My home sits on a hill, in the bush and faces north. We moved to Tassie for the sailing and the bush and lived on our boat while we built our home, which is built in 3 units with skillion roofs sloping down an east facing hill. The east and west facing walls are rendered concrete block, while the north and south walls are clad in Mini-orb and Cement sheet. In the open plan living, kitchen and dining areas, in my sewing room and in the main bedroom, there are full length sliding doors and windows, retrofitted with double glazing. The ceilings in the main living area have laminated Tas Oak timber trusses and all floors and ceilings are Tasmanian Oak.
I have a wood burning stove which I use rarely and heat pumps in the living area and in the main bedroom. Wall heaters heat the sewing room and other bedrooms while the two bathrooms have fan heaters and exhaust fans.
I have 36 solar panels capable of generating 10kw and two, 5kw Fronius inverters. I have evacuated solar tubes for hot water, a Zappy Charger for my EV and an induction stove top and an electric oven. I do still use a gas barbecue.
I have 3 sheds, a caged veggie garden, a glass house, a caged area for growing trees and an olive grove.
I wanted to create a sustainable house for philosophical reasons, to reduce my carbon footprint, at the same time knowing at my age, I may not be able recoup the cost of these improvements which were installed over the last 15 years. However, these changes have in fact resulted in significant savings, especially the solar panels with which I charge my car. And with the use of off peak power, savings have been substantial.
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