Retirement by the lake 2024

Retirement by the lake

We built our own home with traditional materials before we fully understood the need and techniques for sustainability. Did include some things like a little double glazing, cross ventilation, aspect planning and wide eaves but oh so many opportunities missed. We have gradually worked on improvements:-
Rainwater tanks
Solar panels
Converted away from gas…
Solar hot water
Heat pump a/c heating /cooling
Induction stove top
Electric BBQ
Electric vehicles (starting with Prius, converted it to plug-in, but now Holden Volt and Tesla Y)
Home battery and grid gateway
Energy saving pool pump
Smart car charger
Super insulated ceiling
Experimented with sealing and triple glazing key windows.
Small veggie bed fed from pond water (semi aquaponic)

Our PV, battery and EV investments have achieved net zero power bills for over a decade. We power our house and cars virtually completely from our roof.