The Blanchard House 2020

The Blanchard House

The bulk of houses in 2050 will be houses that exist today. If we are to ensure greenhouse gas emissions from houses in 2050 are minimised, we need to reduce the carbon footprint of existing homes.

I decided I would renovate based on passive house principles but modified slightly to suit Australian products and the fact that at the time I started designing (2015) passive house design didn’t deal with hot climates effectively. A delay of two years occurred when our son and his girlfriend had to move back into the home, but it is finally finished. We have solar power, and this combined with going to an energy efficient all-electric house has reduced energy costs from $4,000 per year for a partially heated house to $1,300 per year for a fully air conditioned house. The house is carbon neutral, but the energy costs are still significant as South Australian energy costs are among the highest in the nation and we are on a very low feed in tariff.

Our existing home had a gas wall furnace in one room and evaporative cooling. In spite of the fact that they were the most efficient approach when installed, that was no longer the case and both items needed replacing. In fact the bulk of our major appliances needed replacing. Furthermore we became empty nesters and the house layout no longer met our needs.

I looked at the cost of replacing the current equipment with conventional equipment, 10 years energy costs, added in the cost of replacing the roof and layout changes, bathroom and kitchen upgrades and we decided that it was feasible to spend more up front and get a low energy use house. I am a former air conditioning engineer and had designed and built an active trombe wall to reduce heating costs and increase comfort.

Sustainability Features

Years Open
2020
ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENT FEATURES
    • Energy efficiency:
    • Draught proofing
      Efficient lighting
      Efficient appliances
      Energy monitoring
      Smart home features
    • Passive heating cooling:
    • External planting
      Heat recovery ventilation system
      Passive solar designed home
      Shading
      Thermal mass
    • Active heating cooling:
    • Ceiling fans
      Heat exchange ventilation system
      Split system airconditioner

    • Active heating cooling:
    • Economy cycle and active Trombe wall
    • Water heating:
    • Hot water heat pump
      Water heated by PV system
    • Water harvesting and saving features:
    • Rainwater storage - Above ground
      Low flow shower heads
      Low flow taps
    • Average water consumption per day:
    • 0.29kL
    • Above ground rainwater storage Type:
    • Poly tank
    • Above ground rainwater storage Size
    • 5,000L
    • Energy Efficient Lighting
    • LED lights throughout
      Natural daylight
    • Window Protection:
    • Blinds
      Drapes/curtains
      Eaves
      Honeycomb blinds
      Pelmets

    • Window Protection:
    • Shadecloth pergola
SUSTAINABLE & RECYCLED MATERIALS
    • Sustainable materials:
    • reused bricks for garden walls existing paving reused existing solid core doors reused kitchen cupboards repurposed as laundry cupboards with new doors reused existing footings and concrete flooring (topping layer added to bring all floors to one level)
    • Recycled and reused materials:
    • Aggregate
      Bricks
      Doors
      Kitchen cabinets
      Paving
INSULATION SPECIFICATIONS
    • Insulation Type:
    • Under-roof
      Ceiling
      Internal walls
      External walls
      Floor
    • Ceiling Type:
    • Bulk – glass wool
    • Ceiling Rating:
    • R2.0
    • Floor Type:
    • Bulk - polystyrene board
    • Floor Rating:
    • R1.7 overall
    • Under Roof Insulation Type:
    • Bulk – polystyrene board
    • Under Roof Insulation Rating:
    • R1.3
    • Internal Walls Insulation Type:
    • Bulk – glass wool
    • Internal Walls Insulation Rating:
    • R1.3
    • External Walls Rating:
    • R4.2 overall
    • External Walls Type:
    • Bulk – polystyrene board
RENEWABLE ENERGY SPECIFICATIONS
    • All-Electric Home?
    • Yes
    • Renewable energy used:
    • Solar PV grid connect
    • Size of PV system:
    • 5kW Inverter, 6.25 kW Panels
    • Average Daily Energy Consumption:
    • 6.1 kWh from grid. Net -2.5 kWh
COSTS AND COST SAVINGS
    • Total cost of home when constructed:
    • $240,000 for the renovation completed 2020
    • Cost estimate of sustainable home/features:
    • $50,000
    • Estimate of annual savings:
    • $6,000 compared to a similar comfort level with conventional construction
HOUSE DESIGN SPECIFICATIONS
    • House Size
    • 150m2
    • BAL Rating
    • BAL – Low: There is insufficient risk to warrant specific construction requirements
    • Roof
    • Insulated panel (sandwich panels)
      Metal (Zincalume)
    • Wall Materials
    • Insulated panels or blocks
    • Window and Door Types
    • Double glazing
      Low-e, films
      Retrofit Double Glazing
      Triple glazing
    • Universal Design Features
    • 80cm minimum door opening width
      Hobless showers
      Minimum 110cm wide hallways
      No stairs/steps
      Space around toilets for ease of access in wheelchairs
      Strong fittings like towel rails that can be used as hand rails
      Tapware to be easily accessed from outside the shower
    • Number of bedrooms
    • 3
    • Number of bathrooms
    • 2
GARDEN AND WASTE REDUCTION
    • Garden / Outdoors
    • Local indigenous plants
      Native plants
      Water wise plants
    • Waste Reduction Practices:
    • Recycle
      Swap with friends and neighbours
HEALTHY HOME FEATURES
    • Healthy home features
    • Airtight house design
      Automated ventilation system
      Chemical free cleaning products used
      Heat recovery ventilation (HRV)
      Indoor plants for air filtration
      Natural light and ventilation
Location
Torrensville SA 5031
    • Housing Type:
    • Standalone House
    • Project Type:
    • Renovation
    • Builder
    • Owner Builder

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