Christie Walk Townhouse
Urban
Ecology Australia has taken many site tours through one of the townhouses
at Christie Walk. Here is a description of the house.
Site and Landscaping
3-level townhouse facing north.
Balconies on the first and second floors and a sunspace in the ground floor.
Solar efficiency depends on vegetation, so the owner planted 2 grape vines and neighbour planted a glory vine which is directed over 2 adjoining townhouses.
Vines were planted in mid 2002 and by summer 2003/4 were up to the top balcony and provided shade to the front (north facing side) of the house.
2 native hibiscus were planted at the front of the house in mid 2002 and they also provide shade.
A raised garden bed and brick paving are on the south side of the house.
Materials
Non-Toxic
All materials are chosen for non-toxicity. In this house use of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and formaldehyde has been avoided.
Roof
Corrugated Colorbond steel roof.
Walls
Autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) blocks for all walls, except party walls for which poured earth was used for the first 3 metres. Poured earth proved to be very expensive and gave an unsatisfactory finish, so party walls were completed using AAC blocks.
Floors
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Floor in ground floor area is laminated bamboo. |
Other floors are pinus tongue-and-groove floorboards overlaid with Marmoleum. Bathroom floors are tiles.
Doors and Cupboards
Recycled wood (typically Oregon) used for door frames, skirting boards, kitchen cupboards and all timber trim.
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Cupboard shelves, built-in cupboards, doors built in Ecopanel, a strawboard product which does not contain woodchips or toxic glues. |
Benchtops
Kitchen benchtops in Abet Lamenati, a laminate produced very efficiently, with minimal off-gassing and glued on Ecopanel straw fibre boards with non-formaldehyde glues.
Paints and Varnishes
Interior paints and varnishes from Bio Paints chosen for best environmental and health performance.
Glazing
All windows and doors are double-glazed (except for the venting louvre windows).
Staircase
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Spiral staircase of recycled timber on steel frame. |
Heating and Cooling
North facing aspect, thick conreate slab, airflow design, high levels of insulation (R3+ to the roof, R3 to the walls), shared separating walls and double-glazing make for a very efficient solar house.
Only drapes used are in the lounge area, and roman blinds in the bedroom.
A small electric fan heater is used only occasionally in the lounge/kitchen area. No heating needed on other levels.
Sealed doors on ground floor minimise draughts.
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Fans on each level used to circulate air in summer. |
In summer, bamboo blinds on outside of first floor windows are used on the hottest days, as the vines grow their shading effect will increase and reduce the need for blinds.
Flyscreens have been fitted to most doors (security screens on the ground floor) to enable cross flow of air on summer evenings.
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Ventable skylight at the top of the staircase, which acts as a thermal flue, is closed in winter and opened in summer to evacuate hot air. |
Lighting
All lights are compact fluorescent. Standard ones in long/kitchen but the globe types are used on staircase and other rooms, elleviating the need for light-shades.
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Glass blocks provide extra light over sewing table on second floor. |
Water
House is connected to stormwater collected and then recycled from two 20,000 litre underground tanks and used for toilets and garden watering throughout the Christie Walk development.
Showers have restricted-flow shower heads.
A drinking-water filter has been installed under the sink.
Solar hot water provided by 2 collectors with electric back-up (off-peak heating).
Appliances
All
new appliances have been chosen for their efficiency and manufacturer's stated
commitment to recycling all parts at the end of their life.
2 small bar refrigerators were installed from previous dwelling. Most of the time only one fridge operates, unless there are visitors or the need for a lot of cold drinks/food.
Gas cook-top, as this is the only gas appliance it would probably have been better to have an electric cooktop. Only a few dollars worth of gas is used each quarter but the (2004) service charge was around $24!!
Behaviors
Owner has purchased green energy.
On most winter evenings a small knee rug is sufficient for comfort.
Solar hot water backup not turned on until June.
It may be possible to save some electricity by manually turning the booster on and off.
Performance
Winter (2004) quarter electricity plus winter off-peak usage was 239.4 kWh ($101)
Summer (2003/4) quarter electricity was 284 kWh ($102). Over this period there were two people in residence.
Electricity accounts include contribution to Green energy.
Gas bill: 239 MJ ($3.95 plus service charge $23.61)
2007.2.12