70 Hewitt Avenue
ROSE PARK
ENERGY EFFICIENT BUILDING FEATURES
ENERGY EFFICIENT BUILDING FEATURES OVERVIEW With ventilated and thermal mass ‘reverse brick veneer’ walls, substantial insulation, underground cool pipes, hydronic in-floor heating, recycled flooring, rammed earth, corrugated steel and textured coated walls, this home has an incredible 9+ energy star rating!
Important Note: when this home was built, the energy star rating requirement was only 4 stars and in 2022, it has increased to 6 stars. Therefore, this home is rated over 50% higher than required for 2022 building codes.
DESIGN & ORIENTATION This 21st century contemporary home was designed and built in 2004, complementing the 19th & 20th century homes of its neighbour’s and according to Burnside Council “met stringent conservation planning controls for this heritage suburb, including exemplary considerations for the overall character, scale and detail plus, the inclusion of Ecologically Sustainable Design (ESD) principles woven into the fabric of the home”.
Some ESD principles used were: • A rranging the home with north-south pavilions enabling winter solar access within the depth of the house • T he pavilion style supported appropriate setbacks to front and sides to provide summer and winter courtyards • L iving areas were orientated north, for winter solar gain • W indows were positioned to protect unwanted heat gain in summer and provided access to solar radiation in winter
• C hoice of new landscaping was driven by responsible water use (minimised demand) and suitability to local climatic conditions • C ompliant site coverage was achieved with open space areas appropriately positioned to allow easy access to front and rear entries (planning requirement)
CONSTRUCTION Engineered construction methods included: + C oncrete raft ‘slab on ground’ footings and floors with structural steel portal wall-roof framing together with secondary timber framing. + V entilated ‘reverse brick veneer” external walls with plasterboard internal wall panelling used throughout. + L ightweight galvanised metal roofing with Colorbond corrugated steel and acrylic texture coated panelling for external wall claddings + C oncrete block and rammed earth walls provide internal thermal mass together with concrete floors. + T imber windows throughout were selected from sustainable supplies in place of ‘commercial box aluminium’ (for reduced embodied energy) + R ecycled 100+ year old ‘grey ironbark’ T&G floorboards. + A building management system covering security, communications, data transport and Cbus lighting. + S ubstantial use of passive solar design/construct initiatives to reduce energy consumption such as, orientation, thermal mass, insulation, ventilation, heating and cooling
PASSIVE SOLAR DESIGN / CONSTRUCTION PRINCIPLES THERMAL MASS
VENTILATION AND INSULATION
Thermal mass is used for the reduction of temperature fluctuations (seasonal and daily) provided via the following construction methods:
Windows (including louvres) and doors arranged to maximise cross flow ventilation. Internal warm air can escape at high levels through strategically placed venting windows. Vertical column movement allows air to exhaust naturally at high level and cooler air drawn in to replace it – at lower level (underground cool pipes).
+ Concrete floors to all rooms
A ventilation space, to allow warm air to naturally exhaust under the roof eaves, is installed between external cladding and the insulated internal leaf on all external walls plus, a skin of reflective ‘double cellular’ blanket insulation wrapped around the entire external face of the building structure (including roof), optimally prevents heat transmission (result of radiation).
+ Rammed earth walls + S olid masonry internal leaf to external walls (reverse brick veneer), with blanket and bulk insulation, reducing the amount of heat or cold impinging on the internal leaf
Bulk insulation installed in all roof and ceiling cavities plus internal timber wall framing.
HEATING & COOLING A thermostatically controlled hydronic ‘in floor’ heating system, installed in this home and serviced by the hot water system, is recognised as the lowest greenhouse gas emitting system. The thermal mass in floors and walls will also absorb the heat during the day and releases it at night. Cooling, from air channelled through ‘underground cool pipes’ installed beneath the home, utilises the thermal mass of the earth to naturally cool the air delivered into the house at floor level. Air movement
is provided by an evaporative conditioner fitted on the outside end of the cool pipes. This evaporative unit is located at the cooler ground level (rather than on the ‘hot’ roof) to ensure maximum drop of internal temperature during hot spells. Ceiling fans, installed in all rooms, will provide additional cooling. Windows and doors are opened and closed appropriate to wind strength and direction, with louvre shading ‘canopies’ and
sunscreens located to draw on the seasonal angle of the sun for heating and cooling purposes. This means no additional cooling is required except in the longest hottest spells and heating is largely provided free from the sun.
WATER SAVING DEVICES Roof stormwater, piped and collected in an underground rainwater tank (installed beneath the garage floor in this home) can be pumped to toilet cisterns and/ or used for the ‘drip fed’ irrigation systems thus reducing mains water consumption. Roof and stored stormwater can also be used to ‘top up’ pond levels. In this home, water ponds were placed around the entry pavilion and main bedroom to provide some opportunities for breezes to be ‘cooled’ before entering the home, but more importantly is a source of psychological rest and refreshment. Further water saving devices installed in this home included, AAA shower heads and dual flush toilets, plus welded PE (polyethylene) water and sewage pipes in lieu of PVC to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
All information provided has been obtained from sources we believe to be accurate, however, we can not guarantee the information is accurate and we accept no liability for any errors or omissions (including but not limited to a property’s land size, building age and condition). Interested parties should make their own inquiries and obtain their own legal advice. Ceiling heights are not included in total living.
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