Tarlo River Passive House
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House Notes – Tarlo River Passive House
We started exploring sustainable building when we treechanged four years ago, moving to a 100-acre block with a house (shed house) two hours from Sydney.
We’d built previously using conventional methods and loved the idea of creating something suiting our needs and priorities. However, we wanted to do something different this time for two important reasons:
- We want to slow down and work less in the future, so a building system where you spend a little more upfront to save in the long run was appealing.
- We’re building in a stunning spot and wanted to create something lower impact.
Living here while exploring options, experiencing temperatures ranging from -10°C to 46°C, confirmed our decision to build a Passive House. Our current house has no insulation and inefficient heating and cooling, leading to massive power bills (particularly in winter), which established the need to get this right.
Sustainable features include: Passive House certified and off-grid capable with our solar, battery, generator and water tanks setup.
We feel our design, comprising of three connected pavilions, is unique. Our architect, Sue Connor, came up with a design that maximises the views from every room while ensuring we’ll achieve certification.
Our building approach is also a little unconventional. We’re working with Eclipse Passive House, which employs a prefabricated system tailored to Australian environments to build high-performance houses efficiently.
Everything will meet the BAL29 requirements of our site while delivering a visual style that works well with the landscape.
SUSTAINABILITY FEATURES
- Energy efficiency:
- Draught proofing
Efficient lighting
Efficient appliances
Energy monitoring
Smart home features
- Passive heating cooling:
- Cross ventilation
Deciduous planting around house
External planting
Heat recovery ventilation system
Passive solar designed home
Shading
- Active heating cooling:
- Ceiling fans
Heat exchange ventilation system
Split system airconditioner
- Water heating:
- Hot water heat pump
- Water harvesting and saving features:
- Rainwater storage - Above ground
Blackwater system
Grey water system
Stormwater management
Hot water recirculation
Drip irrigation
- Average water consumption per day:
- 150
- Above ground rainwater storage Type:
- 25,000 l water tanks (x 4)
- Above ground rainwater storage Size
- 100,000 L
- Energy Efficient Lighting
- LED lights throughout
Natural daylight
- Electric Vehicle Type
- Nissan Fuga
- Window Protection:
- Blinds
Deciduous tree/vegetation
Eaves
Honeycomb blinds
Solar pergola
- Window Protection:
- pergolas with deciduous vines
- Sustainable materials:
- RECYCLED HARDWOOD/ FSC TIMBER (no timber from rainforest or old growth forest),
CELLULOSE INSULATION.
Knauf plasterboard.
LED lighting.
Cork flooring,
Recycled decking (Modwood).
- Recycled and reused materials:
- Excavated earth
Rocks/stone
Timber
- Insulation Type:
- Ceiling
Internal walls
External walls
Floor
- Ceiling Type:
- Bulk – cellulose fibre
- Ceiling Rating:
- R 7.0
- Floor Type:
- Bulk - cellulose fibre
- Floor Rating:
- R 7.0
- Internal Walls Insulation Type:
- Bulk – cellulose fibre
- Internal Walls Insulation Rating:
- R1.7
- External Walls Rating:
- R 5.5
- External Walls Type:
- Bulk – cellulose fibre
- All-Electric Home?
- Yes
- Energy star rating:
- 5.6
- Renewable energy used:
- Solar PV grid connect
- Size of PV system:
- 10kwh
- Average Daily Energy Consumption:
- 5 kWh
- Total cost of home when constructed:
- 1.4 million
- Cost estimate of sustainable home/features:
- $0
- Estimate of annual savings:
- $3000
- House Size
- 180M2
- BAL Rating
- BAL – 29: Increasing levels of ember attack and ignition of debris with a heat flux of up to 29kW/m2
- Roof
- Insulated panel (sandwich panels)
Metal (Colorbond)
- Wall Materials
- Insulated panels or blocks
Lightweight construction (timber frame)
Metal (Colorbond)
Timber
- Window and Door Types
- Tilt and turn
Triple glazing
- Universal design accessability
- Multi-generational
- Universal Design Features
- 80cm minimum door opening width
Hobless showers
Lever handles for doors (no knobs)
Minimum 110cm wide hallways
No Corner cupboards
Pocket doors so that cabinet doors are out of the way
Slip resistant flooring
Washing machine/dryer on plynth for easy access
- Universal Design Features
- KNX allows control of lights and HVAC systems via phone app rather than physical switches
- Number of bedrooms
- 3
- Number of bathrooms
- 2
- Garden / Outdoors
- Bee hotels/friendly
Bird-nesting boxes
Drip irrigation
Edible garden
Frog friendly
Greenhouse
Local indigenous plants
Orchard
Native plants
Swales
Water wise plants
Wicking beds
- Waste Reduction Practices:
- Book exchange/library
Recycle
Repair
Tool exchange/library
Swap with friends and neighbours
Waste free/reduced construction site
- Other Waste Reduction Practices:
- No waste service; actively choose low waste and recyclable options when shopping
- Healthy home features
- Airtight house design
Automated ventilation system
Cabinet design to minimise dust collection
Carpet free - tiles/concrete/timber flooring throughout
Chemical free cleaning products used
Cross flow ventilation
Formaldehyde free cabinets
Heat recovery ventilation (HRV)
Indoor plants for air filtration
Low VOC paints/sealer/varnish
Natural fibre furnishings
Natural light and ventilation
Natural oil sealer/finishes
VOC free paints/sealer/varnish
Wax based sealer/finish
- Healthy Home
- AWTS treats waste water to irrigation standard.
- Housing Type:
- Standalone House
- Project Type:
- New Build
- Builder
- ECLIPSE PASSIVE HOUSE - DARRYN PARKINSON
- Designer
- GAEA ARCHITECTS
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