With annual running costs of only $500, an ultra-efficient display home on Victoria’s Bass Coast has set a new standard in housing design and sustainability.
The Cape display home
The first of 220 homes to be built at The Cape housing development, the home runs on just 15 percent of the power and water needs of the average Victorian home and actually creates more energy than it uses.
“The Cape home provides a glimpse into the future of sustainable housing in Australia and shows how innovative design, hard work and common sense by builders and developers can help residents avoid expensive bills, maximise comfort, and dramatically reduce carbon emissions in the housing sector,” says Damien Moyse, the Alternative Technology Association’s policy and research manager.
Bedroom
It’s the combination of thoughtful design, efficient appliances and solar energy that make the home so cost-effective. It’s fitted with industry-leading seven-star heating and cooling systems and also employs passive solar design, LED lighting and solar energy too.
But the most startling finding for us was that this type of home has the potential to save its owners $200,000 over a 25-year mortgage.
Lounge room
“We have developed a design hub of sustainable builders, designers and trades now forming around this project in Bass Coast and all future buyers here will have access to this expertise in developing super-efficient, high quality, affordable homes. Our project is one of the only places nationally where you can access housing built to these standards,” says project director Brendan Condon.
One of the most exciting aspects of the development is the opportunity for the design to be replicated across the country. “Today we throw out a friendly challenge to the large developers around Australia to get on board – if we can do this in Bass Coast it can be done anywhere. It is undoubtedly the way of the future,” Brendan added.
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