Program overview Projects

Sustainable Subdivisions: 1 - Energy & Water Efficient Design [Ambrose, CSIRO] 2002-063-B

Project participants and team members

 

Michael Ambrose

DEM

Peter Droege

Brisbane City Council
Damian Dewar, Julie McClellan

Springfield

David Henry

Qld Dept of Public Works

Michael Ball

CSIRO

Michael Ambrose- Project Leader, Angelo Delsante, Anne Miller, Selwyn Tucker

Queensland University of Technology

John Bell, Nur Demirbilek, Elspeth Mead, Ned Wales

Project description

This is an investigative study which brings an integrated team together to identify the energy-efficiency demands of dwellings from a sub-division viewpoint as well as that from an individual dwelling. It will highlight challenges likely to fall mainly on the national housing industry with release of new energy codes and canvas the technologies available to housing for on-site electricity generation as a basis for development of solar suburbs. Industry responses will come from project sponsors and attendances at workshops focussing on the energy-efficiency of sub-division development. The quantitative analysis of the energy-efficiency of dwellings and their relation to sub-division requirements will take advantage of new capabilities to assess appropriate ventilation in determining the energy performance of dwellings, particularly in sub-tropical climates.

The project methodology consists of: identifying sub-divisions on which will be built houses in four separate categories including; project homes, individual houses (one and two storey), medium density housing and SOHO (small office-home office). Plans will be obtained for an appropriate sample of dwellings in each category from which assessments and comparisons to the new and current energy efficiency standards in sub-tropical climate zones, will be undertaken. Interviewing and conducting a workshop with those who undertake sub-division planning, design and statutory compliance activities, and developing a set of criteria for possible future energy efficiency tools with priority weightings will also be undertaken. ]

The outcomes will include: workshop/interviews with sub-division developers, an appraisal of a new assessment tool which includes ventilation for house energy efficiency ratings, comparing this new tool against the current tool that is used for assessment, appraisal of the links between housing and sub-division in creating sustainable sub-divisions, and criteria for possible future tools for determining the performance and priorities of options for achieving energy efficient design in sub-divisions and dwellings.

The uniqueness of the project is in:
connection of housing technology to sub-division technology in sustainable sub-divisions
access to a new assessment tool which includes a more appropriate ventilation model for rating energy-efficiency of dwellings
advising industry on adequacy of current design options in context of an emerging energy code for residential buildings.
 
Sustainable subdivisions energy efficient design (Final report)
Sustainable subdivisions energy efficient design (Industry publication)
 
Sustainable suburbs - The developer's challenge (Refereed conference paper)
Energy efficient multi storey residential developments (Refereed conference paper)
How to achieve sustainability - Regulatory challenges (Refereed conference paper)
 
Subtropical subdivisions: Toward a lot-rating methodology for subtropical climates (Refereed conference paper)
Sustainable construction for the future - The role of government in energy efficient and sustainability in buildings: Benchmarking sustainable residential dwellings (Refereed conference paper)
 
Integrated water services technology review (Presentation)
Sustainable Subdivisions - Review of technologies for integrated water services (Final report)