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Sustainable House Day - Sunday 11 Sept 2011 10am - 4pm -  Homes Open Free to the Public

07 September 2011

Welcome to the Cootharinga home - 11 Lelia Avenue, Rasmussen
Five bedrooms with their own bathrooms and sitting rooms Communal kitchen, dining and lounge

Features to look out for here

 

Throughout inside house

  • Clerestory windows in the bedrooms to catch prevailing breezes and drive them into the bedrooms and rest of house
  •   Placement of lockable security window and sliding door screens to utilise natural breezes.
  •   Window placement to avoid heat entry
  •   Shared facilities like kitchen , laundry and lounge will help to reduce energy   consumption (compared to 5 kitchens, 5 laundries, and 5 lounges in use)
  •   Low energy light fittings, sensor activated in some areas

 

 

  •  Skylights
  •   Tiles on floor for coolness
  •   Ceiling fans

 

Bathrooms

  1. Universal access bathrooms mean residents
     can stay at this home without needing to
    need to move if their mobility changes
  2. Skylights
  3. Water efficient shower heads.

 

Bedrooms

  • Natural light and air flow (three residents didn’t turn on their air conditioning in summer)
  • Private courtyard

 

Kitchen

  • Induction cook top stove. This stove top is energy efficient and fast. It is also cool to touch when it’s on. The cooktop sends electrical current directly to the cooking vessel on the stove due to magnetic current flowing between the bottom of the pot and electrical current in the element. Vessels must be made from ferromagnetic metal.   The placement has also taken account of future residents who might use a wheelchair.
  • Bench heights and surfaces selected to be appropriate for all users, including those who may use a wheelchair
  • Energy efficient fridge selected

 

 

Outside/gardens

  • Orientation – long axes is east west – short ends of house face sun
  • Roof colour and insulation to reduce heat entering the building
  • Block construction painted to reflect heat
  • Roofline overhangs to shade windows

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • Site selection to utilise natural shading from trees
  • Absence of roof guttering to minimise maintenance as well as direct rainwater onto garden
  • Low maintenance garden with selection of plants specifically selected for low water usage
  • Heat pump. Use one third the electricity of an electric hot water system. A heat pump is a little like a reverse refrigerator. It transfers the heat in the air outside of the unit to the water stored inside the heater through a heat exchange system.
  • Heat trace on hot water lines to reduce water wastage while waiting for hot water to come down the pipes.  Improves efficiency.  Electric heat tracing systems replace the heat lost through the thermal insulation on hot water supply piping to maintain the water at desired nominal temperatures (e.g. 50°C, 60°C), preventing stagnant water in dead leg lines from cooling. It also ensures that hot water is readily available when required at fixtures.

 

 

For more information..

 

This house functions somewhat like private units, but its clever design to combine facilities like kitchen and dining makes it more economical and allows for positive social interaction when compared to conventionally designed units. The building and landscaping works cost $1.05m on land already owned by Cootharinga.

 

For further information contact: