As such, Ryan and her solar consultant Roland Lawrence landed on staying connected to the grid so electricity can be exported, but it’s a one way connection with no electricity able to be taken from the grid.Ī complication for the planned 7.11kW energy system is the heritage listing for the area that precludes solar panels on the front roof. She also wanted to contribute to the demand for batteries and help bring costs down. The Black Summer bushfires woke Ryan up to the issue of energy security, and the vulnerability of energy infrastructure to major bushfire events. While Ryan recognises that “it’s probably better to stay connected to the grid” so she can participate in a flexible two-way energy system, she’s also worried about the grid’s resilience. To stay or not to stay (connected to the grid) In a pleasant surprise for Ryan, she found the off-site option will be able to salvage existing materials and integrate them seamlessly into the design, with components such as inbuilt bookshelves – all helping to keep the embodied carbon down. This will ensure quality and airtightness to allow for thermal comfort without mechanical heating or cooling, and it will also help control costs and construction times. This is thanks partly to architect Paul Adams and his low-rise timber prefabrication factory Fairweather Homes based in Melbourne, who has stepped up to the challenge.Īdams’ solution is a light-filled house, with new components built mostly offsite. With no fewer than seven architects, 15 water specialists, 10 solar experts, three sustainability experts, two legal experts and one project manager walking away from the project, that’s understandable.īut now the project is due for completion this year. Newtown resident Laura Ryan jokes that her inner city house renovation/rebuild has been labelled “impossible”. Join Take a dingy old workers cottage on a tight site in Sydney’s inner west suburbs of Newtown, ambitions for an off-grid oasis and a tight budget.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |