laurel bench, e-paint and recently applied traditional Venetian plaster (lime based) to my bathroom walls. To minimize mains water use I installed rainwater tanks and a composting toilet, while outside I have fruit trees, herb and vegetable gardens and organic waste is composted. The garden also features a wood fired pizza oven which I use to roast and bake after pizza nights.

Sustainability Features

Years Open
2016
ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENT FEATURES
    • Energy efficiency:
    • Efficient lighting
      Efficient appliances
      Smart home features
    • Passive heating cooling:
    • Heat Recovery Ventilation system
    • Active heating cooling:
    • Ceiling fans
    • Water heating:
    • Solar hot water (flat panel)
    • Water harvesting and saving features:
    • Above ground storage
      Stormwater management
      Low flow shower heads
      Low flow taps
    • Above ground rainwater storage Type:
    • 2 rain tanks, one trough
    • Above ground rainwater storage Size
    • 5000 li
SUSTAINABLE & RECYCLED MATERIALS
    • Sustainable materials:
    • Inex wall board, Venetian plaster, recycled timber floorboards, weed species timber bench, reused door.
    • Recycled and reused materials:
    • Timber
      Doors
INSULATION SPECIFICATIONS
    • Insulation Type:
    • Ceiling
    • Ceiling Type:
    • Moderate pitch with cavity
RENEWABLE ENERGY SPECIFICATIONS
    • Energy star rating:
    • NA
    • Renewable energy used:
    • Solar PV grid connect
COSTS AND COST SAVINGS
    • Cost estimate of sustainable home/features:
    • $40,000
    • Estimate of annual savings:
    • $3000/year
HOUSE DESIGN SPECIFICATIONS
    • House Size
    • 200m2
    • Window and Door Types
    • Louvre windows

    • Window and Door Types
    • Bi-fold Smart Glass windows, french doors, reccyled door.
    • Number of bedrooms
    • 3
    • Number of bathrooms
    • 1
GARDEN AND WASTE REDUCTION
    • Garden / Outdoors
    • Water wise plants
      Edible garden
      Organic
      Composting
      Native plants
HEALTHY HOME FEATURES
    • Healthy home features
    • Low VOC and e-colour paints and sealers.
Location
Girards Hill NSW 2480
    • Housing Type:
    • Standalone House
    • Project Type:
    • Renovation
      Retrofit
      Continual Improvement
    • Builder
    • NA

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