your abode starts new sustainable house construction in Sydney

Here is an image of our new sustainable house project in Collaroy, Sydney which we will commence building in early 2009. Green building is what we are about and this house typifies everything about our approach to sustainable houses.
The house will be very eco-friendly both in its design and construction. Water and energy consumption for the house will be very low due to the house:

1. being totally self sufficient for potable water. All water for drinking, cooking and showering will be collected on site and stored in rainwater tanks for re-use in the house
   
2. all grey water from showers, hand basins and the washing machine will be recycled through a grey water treatment system and re-used for flushing toilets and washing clothes in the washing machine.
   
3. not having any air conditioning because of the excellent breeze ways that provide for summer cooling
4. having high thermal mass in both the walls and exposed concrete slab for winter warming and summer cooling
   
5. using an in slab gas hydronic heating system for winter heating
6. using low-e thermal glass in all of the windows to reduce heat loss in winter and prevent heat gain in summer
7. having good eaves and sun shading to keep it cool in summer
8. being designed with good orientation and zoning of rooms

But we haven't only considered water and energy efficiency. Occupant comfort and materials sustainability are also high priority:

1. all internal paints and cabinetry will use low VOC products.
2. recycled Australian Hardwood will be used for the stair construction and for the skirting board and architraves around windows and doors
3. any waste created during construction will be separated into differing materials and recycled

This is a very exciting project for both us and our clients and we will post progress photos and updates as we move through construction.

PV panel feed in tariffs for NSW

Carmel Tebbutt, the NSW Government Environment Minister, has given a pledge to introduce feed in tariffs for solar panels in NSW.

Many other states in Australia have had feed in tariffs for some time, notably South Australia, which this year started paying people double the market rate for feeding power back into the grid.

Apparently the NSW Government has grown tired of waiting for a National approach driven by the Federal Government, so they have decided to 'go it alone'.

Great news for those with panels and possibly just the incentive necessary for many to consider installing panels.

No word on when it will come into play or how it will operate, but first steps are good steps.

The Pope goes green

The pope is on a drive to make the Vatican Europe's most energy efficient state.

Around 2,000 square metres of the Paul VI hall are being covered with photovoltaic panels, while the another 3000 square metres will be used as a screen to increase the amount of captured energy.

According to Mauro Villarini, an engineer who works for Vatican State's technical services, " The objective of our project is, in sum, to create an energy process from which, with the production of clean energy and its intelligent management, it is possible to supply in the first place these properties and, in the future, also the means of transport, making mobility sustainable from the environmental point of view".
" The challenge for Vatican City State to be the first in Europe to comply with European objectives, which foresee for 2020, obtaining at least 20% of consumed energy from renewable sources."

Villarini expects the solar panels to be functioning by the end of this year.

Grey water and your soil - does it cause any harm?

There is a growing attitude in the water challenged times that we live in, that to waste any water is unacceptable. Out of this, simple grey water diversion systems such as the one above are becoming more prevalent and are being readily accepted by mainstream Australia.

But when looking to install some form or grey water diversion system, serious consideration has to be given to the effect that the nutrient rich water will have on the ecology of the soil that you are diverting the water to. Last thing anyone looking to reduce their environmental impact wants to do is, by do good on one hand (reducing water usage) they find themselves doing bad (damaging soil ecology) as a result of it.

RMIT Honours Student Farzarhd Namdarian recently completed a thesis in conjunction with the Alternative Technology Association titled 'The impact of grey water irrigation systems on domestic soil environments'.

Generally it is a fairly dry subject, but it does make for interesting reading. By researching and recoding data from 7 real life case studies in Melbourne, Farzarhd has been able to gather some useful information that should help anyone thinking about installing a grey water diversion system from causing any damage to their soil ecology.

Check it out here at the ATA website.

Recycling grey water - putting it to good use

Up until now, anyone wanting to recycle grey water has generally been forced to redirect the water underground in irrigation systems because of archaic local health regulations. This forces us to continually water gardens when we have a shower, whether we want to or not.

Although technically the water is being recycled, sending it underground without another option is hardly a good use for Australia's most precious resource. What everyone recycling grey water has wanted is to be able to re-use the water again, above the ground.

