House With No Bills 2020

House With No Bills

Now occupied for 11 years the house has delivered on if not exceeded all expectations and is a prime example of passive solar principles delivering year-round indoor environment comfort.

The living areas in north zone and service rooms on south side combined with carefully managed ratio of north facing windows to internal thermal mass.

Positively responded to by all who visit expressing observations of, Comfortable, Joyful and Calm. This response has been so overwhelming in fact that versions of the design have now been built in 6 other locations around Victoria by people who have said, ‘I want one of those’.

This home is all-electric except for solar thermal (60 Apricus tubes) hot water with Famar wood boiler backup for domestic hot water and hydronic slab heating.

Passive cooling achieved with cross-vent employing high level hopper sashes and south side water feature providing evaporative cooling input.

Total energy use in the house for 2016 was 3,500 kWh of electricity plus solar hot water and 1,426kg of air-dried hardwood gathered from property. New planting of more than 1,000 trees allocated by Landcare sequester massive amounts more CO2 than emitted when timber burned.

Cool cupboard reduces energy that would otherwise be needed for refrigeration.

Architectural expression is the result of a desire to integrate solar appliances with building form.

This home was the cover story on Renew 120