Our Journey To An Energy-Efficient Home
Our story
In 2011, my family and I arrived in Perth on a work visa, and over the next few years, we embraced the vibrant Aussie lifestyle. Enamored by our new surroundings, we made the decision to establish Perth as our permanent home. By 2016, we embarked on the journey to build our forever home, inspired by our desire for optimal thermal comfort throughout the year.
Despite the prevalent "Mediterranean climate," we were surprised to find that typical homes in Perth often struggled with extreme temperatures, leading to significant heating and cooling expenses. This realization motivated us to design a home with thermal performance comparable to residences in North America or Western Europe – well-insulated, meeting stringent airtightness standards, and thus ensuring year-round comfort while remaining cost-effective to heat and cool.
After meticulous planning, we found a builder with the expertise to turn our vision into reality. Our home is meticulously crafted to maintain a temperature range of 20 to 25 degrees Celsius 24 hours a day, consuming no more than 15 kWh/sqm/annum. To put this in perspective, a 200 sqm home would require a maximum of 3,000 kWh annually to sustain this comfortable temperature range.
At a fixed rate of 40 cents per kWh, our annual heating and cooling costs are calculated at $1,200 or approximately $3.28 per day.
In 2020, we took a proactive approach to validate the performance of our home. Implementing temperature dataloggers and power meters on the air conditioning circuits, we measured the actual performance against our predictions. Remarkably, the observed performance surpassed expectations, with an energy consumption rate of only 8 kWh/sqm/annum and minimal deviations from the targeted 20 to 25 degrees Celsius range.
At a fixed rate of 40 cents per kWh, our annual heating and cooling costs are calculated at $640 or approximately $1.75 per day.
The purpose of this page is to transparently share the real-time performance and operating cost of our home, showcasing the successful realisation of our commitment to sustainable and energy-efficient living.
