Sustainable Home Design

Location, Location, Location

A home that is close to everything you need will save on transport and fuel costs. Consider the walking and cycling distance to public transport, shops, parks and schools.

Size

Bigger isn't always better. If you really want a sustainable home, choose one with a smaller footprint. Larger homes require more heating, air conditioning and lighting and also take up valuable garden space.

Orientation

Look for a block with good orientation that allows for the placement of living and entertaining areas in the north and minimal windows on east and west.

If your house has a longer north side orientation, you can take advantage of winter sun for warmth and natural lighting. If you can’t choose a block with a longer northern orientation, you can adapt the layout of your home to maximise solar passive design.

The City developed a Building a Sustainable Home Checklist of things to consider when building a sustainable home. 

In partnership with the University of Western Australia and Solar Dwellings, the City of Cockburn has developed six innovative and inspirational house designs for sustainability. These designs are intended to help residents create a home that is climate sensitive and site responsive. A home that will keep warm in winter and cool in summer, while minimising the impact it has on the environment and saves money.

Each home has been designed for a different lot orientation to achieve optimal performance.

To view all six designs, view the Building a Sustainable Home brochure. 

Solar panels also known as Photovoltaic (PV) systems, convert light energy from the sun into Direct Current (DC) electricity. In order to convert this energy into electricity we use in the home (known as Alternating Current (AC) electricity) a device called an inverter is used. This AC electricity is then used to power your home. If the system is grid connected (most common for households) any excess energy is fed back into the main electricity grid.

A typical West Australian household consumes 18 kWh of electricity a day which produces approximately 5,300 kilograms of greenhouse gas emissions a year.

The most common size Photovoltaic (PV) system for households is 1.5kW which would produce approximately 30% of household electricity and prevent 1900kgs of greenhouse gas emissions being emitted. Overall this would save the household approximately $525 a year with savings increasing as electricity prices increase. To find out what size system you need, it is useful to examine your electricity bill to find out your daily average consumption in units.

What is a unit or kWh? 1 unit = 1000 watts = 1 Kilowatt hour (kWh)

There are a range of solar panel rebates and subsidies available to home owners to encourage uptake of renewable energy in the home.

Many of the tips provided above apply to both building and retrofitting a home for sustainability.
If you have purchased an established home, while the basic orientation of your home can’t be changed, there are passive solar and thermal additions you can make to make your home more comfortable and efficient, such as:

• Insulation

• Window ventilation

• Sealing draughts

• Installing floor and window coverings.

You can also install energy and water efficient appliances and tanks. You can consider compost and worm farms to reduce your waste and you can landscape for water conservation and cooling / shade.

Of course – renewable energy and solar hot water installation is an option for most homes, and will instantly reduce your energy costs and environmental impact.

Heritage

If you are thinking about retrofitting your home, please consider  preserving the heritage aspects of your house. The City has produced information brochures on the heritage components of five historic housing styles commonly found in Cockburn.

For more information on heritage homes, please refer to the City’s Residential Heritage webpage.  

Whether you’ve already moved into your rental property or are still looking, we’ve prepared the Sustainable Renters Guide for you to understand the possibilities of adopting a sustainable lifestyle while renting.

View the Sustainable Renters Guide

There are many grants, subsidies and programs available to Cockburn residents to help kick-start their sustainability journey. Opportunities include:

• Sustainability Grants 
• Landowner Biodiversity Conservation Grant
• Home Compost Subsidies and Rebates
• Bird Bath Rebate
• Free Mulch
• Discounted Native Plants
• Free street trees and more

To kickstart your sustainable jounrney, download the 15 Ways to Sustainability at Home booklet or the poster. Feel free to collect a hard copy at any of the Cockburn Libraries.