capacity for creativity

The strategy used to eco retrofitt was to increase bio deversity and to look at the physiological, psychological and social benefits.

The original house was built from plans and drawings in archicad and then eco retrofitted rather than using the exemplar model.

This included: an intensive garden on the garage roof; olive tree planting; bamboo recladding; conservatory with louvers; composite walls; ceiling insulation; a trombe wall; guttering and a rain water tank collection; solar panels and having one car only with bike storage in the garage.

What was surprising was that the energy cost increased overall, but everything else went down. In retrospect this could be expected as the choices made were perhaps expensive but over time they would more than cover themselves with overall savings.

The building shell area increased with the conservatory addition.

Using composite walls for thermal insulation was a success as the u values went down. (U values measure heat flow, the lower the better as a low U value indicates a higher insulating value).

Net cooling energy was also reduced, this was possibly due to the louvers, insulation and having a trombe wall on the northern side of the property for maximum sun exposure.

The overall energy consumption reduced which could also be attributed to the extensive garden on the roof planted with native grasses. In  summer, poorly insulated roofs trap rising heat and interior cooling is needed. Planting provides a reduction in solar energy absorption and creates a cooler temperature beneath the roof surface. In winter, the green roof creates insulation and minimises heat loss.

It was pleasing that the net energy was also down and again the skylights, trombe walls, conservatory with lovers (to help with ventilation) would all help with this.

Creating a home that is nett positive is the ultimate goal and one that can be achieved with some modification.

Energy models pre and post retrofit

http://unheimlichblog.wordpress.com/2013/06/11/tohunga-pre-and-post-make-over/

To make this house more resource efficient and increase social and natural capital, the following ideas will be shown in detail: extensive and intensive gardens which create new biodiversity which attracts wildlife to the urban environment, green wall based on biophilic design, use of low VOC paint, increase natural light with skylights, create energy with solar panels, manage heat and ventilation with a conservatory using louvers, insulation of ceiling and walls for warmth and noise reduction, radiation of warmth with a trombe wall, planting to pre-cool air, give wind protection and filter particulates in the city air, create nutrient-rich soil by composting and use of a worm farm, re-clad interior of kitchen and stairs with bamboo, use a living machine to decontaminate water waste with microbes, store rain in a water tank for irrigation and convert the garage into a one-car household and have the other half for easy bike storage.