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Clean Energy: Why Not Start at Home? On these pages we'll show you ways to transform your home into a zero emission house! For an online manual covering many of the ideas listed on this site and more, check out the website of Sustainable Energy Authority (Victoria) Earth Garden magazine - a great resource over many years RMIT Centre for Design has some excellent info on sustainable buildings Sustainable Building Information System Australian Building Energy Council US Green Building Council	Solar Hot Water Other Solar Colletors Solar Power Solar Passive design Materials Energy Efficient Appliances Water Saving Grey Water Heat Recovery Peter Campbell's House For the Architect Can Businesses do it? Sustainable Urban Design on Larger Scales. Five Star Rating Systems
Solar Hot Water Heating hot water accounts for about 25% of an average household power bill. By installing solar collectors you can heat hot water for your house, pool or even floor. The State Government provides a solar hot water heater rebate of $1,200-$1,500 to residents, non profit groups, and farms. Download an application form to find out the details. The Edwards solar hot water heater gas-boosted system (pictured) costs between $4,000 and $4,500 installed (including rebate). An electric-boosted unit costs $3,000-$,3500. The equivalent figure for a conventional water heater is around $1,400. Solar hot water units also come with a booster for times when there is not enough sun. This can be gas or electric. It is not yet compulsory for a solar hot water heater to be included as part of any new house, but that day will surely come. On this topic, the Federal Government greenhouse site is worth visiting. Top	Edwards three-panel solar hot water heater with gas booster Solahart hot water heater cut away to show layers Homemade solar pool heater, using poly pipe coiled on the roof. This system is often turned off during summer because the pool gets too hot! The lower north facing roof of this house is one large solar collector. The roof contains two separate systems that heat water. One is used to heat the house's concrete slab or pool and the second heats domestic hot water. Both have firewood-based backup. Last year the first backup system wasn't used at all. Top
Other Solar Collectors Solar collectors can be used in other ways. Picturer right is the Sun Lizard which uses a solar collector to heat air from a house which is then pumped back into the house by a fan powerred by solar cells. During winter the system can be use to suck hot air out of the house. The system is priced around $2750 plus installation which you can do yourself. Top	The Sun Lizard Find out more about the Sun Lizard Top
Solar Power For between $15,000 and $30,000, you can install a modern solar system. Most people in urban environments have their systems connected to the grid. An inverter feeds the power not being used by the house into the grid. Energy companies provide some reimbursement for power fed into the grid. Some systems include a battery bank which enables energy to be stored on site and used latter. It also provides protection from blackouts if grid power fails. Top	Solar panels Battery bank Inverter Top
Solar Passive Design Using simple design techniques to capture the heat of the sun in winter and protect from the heat in summer, heating and cooling bills can be reduced or even eliminated. House orientation, and even the plants you put around the house, can play an important part in making the house energy efficient. Federal Government Greenhouse site - notes on passive design Top	These shade devices are designed to shade out the summer sun while allowing the winter sun into the living space below Mike Stasse designs energy efficient houses and has a good web site worth looking at called Greenhouse design
Materials It takes energy to produce materials used to build your house. Some materials have more energy content than others, some are more environmentally harmful. Top	Web site advising on different materials used in building Carbon Cost Calculator - McKean & Park, SKM, Deakin University and others have developed a method of calculating the embodied energy of a material and hence a building Windows Energy Rating site
Energy Efficient Appliances To trim energy usage, consider the many energy efficient appliances now available. This is especially important if you're thinking of going solar. Though initially more expensive, energy efficient appliances offer the bonus of being the highest quality goods available. Federal Government Greenhouse site: Questions to ask before buying whitegoods Australian government energy rating site for appliances LEDs (light emitting diodes) are an efficient, long-lasting form of lighting. Check out this house lit only by LEDs. A number of technologies are being developed that will make creating energy efficient homes easier. For example, read up on tungsten lattice lights Top	Compact fluoro Energy efficient fridge Front-loading clothes washer Top
Water Saving It takes energy to collect and manage our water resources. Saving water conserves energy and helps our environment at the same time. Check out our list of commercial product options. Top	A very good water saving site savewater.com.au with background info and products Victorian government rebates for water saving devices, including water tanks, grey water systems, and a basket of garden products Water Services Association of Australia - a product efficiency scheme including lots of products Rain Reviva - water storage system using a bladder, 100% Australian owned, designed and made Water Wizz - water flow regulators designed to save water, 100% Australian owned, designed and made Waterwise Systems - grey water system recycling Water Conserve - Water Conservation Portal an excellent site covering water issues.
