SUSTAINABLE HOUSE DAY 2012

INTRODUCTION

One of the best ways to help make our society more sustainable is to start with yourself and your home. Sustainable House Day started in 2001 to encourage householders to embrace sustainable living practices. It provides a great opportunity to see what others are doing, to exchange ideas and to learn about ways you can make your own home more sustainable.

WHAT IS SUSTAINABLE LIVING?

Sustainable living is about attempting to live within the Earth’s carrying capacity. This means meeting present ecological, societal, and economic needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It is closely linked to the concept of an ecological footprint.

MY ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT

Your ecological footprint is a measure of the space required to support your lifestyle. It takes into account the type of food you eat, the amount of water and energy you use, your primary mode of transportation and the amount of waste you generate.

If we divided the earth’s resources equally, each person in the world would have only 2.3 hectares of land available to them. Australians currently have an ecological footprint of 7.8 hectares each. On average, each resident of Mosman has an ecological footprint of 14.7 hectares. If everyone on earth had a footprint this size, we would need another seven earths to support us all.

WHAT CAN I DO AT MY HOME?

A great way to reduce your ecological footprint is to start with your home. Simple actions such as taking shorter showers, using energy efficient lights and recycling waste will all make a difference. Remember, you do not have to do everything at once. Start with the easy actions first and then consider implementing bigger changes such as installing solar panels, harvesting rain-water, changing your transport habits or growing your own food.

For further ideas visit:www.mosman.nsw.gov.au/environment/sustain-abilitywww.mosmancefe.org.auwww.environment.nsw.gov.au/householdswww.climateclevershop.com.auwww.greenstrata.com.au

SPOFFORTH STREET (FIRST HOME ON TOUR)

The house was built c 1905 in the Federation period and is part of the Orlando Conservation Area. Although the house has been modified several times in its history, many original features remain. The rear of the house was extended c 1987 but the extension was in poor condition by 2002. When the time came in 2008 to rebuild the rear extension, we retained the 1987 design - with its light-filled kitchen and deck in the canopy of a venerable magnolia tree - and engaged a green builder. New deck timbers are mostly FSC-certified. A water tank was installed below the deck. All new windows and glass doors are double-glazed. Vegetable garden beds were built. Since the bathroom was renovated last year, the water tank supplies the toilet as well as the garden. The garden is very much part of our living space, espe-cially the magnolia, which gives us year-round beauty and summer shade. Our approach has been to make a series of smaller changes, when we are sure what we want, and with each change we try to enable a more sustain-able way of living. Energy and water efficiency are important considerations for us when replacing appliances and fittings.

FEATURES

• Easy access to local centres and city via walking, cycling, public transport.

• 2.2 kW solar PV system on northern roof.• Efergy home energy usage monitor.• Purchased 100 per cent Green Power since scheme began in 1997 till

2010 when solar PV installed (but doesn’t seem compatible with solar buyback for energy retailer - considering buying RECs as offsets instead).

• Ceiling insulation: R3.3 pink batts.• Cavity brick walls, high ceilings and ceiling insulation keep most of house

cool in summer. No air conditioning.• Energy-efficient appliances, most switched off at power point, which we

avoid running in peak period if possible.• TV screen powers down if no movement in front of it for 5 mins (feature

not much used but good for test cricket!).• Dual flush toilet (3L/6L) fed from water tank, water-efficient shower head

(9L/min), 5-star rated instant gas hot water.• Lighting 95 per cent fluorescent or other low watt lighting. No

downlights.• Dimmable compact fluorescent lamps in kitchen.• Abundant natural light in kitchen - less requirement for electric light.• Oven with built-in temperature gauge means short warm-up period. Fan

forced settings used whenever possible.• Gas stove top and heating.• Double glazing at rear of house and front bedroom - much quieter and

kitchen very efficiently heated.

• FSC-certified decking (spotted gum) and most of the deck bearers and joists (sugar gum) from The Woodage, Mittagong.

• Deciduous tree (magnolia x soulangiana) shades deck in summer and allows sun through in winter.

• 4,500 L rainwater tank with pump supplies garden and toilet.• Clothes washed in cold water.• Outdoor clothesline, movable clothes horses for wet weather - no electric

dryer.• Vegetable garden - 4 no-dig beds netted against possums - and edible

plants that possums don’t eat are dotted through garden.• Re-use of ‘waste’ materials in garden eg. irrigation tubing, wood

shavings.• Habitat for blue-tongue lizards, bees etc.• Two bins for compost and compost corkscrew to turn it. Worm tower in

veggie bed.

ANNUAL RESOURCE USE FOR 2 PEOPLE

Electricity = 5.8 kWh/dayGas = 16 MJ/dayWater = 98 L/dayPetrol = 1L/day

FURTHER CHALLENGES

• Seal gaps better for winter warmth.• Shade kitchen’s glass ceiling in summer.• Consider honeycomb blinds for bedrooms.

