» The Cape Passive House

The Cape Passive House

The Passive House Project in Cape Paterson is situated in the heart of the The Cape eco village of Cape Paterson. This house is the First Passive House in the estate featuring a modern style, designed to suit the block and its surrounds.

The owners had become accustomed to the thoughtful, sustainably designed homes in the region when they approached North South Homes to become involved in their dream of building and living in a passive house. To them a passive house would answer their needs to have a home that encompasses not only sustainable building practices and running costs but also allows them year round comfort and in particular a healthy living environment.

This home has been designed to achieve the rigorous standards of the International Passive House Institute which implores the importance of a fabric-first construction standard.

In its essence the passive house design delivers very high performance and comfort for the lifetime of the building. This house, therefore, relies on building physics and carefully integrated, minimal building services and technology.

This home’s quality of construction can be summarised in the 5 Building Principles of Passive House design: Insulation, Thermal Bridge Free, Air Tightness, Triple Glazed Certified Passive House Windows, Air Ventilation.

This house achieved a NatHERS rating of 8 stars using NatHERS accredited software. Find out how the star rati ngs work on the Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) website.

Sustainability Features

ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENT FEATURES

- Energy efficiency:
- Draught proofing
  Efficient lighting
  Efficient appliances
- Passive heating cooling:
- Cross ventilation
  Heat recovery ventilation system
  Passive solar designed home
  Shading
- Active heating cooling:
- Ceiling fans
  Heat exchange ventilation system
  Heat pump
  Split system airconditioner
- Water heating:
- Hot water heat pump
- Water harvesting and saving features:
- Rainwater storage - Above ground
  Stormwater management
  Low flow shower heads
- Average water consumption per day:
- 120 litres per person
- Above ground rainwater storage Type:
- Colourbond Tank
- Above ground rainwater storage Size
- 20,000L
- Energy Efficient Lighting
- LED lights throughout
  Natural daylight
  Skylight
- Electric Vehicle Type
- Hyundai Kona
- Window Protection:
- Awnings (external)
  Blinds
  Drapes/curtains
  Eaves
- Window Protection:
- External electric shade blinds on west and north windows and awnings on some north windows. All to block out unwanted sun heat gain when necessary.

SUSTAINABLE & RECYCLED MATERIALS

- Recycled and reused materials:
- Benchtops

INSULATION SPECIFICATIONS

- Insulation Type:
- Ceiling
  Internal walls
  External walls
  Floor
- Ceiling Type:
- Bulk – glass wool
- Ceiling Rating:
- R6
- Floor Type:
- Bulk - glass wool
- Floor Rating:
- R6
- Other Insulation Methods:
- All thermal bridge free construction detailed to passive house standards (eliminating any possibilities of mould developing inside the home).
- Internal Walls Insulation Type:
- Bulk – glass wool
- Internal Walls Insulation Rating:
- R2.5
- External Walls Rating:
- R4
- External Walls Type:
- Bulk – glass wool

RENEWABLE ENERGY SPECIFICATIONS

- All-Electric Home?
- Yes
- Renewable energy used:
- Solar PV grid connect
- Size of PV system:
- 6.4kw
- Average Daily Energy Consumption:
- 3.5 kWh

COSTS AND COST SAVINGS

- Total cost of home when constructed:
- 632,674.00
- Cost estimate of sustainable home/features:
- $60K
- Estimate of annual savings:
- Up to 90% savings over a standard home

HOUSE DESIGN SPECIFICATIONS

- House Size
- 189 m2
- BAL Rating
- BAL – 12.5: Ember attack with heat up to 12.5kW/m2
- Roof
- Metal (Colorbond)
- Wall Materials
- Prefabricated external and internal walls delivered to build site
- Window and Door Types
- Skylights
  Sliding windows/doors
  Tilt and turn
  Triple glazing
- Window and Door Types
- Passive House Certified Timber/Aluminum Windows
- Universal design accessability
- Adaptive design
  Multi-generational
  Universal access
  Wheelchair accessible
- Universal Design Features
- 100cm minimum door opening width
  Flush thresholds (no lip) to all external doors
  Hobless showers
  Kitchen bench/table for wheelchairs to access (75-85cm high)
  Lever handles for doors (no knobs)
  Loud doorbell/connected to flashing light
  Minimum 110cm wide hallways
  Pocket doors so that cabinet doors are out of the way
  Shower head on rail for various heights
  Slip resistant flooring
  Space around toilets for ease of access in wheelchairs
  Tapware to be easily accessed from outside the shower
  Window openings easily accessible
  Various heights for benches in kitchens
- Number of bedrooms
- 3
- Number of bathrooms
- 2

GARDEN AND WASTE REDUCTION

- Garden / Outdoors
- Composting
  Edible garden
  Frog friendly
  Local indigenous plants
  Organic
  Permaculture
  Native plants
  Water wise plants
  Wicking beds
- Waste Reduction Practices:
- Compost all food scraps
  Plastic free household
  Recycle
  Repair
  Swap with friends and neighbours
  Waste free/reduced construction site

HEALTHY HOME FEATURES

- Healthy home features
- Airtight house design
  Asthma and allergy free certified carpet
  Automated ventilation system
  Cabinet design to minimise dust collection
  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

The Cape Passive House 2021

This house is not opening in person, but you can explore the profile and ask the homeowner a question below.

The Cape Passive House

Sustainability Features

View the house tour

Ask questions about this house