Enter the people at Nubian Water Systems and their OASIS GT600 (sounds like a sports car). The OASIS is a fairly compact piece of equipment that stores the incoming grey water, filters and treats it and then stores the treated water again for later re-use. The real beauty of the product is that it treats the water to a standard that is acceptable for most Australian States to allow it's use above ground ie, it can be re-directed to toilet flushing or other non potable water uses.

The OASIS uses a three stage process to ensure that the water is treated to the required standard. The first stage is a filter screen that removes lint and other course materials, the second is a filter media that utilises physical removal, adsorption and microbial induced aerobic degradation to remove contaminants and the final stage is UV disinfection.

The unit is smaller enough to mount beside your house, requires very little maintenance and very little power to run.

This is a piece of equipment well worth checking out.

House energy star ratings - what do they mean?

Many of you may be aware that the energy efficiency of new houses is measured using a star rating system. This system has existed for a number of years and rates houses on their energy consumption from one star at the lowest level through to ten stars at the highest. But what do these rating mean in reality for you, the consumer, home purchaser or new home builder?

NatHERS, or The National Home Energy Rating System, has a great on line description of each star rating in each locality in Australia, and what it means in terms of anticipated energy consumption in a house for heating and cooling.

For example in Sydney East, a 1 star rated house will use 230MJ/m2 and a 10 star house will use 6MJ/m2. This equates to the 10 star house using only 3% of the energy of a 1 star house or being 38 times more energy efficient than the 1 star house.

Something else to be aware of is that the ratings are not linear from the 1 star through to the 10 star. A 5 star rated house does not use half of the the energy of a 1 star house, 115MJ/m2, but only uses 50MJ/m2.

This is invaluable information for anyone trying to find their way through the maze of energy stars and ratings.

Now that you have collected your rainwater, what now?

You live in the city and have put a lot of money and effort into installing a rainwater harvesting system, now what are you going to do with the water? The answer is, whatever you can.

One of the simplest a most effective uses for your collected rainwater is to use if for flushing your toilet. Toilets are responsible for using around 10% of the water used in your home, and depending on overall household water usage, this can be around 25 - 35 litres per day, or 9000 - 13000 litres per year.

But, for the water to be connected to your toilet cistern you will need to have a back up system in case your water tank level gets too low. Products such as the Davey Rainbank and the OngaWaterswitch are the answer.



Both products are connected to the pump which sends the water to your toilet cistern. When the water level in your tank gets too low, the Rainbank and Waterswitch sense the low water level and divert the water supply source from your rainwater tank, to the mains water. After rainfall and your tank has filled again, either unit will sense that the water level in your tank has increased and will switch back to your water tank to supply the toilet cistern.

This ensures that you will always have a water supply to fill your toilet cistern, but ensures that whenever possible, it will come for free from your rainwater tank.

Recycling bathroom sink grey water with the AQUS system

The AQUS system by Watersaver Technologies is a fantastic example of green design and ingenuity. The Aqus system catches the water from your vanity basin, filters and disinfects it, and stores it until the next time you need to flush your toilet. The system then sends to stored water to your toilet cistern reducing the amount of town water necessary to simply flush your toilet. It is designed to be easily retrofitted into existing fixtures. Gravity and a small electric pump transport the water from the 21 Litre holding tank installed under the sink to your toilet cistern. A valve in the toilet cistern prevents fresh water inflow as long as sufficient water is available in the Aqus to do the job, when the Aqus runs low, the normal toilet valve for incoming water will serve the demand.



The system retails for about US$200, but unfortunately is only available in the US at the moment. Hopefully someone will look to import this to Australia because there is a definite market here for such a simple and inexpensive product.

Caroma in Australia have made a toilet suite called the Profile, see below, which achieves a similar result. But in our opinion there are significant psychological hurdles to over come with their cistern and the perception that one is washing their hands 'in the toilet cistern'.




In our opinion, the Aqus is the way to go.

Beware of manufacturers' claims to be green

More and more consumers have a growing awareness of the larger environmental issues and are looking to make product choices with this in mind. However, beware, because companies are now aware of this and are 'dressing up' their old products in new 'greener' clothes.

