Rabelais.org.au | La Trobe University's Independent Student Newspaper, est 1967

Sunday 5 September 2010

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Two years ago, the CSIRO’s Energy Transformed Flagship initiated the Australian Zero Emissions Housing Project (or AusZEH), to demonstrate and evaluate how low-carbon housing can be achieved in Australia to reduce carbon emissions from the housing sector and create a more sustainable future for our nation.

One of the aims of this project was to design and build a reasonably-priced house which had the ability to generate enough clean energy to supply the operational needs of the average Australian household. As buildings generate around 26% of our country’s total carbon emissions, this was a bold step towards a more energy-efficient future. Two years on, the first carbon-neutral house has opened at the Laurimer Housing Estate, in Doreen, 40 kilometres north of Melbourne.

To realise their dream, the CSIRO sought a partnership with the Victorian Department of Sustainability, La Trobe University, Delfin Lend Lease, Henley Properties Group, and others. With so many working on the project, you might expect something grand and post-modern, a shiny paragon of scientific endeavour. What you find is a stylish, spacious four-bedroom bungalow, smartly furnished and filled with an array of designer appliances. There’s not a creepy robotic voice or a space shuttle in sight. In fact, the house is much like any other, homey and comfortable.

Stephanie, who is in charge of showing people around the house, remarks that they’ve had plenty of interest, but people are perhaps a bit disappointed at the lack of revolving bars and other James Bond-style conveniences.

Michael Ambrose of the CSIRO, part of the team who initiated the project, says the strength of the house lies in its normality.

"This is not the first zero emissions home in Australia, but it is the first aimed at the mass market. The others don’t have that appeal – people look at them and think they’re a bit too alternative in design. They say, ‘I wouldn’t want to live in that.’ Whereas here we wanted to have a house that looks just like any other house, but with better energy performance."

What’s unique about this house is it could easily become a home.

The AusZEH was constructed to be as environmentally-friendly as possible and includes a solar panel array of a gob-smacking 36 photo-voltaic cells, which generate enough energy to neutralise the carbon impact of the household. There’s a big dose of insulation in both wall and ceiling, smart heating technology, and low-emissions lighting. The windows are double-glazed, and three 1000-litre water-tanks are secreted behind the house. There are also relatively low-tech enhancements, including brick veneers, blinds and double glazing. Carbon credits were purchased to neutralise the environmental impact of manufacturing the materials used in the construction of the house.

The house was built by Henley, who have a history of going above and beyond the requirements for green building nationwide. Since 200l, all of its buildings must comply with at least a 5-star standard of energy efficiency. Building a zero-emissions house was the next step.

Besides addressing the construction requirements of the house, the CSIRO needed a system that could manage the energy used in the house intelligently. Enter Professor Jack Singh and his team from the Centre for Technology Infusion at La Trobe University. They developed the innovative Home Energy Management System, which empowers the householder by allowing them access to energy usage data. This includes a touch-screen linked to smart energy metres in the garage, water tanks, a small weather station, and solar panels on the roof.

"It monitors energy in real time - anything you plug in," says Professor Singh.

The system enables the home owner to check their usage patterns, and translates

that information into a dollar value and carbon emissions readings. The program can even recommend energy saving measures, and project your savings versus your expenditure should you continue with your daily usage pattern. The house also has a unique feature which allows it to enter a ‘standby’ mode, much like that which is used on a computer.

But Professor Singh stresses this is far more than a fancy piece of technology. "It’s not enough to install a system," says Professor Singh. "We need to change people’s behaviour." He says that the inclusion of dollar values in the system will help moderate energy use in a home. "We can relate to dollars rather than numbers, so what it does is it personalises it somewhat."

In addition, the system includes a special ‘traffic light’ gauge, which allows the user to see at a glance where their energy is going. "The rooms will change colour on the display depending on energy usage. This all happens in real time and is a dynamic addition to the system."

Mr Anisuddha Desai, who was part of the team that developed the system, says behavioural change will be achieved not only through the touch-screen but also through the unique technological application of the system. He shows me a nifty application on his iPhone which informs him of the status of the house remotely.

"The beauty of this is that it is not a stand-alone program. What we have built here is an energy management platform. It can link to different devices – you’ve got a touch-screen here, iPhone application there, the same thing sitting on your office computer, or accessible through instant messaging – there’s so many ways you can interact with the system."

To rate the psychological and social impact of the programme, Mr. Ambrose says the CSIRO will be bringing social scientists on board to analyse the final data produced by the family living in the house.

"Knowledge isn’t power until you empower the householder to change their habits," says Dr Desai.

From September, Henley and the CSIRO will have chosen a typical family – "Not too green," Mr. Ambrose insists – to demonstrate the carbon-reducing potential of the house. They will live there for a year. The CSIRO will then analyse the data and compare it to a normal house in the area to produce an accurate picture of Australia’s building future, real data that will demonstrate the effectiveness of the ultimate in energy efficient housing.

With any luck, the AusZEH will become the norm around the nation, utilising the technology for both commercial and residential buildings, slashing our carbon footprint and making for a greener future.