Thermal Performance of the Cairnlea Ecohome – A Sustainble House

AbstractSustainable housing is one of the many pathways to reduce the impacts of climate change. Among developed nations, Australia has made significant progress in this area. Legislative and financial incentives are in place. High quality rating tools were developed to measure and administer legislative requirements. There are a good number of demonstration homes across Australia to promote sustainable housing. The Ecohome was a demonstration home in Melbourne and a part of a multidisciplinary research team looking at sustainability and innovation in outer suburban residential developments. Assessment of thermal performance is a key component of outcomes of a sustainable house. In this emerging field, a set of thermal performance indicators are proposed and may be utilized when outside and inside temperature monitoring data is available. Key indicators include attenuation factor, time lag, percentage time in comfort zone, heating and cooling demand and degrees warmer. The Ecohome at Cairnlea in Melbourne was monitored during 2004 to 2006 for a total period of more than fourteen months. Thermal performance was assessed using these indicators