'Greenwashing', as it known, is where a company markets a product squarely at the green consumer knowing that the claims it makes are untrue. This could be in the form of unsubstantiated 'eco' claims or using text and imagery to give the impression that the product is environmentally friendly when it is not.

We recently came across an example of this is some advertising for insulation products that you would use in your home.

The old Pink Batts, that we used to see the Pink Panther advertising, have now been re branded by the manufacturer, Insulation Solutions, under the umbrella of 'eco pink' along with the rest of their insulation products.

Whilst what insulation does can't be disputed ie, makes your home more energy efficient, reduces your energy usage and therefore your greenhouse gas emissions.

In our opinion the marketing of these products has the definite potential to mislead consumers into thinking that the batts themselves and the manufacture of them is environmentally friendly.

To be fair to Insulation Solutions, they do claim that their batts are made from 70% recycled glass, but to create a marketing campaign with such a 'green' tinge, there needs to be more substance to their eco claims, such as:

• How are they manufactured?
• What has Insulation Solutions done to reduce their own greenhouse gas emissions?
  
• What sort of waste is produced and what is done with it?
• What is done with the waste left over after the batts are installed?

We will always advocate people installing insulation in the roof, walls and floors of their homes, however it is important to look closely at the products on offer and buy the best product for your circumstance, which may not necessarily be the one that looks the 'greenest'.

Cleaning up your collected rainwater

Anyone who is recycling their rainwater for use in their washing machines and toilets will be aware of the problems that can occur when the harvested rainwater contains sediment or is coloured with tanin from leaves. Your whites are no longer white when washed and your toilet bowl stains.
Re-using harvested rainwater in such ways has to be commended, but we sympathise with anyone who has encountered the problem. Simply because you have decided to live a more sustainable life shouldn't mean compromising.

So what is the solution?. Install a filter between your water tank and the appliances and fixtures. Companies such as Rain Harvesting have simple and easy to use filter systems that remove sediment, colour and odour from the water.

For consumers to want to 'buy' into living more sustainably, it can't compromise their life and has to be easy and convenient. Products such as these help people to do things the way they always have, whilst the sustainability just goes on in the back ground.

Guilt free household downlighting

The current fashion for peppering whole house interiors with low voltage downlights has a couple significant drawbacks, they are extremenly energy inefficient and have a very short lifespan. Most people wrongly presume that because the light fittings are low voltage, that means low energy use. This is not the case. Low voltage simply means that the voltage used at each light fitting has been reduced, this is then wasted as lost heat. Most of the standard downlight globes are 50 watt, only sligtly less than a normal 60 watt incandescent globe. So there is no energy saving there.

So what is the solution if you want guilt free downlighting?. Replace your standard downlight globes with compact fluorescent fittings from a company such as Megaman. Most compact fluroescent globes are only around 11 watts, 80% less than the standard downlight fittings and will have a life up to 10 times longer.

Get them from Neco

Germany continues to set the pace for renewables

Germany recently released a draft progress report on their Renewable Energy Sources Act which was adopted in 2000. The act established an advanced “feed-in tariff” that enabled any company or individual to sell renewable electricity into the power grid for a guaranteed, long-term price for each kilowatt-hour sold.

The report highlighted that:

• electricity from renewable energy had increased from 6.3 percent in 2000 to 12 percent in 2006.
• renewable energy used in Germany avoided the release of more than 100 million tons of CO2 in 2006.
• there were 240,000 people employed in the renewable energy sector in 2006, representing a 40-percent increase over 2004. More than half of these jobs were created by the Renewable Energy Sources Act.

It is expected that renewables will provide about 14% of Germany’s gross electricity by the end of this year, well ahead of the targets for 2010. As a result of this success, in July the German government has chosen to increase renewable energy to 27 percent of electricity by 2020 and at least 45 percent by 2030.

With the recent change of government here in Australia, we can only continue to pressure for such leadership from government.

Solar in a box

One of the major detractors for people wanting to install solar power on their homes is the difficulties and complexities associated with system design, what equipment is necessary and how to go about it. For solar power to move further into the mainstream it has to become convenient and easy for people to buy, just like walking into a shop and buying a new TV.

Ready Solar in the US may have the answer. Solar in a box is a "ready to install" complete package for a standardized 1kW system designed to bring solar energy to as many households across America as possible.