PINDARI AVENUE (SECOND HOME ON TOUR)

We worked with architect Alan Williams to design the house which was built in 1976. The brief was for a low-maintenance house that could adapt to our needs as our young children grew up and we aged. The house has indeed turned out to be low maintenance and we haven’t felt the need for any major renovations. We participated in a Mosman Council ecological footprint reduction program in 2005 which raised our awareness and led in turn to a commitment to go carbon neutral - reducing our impact as much as we can and buying offsets to compensate for the things we aren’t prepared to give up such as air travel and to visit our children. Each few months we cycle our attention to a different aspect of our lives: energy use, tranport, food, water, how our savings are invested and what we buy. We try to see what further improvements we can make by adapting rather than compromising our lifestyle. Some things we research but delay acting until existing equip-ment wears out or further technological advance happens (like LED lighting). Sustainability is a journey that we have started but we know we still have a long way to go.

FEATURES

• 3 kW solar PV system on western roof.• Gas boosted solar hot water system with no pump needed.• 10,000 litre water tanks under house collecting from all down pipes.• Location with good access to public transport and shops.• Flat bike ride to most Mosman destinations - electric bike.• Provision for pool - but pool not constructed.• Cross ventilation and bottom to top ventilation - no air conditioning.• Verandas and trees for summer shade.• Sealable double glazed cell with curtains and pelmets to limit winter

heating.• Gas heating.• Maximum capture of daylight in internal rooms.• Northern sun penetrates in winter but not in summer.• Natural, low maintenance materials.• Adaptable design - minimal renovation needed over 40-year period.• Management of standby power.• Chillipepper to eliminate hot water waste.• Aerobin and Bokashi compost bins.• Productive garden, including roof garden.• On-site re-use of green waste.• Encouraging biodiversity.• 100 per cent Green Power.• Carbon offsetting via Renewable Energy Certificates.• Tracking performance via Bradley Project website.• Planning, to avoid waste. Seasonal adjustment to house settings.

ANNUAL RESOURCE USE FOR TWO PEOPLE

Electricity = 6 kWh/dayGas = 9 MJ/dayWater = 140 L/dayLiquid Fuel (LPG for car) = 51 L/day

FURTHER CHALLENGES

• Making house more comfortable in winter without increasing energy use.• Slowing down.• Lighting.

LANG STREET (THIRD HOME ON TOUR)

Over the past two decades we have become increasingly disturbed by the implications of global warming and resource depletion for future generations. Our concern has prompted us to try to reduce our own carbon footprint through making some changes to our house and our consumer behaviour.

Built in the late 80s our townhouse is one of a 7 unit strata-title property. The buildings have cavity walls and are constructed over a subterranean garage area divided into separately secured sections. We have a patio style garden area on three sides planted out with Australian natives to minimise watering with the sunniest west-facing area bringing light and heat into the sitting room in the afternoons.

We manage to grow a variety of vegetables in pots despite the length of the house facing south and the garden being shaded by walls especially in Winter. Inside, Summer and Winter temperature extremes are exacerbated by having 6 sets of French windows on the ground floor and 8 sets of windows plus two skylights upstairs - none of which are double glazed.

FEATURES

• Australian wool loft insulation.• Gas laid on to the complex with the option for other owners to T off to

individual dwellings. (So far only 2 other owners have taken this option). We now have 2 non-flued gas heaters.

• 5,500 L capacity water tanks in the garage collecting surface run-off water with a pump to recycle water back upstairs to the toilets, laundry and for garden irrigation.

• Solar hot water panel amply supplying our hot water needs for most days of the year without needing the electric boost. Due to the limited span of suitably-oriented roofs we were unable to install PV panels to generate electricity.

• Shade cloth blinds on all downstairs windows and Venetians upstairs.• Low energy light bulbs.• Electricity consumption monitor.• 100% Green Power.• Thick curtains.• Ceiling fans in living room & main bedroom.• Garden of drought resistant natives with drip irrigation (using surface

water) and an extra rainwater tank .• Home grown herbs and vegetables.• Worm farm.• Shade cloth over the west-facing patio seating area in Summer.

CONSUMER “BEHAVIOUR MANAGEMENT”

• Use the oven to cook more than one item at a time.• Avoid goods in unnecessary packing, plastic or non-recyclable wrapping. • Re-use bags, bottles etc and carry own bags for shopping.• Buy local or Australian to avoid air miles where possible.• Consider the embedded footprint of new purchases and avoid commercial

enticements to replace possessions in the quest for ‘style’ rather than functionality. (One of our two cars is over 20 years old and the other is now 12).

• Try to use public transport or ride bikes wherever possible. • Consider the energy rating of any new electric appliances.• Encourage other residents to recycle more.• Support the local community garden and encourage neighbours to join or

try growing edible plants in pots. Plant herbs and tomatoes for general use in the common garden area.

• Share surplus produce and bottled items with others.

RESOURCE USE FOR 2 PEOPLE

Electricity = 8 kWh/day

Gas = 22 MJ/day

Water = 80 L/day

FURTHER CHALLENGES

• Revisit possibility of PV panels.• External shading for windows.• Draught-proofing doors/windows.• Adapt skylights for ventilation / insulation.

FOR MORE INFORMATIONMosman Council Civic Centre, Mosman Square Mosman NSW 2088Phone (02) 9978 4000 Fax (02) 9978 4132 Email environment@mosman.nsw.gov.au www.mosman.nsw.gov.au