Thinking nationally and acting locally is a slogan to which we are all familiar. Northam Shire Council in Western Australia has put this slogan into action with the building of house designed to save energy and water. The Eco Retro House shows the average person how they can make changes and modifications to their existing house to produce savings in energy by reducing power and water consumption.
Simple features of the house include draught ceiling, insulation, ceiling fans, solar water systems, solar extraction fans, along with water saving devices such as grey water reuse and scheme water substitution.
CEO, Don Burnett, said the project incorporates an educational component that allows for school groups to do experiments in the house.
“Several houses in the Northam community are undertaking a study on how changes impact on consumption costs,” he said. “Western Power and Water Authority is working with the Council to provide town consumption figures that can be compared with the model houses.”
Don Burnett said the other component of the project is the recycling of older style houses to vacant lots in Northam.
Several vacant lots were created out of this project and Council is now bringing in older style houses of similar architectural amenity and refurbishing for sale. The refurbishment includes installation and other sustainable changes to the house which produce a reduction in greenhouse gases.
Deakin University has calculated that by recycling an older house instead of building a new house, 62,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas is saved every time this occurs.
For more details contact Don Burnett on 041 992 7123.
