Pond House 2020

House Notes – Pond House

We wanted a forever house that pushed the boundaries of what a volume builder could do in terms of sustainability. Energy efficiency was key, but it was also important to ensure that the placement of the house maximised the space we would have for our food producing and indigenous gardens, and that the house incorporated other aspects of sustainability, like including recycled and waste products and maximising airtightness.

Our family of five has been living in the house for two and a half years now, and we love it. Our average daily energy use last year was 15 kWh, and with our solar panels and battery storage, we feed more energy into the grid than we pull out. All the water that falls on our roof goes somewhere on our property: the water tank, the fish pond, or irrigating the garden. We use super-energy efficient Daikin split systems to heat, cool and ventilate the house: putting in extra doors helps to ensure we are only heating/cooling parts of the house that need it.

Sustainability Features

Years Open
2020
ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENT FEATURES
    • Energy efficiency:
    • Draught proofing
      Efficient lighting
      Efficient appliances
    • Passive heating cooling:
    • External planting
      Heat recovery ventilation system
      Thermal mass
    • Active heating cooling:
    • Heat exchange ventilation system
    • Water heating:
    • Hot water heat pump
    • Water harvesting and saving features:
    • Rainwater storage - Above ground
      Low flow shower heads
      Low flow taps
    • Average water consumption per day:
    • 87L per person per day
    • Above ground rainwater storage Type:
    • Water tank and fish pond
    • Above ground rainwater storage Size
    • 5000L tank
    • Window Protection:
    • Blinds
      Drapes/curtains
SUSTAINABLE & RECYCLED MATERIALS
    • Sustainable materials:
    • Heat pump hot water Tyvek homewrap Standard floorplan tweaked to maximise north-facing living areas and optimise window sizes LED lights
    • Recycled and reused materials:
    • Aggregate
      Benchtops
      Concrete
      Rocks/stone
      Tiles
INSULATION SPECIFICATIONS
    • Insulation Type:
    • Under-roof
      Ceiling
      Internal walls
      External walls

    • Ceiling Type:
    • Bulk – glass wool
    • Ceiling Rating:
    • 6.0
    • Other Insulation Methods:
    • Bedrooms have two layers of insulated floor to ceiling curtains
    • Under Roof Insulation Type:
    • Roof builders blanket
    • Under Roof Insulation Rating:
    • R1.8
    • Internal Walls Insulation Type:
    • Bulk – glass wool
    • Internal Walls Insulation Rating:
    • 1.5
    • External Walls Rating:
    • 2.5
    • External Walls Type:
    • Bulk – glass wool
RENEWABLE ENERGY SPECIFICATIONS
    • All-Electric Home?
    • Yes
    • Renewable energy used:
    • Energy storage/battery
      Solar PV grid connect
    • Size of PV system:
    • 5
    • Average Daily Energy Consumption:
    • 3
COSTS AND COST SAVINGS
    • Total cost of home when constructed:
    • $525,000 (2018)
    • Cost estimate of sustainable home/features:
    • $86,000
HOUSE DESIGN SPECIFICATIONS
    • House Size
    • 340m2
    • BAL Rating
    • BAL – Low: There is insufficient risk to warrant specific construction requirements
    • Roof
    • Metal (Colorbond)
    • Wall Materials
    • Brick veneer
    • Window and Door Types
    • Awning
      Double glazing
      Low-e, films
      Stacking windows/doors
    • Universal design accessability
    • Multi-generational
    • Number of bedrooms
    • 5
    • Number of bathrooms
    • 3
GARDEN AND WASTE REDUCTION
    • Garden / Outdoors
    • Chickens
      Composting
      Edible garden
      Frog friendly
      Native plants
    • Waste Reduction Practices:
    • Compost all food scraps
      Pickle and preserve food
      Recycle
      Repair
HEALTHY HOME FEATURES
    • Healthy home features
    • Airtight house design
      Indoor plants for air filtration
      Low VOC paints/sealer/varnish
Location
Moonee Ponds VIC 3039
    • Housing Type:
    • Standalone House
    • Project Type:
    • New Build
    • Builder
    • Henley
    • Designer
    • Henley

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