John’s Happy House 2015

House Notes – John’s Happy House

A typical looking Western Australian double brick on concrete slab house with mostly single glazing “on the outside”. But an exciting high performing passive solar designed 8.5 star house that naturally heats & cools itself “on the inside”. The house’s long axis is true north, with extensive full height glazing which maximises the full potential of the passive solar effect, using the thermal mass in the concrete slab and internal brick walls to draw the sun in.

Although shade sails will be used in summer, dual curtains and pelmets throughout the house help keep in the ambient heat in which is lagged back from the thermal mass at night time.

The home is well insulated with triple insulation. It has only two rooms wide with clear natural cooling breeze paths. I decided to go gasless to improve indoor air quality.

Also due to the moderate swings in internal temperate in passive solar designed homes, it is a very comfortable, happy and healthy home that is going to improve the quality of life for my family for the foreseeable future.

The home has provisions for full disability access so we could be here for the long haul. I feel a well designed home that floods the occupants with natural light is priceless.

I look forward to understanding my design more, how to best use my new home and what fine tuning/adjustments I need to do to make it work the best it can.

Also reduced utility bills for the foreseeable future is a bonus too.