Ready Solar sees the advantages of a packaged solar system being lower installation cost, fast delivery (it is pre-designed product ready to ship to your home) and reliability (it is a pre-tested system that has been replicated many times without the unknowns of a custom solar solution).

We think this is a great way to bring solar power generation to the masses and are looking for an Australian company to follow the same lead.

Australias largest windfarm

Epuron, a subsidiary of German renewable energy group Conergy AG, is planning to build Australia's largest wind farm near broken hill. The farm will have as many as 500 turbines, generating enough electricity for 400,000 homes. This will double the number of turbines currently operating in Australia and provide as much electricity as a large coal-fired power station.

The CSIRO has found that the area has wind speeds comparable to wind farms in better known wind regions such as Tasmania and South Australia.

Negotiations with landowners are currently underway and construction is expected to start in 2009.

See and interview with Martin Poole from Epuron here.

Solar generated feed in tariff

Both the ACT and South Australian Governments have recently announced that they will be implementing generous feed in tariff schemes for domestic photo voltaic systems. The South Australian scheme will pay 0.44c per KWh and the ACT scheme will pay 0.52c KWh. Queensland has had a scheme for a little while but the rate is a lowly .015.5c KWh.

Like all government initiatives, the devil is in the details. The ACT scheme will pay the tariff on the gross power output, whereas the South Australian scheme will only pay on the net power export. The difference could be significant.

In any case, it has been a long time coming for Australian State Governments to start taking feed in tariffs seriously and incentivising homeowners to consider switching to solar power generation.

Renewable energy search engine

AEoogle is a new search engine focusing on alternative and renewable energy searches. AEoogle is powered by Google and uses Alternative Energy News for its searches.

Green Plumbers helping consumers go green

The Green Plumbers initiative was created by the Master Plumbers association as a series of workshops designed to enhance plumbers skills and knowledge about the environmental considerations of their work.

These training opportunities place plumbers in a better position to advise and inform consumers on topics such as: the benefits of energy efficiency; water conservation or the most appropriate and cost effective appliances to suit individual needs.

Green Plumbers should be able to provide their customers with up to date information and advise on:

• latest technology and energy saving appliances
• practical appliances & installation knowledge
• environmental impacts of plumbing services, appliances and household practices
• consumer information
• energy/water/cost savings (short term and long term cost comparisons and environmental benefits)

To date there has been more than 5,000 plumbers who have completed the courses nationally, so look out for the Green Plumbers logo when getting plumbing work done.

The costs for building green overstated

A recent report by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development has confirmed what many of us have believed for a long time, that the real cost for a more environmentally friendly building is likely to be under 5%.

The report outlines how a widespread 'opinion' of many industry professionals is that the cost is around 17%. This explains why in most consumers minds an environmentnally friendly building is beyond their means.

We were pleased to see that our own experience is in line with the report. We have found that depending on the project value, 5% is the maximum that is necessary to create a more environmentally friendly house. According to our figures, this can be achieved for around $5-10 per week spread across a mortgage.

Harvesting wave energy for Australia's electrical needs

CETO is a new system that generates electricity from wave motion. A prototype has been in operation off the coast of Western Australia for several years, but the parent company, Renewable Energy Holdings is now ready to start heading into full production.

Most wave generation systems sit on the water's surface, whereas the CETO system collects energy by tethering rows of buoys to the sea floor. As the buoys sway, they pump high-pressure water to shore and spin turbines for power.

And because CETO sends water - not electricity, as other systems do - it can also be used for desalination, which requires high pressure to force water through the membranes used in reverse-osmosis desalination.

Apparently a 'field' of the buoys the size of a football field will generate enough electricity for around 25,000 houses.

Their website has a great little animation of the buoys in action.

Windside silent wind turbines

Windside of Finland have been making their vertical wind turbines since 1982. The turbines have no sound emission they claim, 0dB due to their vertical arrangement rather than the traditional horizontal propeller arrangement.



They have eight models available, ranging from a small model to suit buoys through to larger commercial models.

Due to their configuration they will take up less space than a propeller type and certainly look better.

Their homepage has a cool little video of one of the turbines in action.

No prices seem to be on their website, so you will have to contact your nearest supplier.