09 Sept, 2016

Sustainable House Day Showcase this weekend

This weekend will see City of Adelaide join a celebration of sustainable house design at the Sustainable House Day Showcase to be held at The Joinery on Friday 9 September and Saturday 10 September.

The event is the lead up to Sustainable House Day on Sunday September 11, when some of Australia’s most environmentally progressive homes are open to the public, including several in the suburbs of Adelaide.

The Showcase, held by the Adelaide Sustainable Building Network, Recycled Interiors and The Sustainable Home Hub, will include eight presentations from local sustainable home owners, designers and builders on Friday night.

An Expo on Saturday will feature local sustainable designers, materials, products and technology suppliers, along with a series of seminars, kid’s activities, wine tasting and food.

City of Adelaide Lord Mayor Martin Haese said that the Showcase would promote practical solutions to reduce running costs and make homes comfortable all year round including installing technologies that are eligible for the Sustainable City Incentives Scheme which is jointly funded by Council and the State Government.

“The Scheme provides incentives for residents and businesses to install energy generation, storage, electric vehicle charging stations and energy efficiency devices. The success of the scheme and the high uptake shows Adelaide’s businesses and residents are up for the challenge of becoming Carbon Neutral by 2025.

“To highlight some of the great projects that have been undertaken in the City , we have posted a series of case studies on our website featuring City of Adelaide residents and businesses that have used the scheme to install solar panels, battery storage systems and LED lights.

“I’d encourage anyone who is thinking about what they can do to improve the sustainability of their home to come along to the Showcase and hear first-hand about all the options available to them.”

City of Adelaide resident Paquita Nicholls used the Incentives Scheme to install solar panels and battery storage and said it “works like a charm”.

Adelaide law firm Duc Mai Lawyers converted the 16 lights in their Carrington Street office from halogen downlights to LED, saving them around $700 per year on their power bill. Under the Incentives Scheme, 30 per cent of the cost of converting halogen downlights to LED downlights is available (up to $1,000).

City residents Marjon and Greg Martin also installed battery storage and increased the number of solar panels on their home. They’ve also started looking more strategically at how and when they use electricity.

People interested in reading more about how the Sustainable City Incentives Scheme has benefitted the City’s residents and businesses can visit http://www.climatechange.sa.gov.au/case-studies#community-capacity. 

Members of the public are welcome to attend the Sustainable House Day Showcase.

Paula Stevens