Grey Water Heat Recovery This approach uses heat exchange to shift heat from grey water back into the hot water system. The principles employed are similar to systems that capture waste heat from a cooking or heating fire, as the heat travels up a chimney, and then uses it to heat water. Top	Off-the-shelf example of grey water heat exchange, the GFX Water Heater Booster Top
Peter Campbell's House Peter lives in a solar powered house. Check out his fabulous website to find out more about his amazing house and the renovations he undertook. Top	Peter Campbell's house
For the Architect High energy houses are yesterday's fossils. If you're an architect, move into the future and incorporate energy efficiency and environmental features into your designs. Excite your customers, move to the forefront of your profession and help peg back global warming. Top	BDP Environment Design Guide From the Royal Australian Institute of Architects' web site: 'The award winning BDP Environment Design Guide is the most comprehensive single source of information on environmental design issues specifically tailored to the needs of Australia's planning and building design professionals. A product of the Australian Council of Building Design Professions, it provides reliable, timely and accessible information, all written with the design practitioner in mind.'
Can businesses do it too? The 60L Green Building is an example of office space which was a refurbishment of an existing building in an environmental and energy efficient manner. The building is located at 60 Leicester Street, Carlton, a short 5 minute walk from Victoria Market and is home to Going Solar, ACF, Environment Victoria, and NEG Micon to name a few of the tenants. Visitors are most welcome. Energy Preformance Contracting 'If you own or manage a building, we have good news that can save you money . . . Energy Performance Contracting is a smart, affordable and increasingly common way to make building improvements that save energy and money. Any large building or group of buildings is an ideal candidate for performance contracting, including council, state and federal sites, schools, hospitals, commercial office buildings and light industrial facilities' From the web site of the Australasian Energy Performance Contracting Association (AEPCA) Top	60L Green Building
Sustainable urban design on larger scales Is it enough for individuals to modify their lifestyles to sustainable levels? Individual action must be the catalyst for mass action, but perhaps we should also examine examples of larger scale sustainable living. Top	Zero Emission Development - urban residential and workspace in the UK Village Homes an eco friendly community established in the late 1970s in Davis California. Charles Stuart University - a green university campus Australian National University - ecologically sustainable design and construction standards The Village Green
5 Star Rating System The Victorian Labor Government has taken the first step towards ensuring our houses are energy efficient, with the introduction of a 5 Star rating system. When the new standard is introduced in July 2004, the building industry will have three regulatory options for demonstrating compliance with 5 Star: 5 Star energy rating, certified by an accredited house energy rater, for building fabric, or 4 Star energy rating for building fabric, plus water savings measures and a solar hot water system, or 4 Star energy rating for building fabric, plus water savings measures and a rainwater tank From July 2005, compliance with 5 Star will require a 5 Star energy rating for building fabric, plus water savings measures, plus a rainwater tank or a solar hot water service (both subject to a Regulatory Impact Statement). What we think could be done better We believe the July 2005 compliance requirement should be strengthened to require a rainwater tank AND a solar hot water service. Given the urgency of climate change, we recommend that the Bracks government give forward notice of a 6 Star requirement by July 2006. We'd also consider that the rating system should be applied to any house undergoing renovation or extension. A new minimum standard, including installation of roof insulation, should be developed for existing homes being sold. Top	5 Star Rating - consumer information Victorian Government - sustainable building Going Solar has a 5 Star rating service Top