This article is from the Australian Property Journal archive
FRASERS Property has become the first major developer in the country to achieve Passive House Plus certification at its Point Cook-based pilot project which can produce an average of 24kWhs each day, more than enough for an average Australian family home which consumes 19KWh per day.
Frasers Property’s Passive House at Life, Point Cook, has achieved this certification by meeting the strict measures outlined as the sustainable building benchmarks by the Australian House Association (APHA).
The Passive House movement promotes dwellings that produce as much or more energy than it consumes and is already a well-established standard in Europe, where it was originated in Germany.
There are currently around 40 Passive House certified structures across Australia, though this pilot program marks the first for a developer of this scale.
“The Passive House process ensures that a quality, healthy, comfortable, highly energy efficient building is delivered, from initial modelling through to verification of the build process, authenticated by an internationally recognised, accredited, independent Passive House designer,” said Paul Wall, CEO of APHA.
To be certified as a Passive House, developments must include energy efficient features including double- or triple-glazed windows, continuous thermal insulation, airtight design measures and designs that regulate temperatures, resulting in reduced costs and energy.
The newly completed Passive House at Life, Point Cook will function as pilot program, with the purchaser having to agree to take part in the trial, which will capture energy performance data over a 12-month period and compared against a standard home design with identical environmental conditions.
“Now we’ve executed the application of Passive House design and construction techniques, we can look at influencing our systems and supply chains to provide a more energy efficient, sustainable standard to all our customers,” said Sarah Bloom, general manager of development at Frasers Property Australia.
The Passive House at Life, Point Cook will feature 18 solar panels, which were donated by GI Energy, that will use shingled cell technology and produce an average of 24kWhs each day.
According to electronics company LG, an average Australian family home consumes 19KWh per day, in financial terms this is around $2,500 a year.
“The key to making Passive House homes available more broadly will be to improve supply chains for such products and techniques. To be able to access the necessary products and expertise locally and cost-effectively, rather than having to source them from overseas, will drive demand and increase output,” said Bloom.
The home was built by Creation Homes and utilised specialised materials in its constructions, such as double-glazed windows that had to be imported from Germany.
“Going in to a new innovative build like this, we expected challenges in obtaining this certification. It has been one of our most rewarding builds given the additional time, effort and education that went in to achieving such stringent constraints around heat retention and air tightness,” said Greg Pollard, senior project manager at Creation Homes.
The four-bedroom townhouse in Melbourne’s Point Cook, approximately 22km south-west of the CBD, was first announced in 2018, with works commencing in 2019 before having recently been completed.
Residents are expected to move into the dwelling in early-2022, with the Passive House at Life, Point Cook available to purchase soon.
“This project represents world’s best practice, delivered in an Australian context, using local climate data and construction techniques, expertly delivered by the Frasers Property team,” concluded Wall.
At another of its developments, Frasers Property Australia recently sold out all townhomes in its Burwood Brickworks master planned community, with the final release selling out in under 10 seconds.
