Australian House & Garden – September 2019

H G living

118 | AUSTRALIAN HOUSE&GARDEN

PEEK GREEN

StepinsidethehomesopenforSustainableHouseDayfora glimpse

into how good eco-friendly living can be, writesSarah Pickette.

W

henit comestootherpeople’shouses,everyonelovesa bitofa

stickybeakortheopportunitytochatwiththeownersabouthow

theirhomeslook,feelandperform.Andthat’stheappealof

SustainableHouseDay,whichtakesplacethisyearonSunday,September15.

“It’sa chanceforanyoneinterestedinimprovingthesustainabilityand

liveabilityoftheirownhometoseehowothershavemadeimprovements

andtoaskthemfortheirhonesttakeonwhat’sworkedandwhat’sworth

themoney,”saysDonnaLuckman,CEOoftheAlternativeTechnology

Association,thenot-for-profitbodythatorganisesSustainableHouseDay.

About 250 homesacrossAustraliawillopentheirdoorstointerested

membersofthepublic,offeringa rareviewintohomesdesigned,builtor

renovatedwithenergyefficiencyandtheenvironmentinmind.Amongthe

line-up,you’llfindstraw-balehouses,homesthatincorporateelectric-

vehiclechargers,impressivephotovoltaic set-ups with battery storage,

sustainablegardensandtinyhouses.

“Oneofthethingswe’velearntfromsurveyingvisitorsinpastyearsis

thatthey’rehungryfortipsonhowtoreducetheirenergybillsandimprove

thecomfortoftheirhome,”saysLuckman.“Theywanttoknowif,for

example,batterystorageordoubleglazingisworththeexpense.”

Thisyearwillseemorepassivhauspropertiesopenfortoursthanever

before.DevelopedinGermany,thepassivhausconceptutilisesinsulation,

glazingandairtightnesstoachieveanincrediblyenergy-efficienthome.

Some passivhaus homes use just 10 per cent of the energy of a similarly

sized,traditionallybuilthome.“Theideaisn’tnew,butit’sgaining

momentuminAustraliaandwe’reseeing more designers becoming

passivhauscertified,”shesays.

Solarisalwaysofinterest,addsLuckman,asistheideaofutilising

panelstochargeanelectricvehicle.“MorethantwomillionAustralian

householdsnowhaverooftopsolarpanels.It goes to show that people

wanttomaketheirhomesmoresustainable.”

Luckmansayssomeofherfavouritehousesarethosethatarenewto

participatinginSustainableHouseDay.“Ilovethehomesthatareopen

becausesomeoneattendeda SustainableHouseDay,tooksomeadvice

onboardandwentoffandbuilttheirownsustainablehome.Byopening

theirownhomeup,they’regivingback.Thatmakesmesohappy.”#

ToseetheSustainableHouseDayopen homes near you, or to register to attend,

visitsustainablehouseday.com.

The green house

‘[PEOPLE]AREHUNGRYFORTIPSONHOWTOREDUCETHEIR

ENERGYBILLSANDIMPROVETHECOMFORTOFTHEIR HOME.’

Donna Luckman, CEO, Alternative Technology Association

PRIZEBUILD

Wealwaysknewit wasa winner,butnow

H&G’s MyIdealHouseprojecthaspicked

upa sustainablearchitectureawardatthe

NSWArchitectureAwards.Sydneyarchitect

MadeleineBlanchfielddrewupthewinning

entryintheMyIdealHousedesign

competitionandhervisionwasexpertly

realisedbyMirvacinsouth-westSydney.

Thehouseismodular,flexibleand

supremelyliveable;Blanchfielddesigned

it sothehousecanalwaysbeoriented

northwardsandit’sconstructedfrom

thermallyefficientHebelpanelsand

Viridianhigh-performanceglass.“This

awardisveryspecialtousbecauseit’sa

waywecanimprovethequalityofhousing

for more than just a few,” says Blanchfield. Photography by Maree Homer & Nic Gossage.