Eight places are open to the public this year around Far North Queensland. Thank you to our home owners, businesses, the Freshwater Christian College teachers and students and the Cairns Regional Council Green Thumb initiative for your time and support.
Members of the Building Designers Association of Queensland and the Alternative Technology Association will be at the homes to give expert help. Thank you for volunteering your time.
Thank you to our local sponsors...
Thank you to our national sponsors........
Place 1: Chester Road, Wondecla (Southern End of Atherton Tablelands)
Our house is a two storey two bedroom home built on the bank of a small creek in a 1.79 ha forested block.It is off the ground on mostly steel stumps and is constructed of recycled timber and timber milled by John as the owner/builder. Read More
The house is clad in Weathertex which is a board derived from wood residues, and is fire and termite resistant.
Electricity Is supplied by a 1.3 kw stand alone PV system which was sourced mostly second-hand and installed by John. There are also some new panels purchased under the Green loan scheme. This supports a 12v fridge/freezer, a 240v 1601 upright freezer, laptop, TV, sound equipment,
washing machine etc with the aid of a 1500w inverter. Lighting is 12v with mostly LED globes with still a couple of dichroic down lights in low use situations.
Water is trapped on a 90sq mt shed roof and fed into 3 water tanks for a total capacity of 7300 gallons, 2 of these tanks are directly plumbed into the house.
Toilet is a Naturloo com posting unit, which could probably benefit from the installation of a heater, however, our power system is not large enough to support this.
Grey water is caught in a small concrete tank and pumped out and used for irrigation of the native vegetation.
Our home has been built with coolness in the hot weather our main priority, so with wide eaves, high ceilings and good cross flow ventilation we have achieved this and have no fans or air conditioners.
For the relatively short cold season we have a wood heater and abundant source of firewood on the block.
Place 2: Black Mountain Road, Julatten
Our home has a very high level of stable internal temperatures supported by insulation, ventilation and design features. No mechanical heating or cooling systems are required. Read More 1. Construction:
Floor concrete slab
Wall construction materials solid 200 – 250mm hardwood logs.
Fully insulated zinc alum roof with ceilings throughout including two open 3m verandas facing East and West running full length of the house.
Large eaves over Northern and Southern end of building.
Natural cross flow ventilation by seven casement windows adjustable to catch prevailing breezes. North & South dark transparent window shades.
2. Energy:
Stand alone solar system, 10 X 85W solar modules
Storage 1500 Amp gell cell battery bank
1500 Watt 240V DC/AC inverter
Lights low consumption high efficiency globes
Refrigeration Gas/Electric
Gas cooker
Hot water, custom built wood fired donkey system with high level insulation (requires firing only once every 48 hours)
3. Water and wastewater.
General household water is river water pumped to Gravity tank
Drinking and cooking water rainwater
Sewage sceptic system
Grey water discharge through filter system and used for tree watering
Place 3: Atoll Close, Port Douglas
I live in a solar powered townhouse in Port Douglas. The complex is retrofitted with 2 grid connect systems and the community solar that powers our pool pump. All systems are proven to be giving positive investment value and paid off within two and a half years. I also have a solar hot water system and solar oven. Read More
There is a roof garden over the carport with a rainwater tank behind my carport.
As a body corporate community, we have a strong sense of sustainability, and are growing more fruits and veges in our organic community garden. There is talk of a community water tank as well.
I have 40 years’ experience in renewable energy systems including motor vehicle energy systems and will enjoy sharing this on Sustainable House Day.
