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Sustainable housing is all about ensuring your home is energy efficient, comfortable and cost effective. There are plenty of ways to start turning your current home into a sustainable house, and if you’re building a new home it’s easy to incorporate sustainability into the design.
If you have an existing home there are things you can do right now to improve the sustainability of your home – and help save the planet as well as your hard earned cash!
Install water efficient showerheads and water pressure limiting devices. Have a rainwater tank installed and use the water from it to water the garden flush the toilet and do your washing. You can get a State Government rebate of up to $1000 and, if you live in Brisbane, there's a Brisbane City Coucil rebate of up to $500 when you install a rainwater tank.
When it’s time to replace your hot water service, change to one that’s more sustainable. Solar hot water heating is a natural choice in Brisbane – plenty of sunny days, and if you choose one with a natural gas booster rather than an electric one, you’ll be doing the environment an even bigger favour.
Insulation is a big energy saver. It makes it easier to cool your home in summer and heat it in winter. Don’t forget to insulate any exposed hot water pipes too!
Change over to energy efficient light globes – inside and out. Buying them in multi-packs is cheaper than buying individual globes, so stock up.
Add screens, lattice and shade plants to the western side of your house. That will help reduce the heat in your home during summer and cut your heating bills.
When planning a new home you can really benefit from going sustainable. A truly sustainable home balances social needs, environmental impact and ongoing maintenance to give you a home that will cater to your changing needs without costing a fortune – and is kind to the planet.
In your initial design phase consider what you’ll need in the future, not just the next few years. A good design makes sure that your future needs are also covered. Safety and security, ongoing usability and the look and feel of your home all need to be considered.
You can make a difference by keeping stairs to a minimum, building shower areas without a “lip” to trip over and using non-slip surfaces in tiled areas.
Next look at the environmental impact of your home. Go for energy and water efficient design and products.
Incorporate features such as skylights to provide natural lighting and cut down on electricity costs. Make sure your home is oriented to catch the breezes in summer, put in a rainwater tank and insulate the ceilings.
Plan your garden to be water friendly – go for waterwise plants. And when you’re buying appliances and whitegoods for your new home, go for high star-rated items.
Finally, consider the building materials you’ll be using. Low maintenance materials add to the cost efficiency of your home. And you won’t have to spend a fortune on repainting and repairing your property.
Visit the Sustainable Home Brisbane for more ideas on how to how to design and build a home, or renovate an existing home to include sustainable features that provide environmental, social and economic benefits.
Part of the Queensland Sustainable Homes program, the house provides an opportunity for industry, government, community groups, and the public to learn about sustainable housing design. Australian Green Development Forum (AGDF) is coordinating the Brisbane project and AGDF members play a vital role in the project.
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