Housing sustainability: A case study of the cairnlea ecohome

Housing is a major sector and is responsible for about one-fifth of Australias green house gas emissions. Therefore an effective response to climate change can be achieved through housing sustainability. Considering the housing type in Australia which is dominated by low density detached houses, sustainably built demonstration homes can contribute to generating public awareness and increased acceptability of sustainable housing technologies. The Ecohome in Cairnlea estate in Melbourne was constructed in 2003 with a view to promote sustainable housing technologies. It was built by the Metricon Homes, a progressive volume builder. Some of the main sustainable features in the Ecohome include a solar hot water unit, a rainwater tank, six star building envelope resulting from effective insulation and passive solar design, solar photovoltaic panels, water efficient fixtures, grey water recycling etc. In this paper, some key outcomes from this project are reported along with a detailed description of the sustainable features used in the Ecohom