greenmakeover.com.au
Our place
The West Brunswick Sustainable House is a comfortable family home that has been re-
It is Australia’s second grid connected solar house, and has generated more electricity than it has used since 1996. Through the use of rainwater and recycled water, mains water consumption is less than two buckets per day, or about 97% less than the typical Melbourne house.
The house is set in a permaculture style garden with fruit and nut trees, vegetable garden, compost and chooks.
The green makeover of our house has happened progressively over time, without any need to renovate or rebuild the house.
Sustainability by numbers
In 2005 with assistance from the Department of Sustainability and Environment benchmarking of performance was done to compare the West Brunswick Sustainable House to the typical Melbourne home.
The West Brunswick Sustainable House demonstrated the following savings :
- >100% less electricity (over 10 consecutive years of solar surplus!)
- 92% less greenhouse gas emissions
- 97% less mains water
- 63% less natural gas
- 73% less discharge to the sewer*
- 90% less waste to landfill* (* denotes estimated)
(Page last updated 17 August 2010)
Solar power
See how our house has performed. Download
10 years of solar electricity.
Water
See how our house has performed. Download
Water consumption data, 2005 to 2009.
Water consumption data, Dec 2008 to Dec 2009.
Performance data
Since 1996 the West Brunswick Sustainable House has attracted extensive media coverage for it’s role in pioneering sustainable living, renewable energy, water recycling and rainwater systems.
- Water recycling since 1992.
- Rainwater tanks since 1994.
- Solar hot water since 1995.
- Grid connected solar electricity since 1996.
- New rainwater system 2004.
- New greywater recycling system 2004.
NEWS ARCHIVE
Some highlight articles about the West Brunswick Sustainable House
No more power bills, so it's sunny skies ahead, The Age 14-
Sun sets on power bills, Herald Sun 25-
For one home-
Power to the people, Sunday Herald Sun, 20-
Switching on to sun power is ray of hope, Community News, 9-
From little changes, big money grows, The Age 16-
Home, green home, The Age 6-
