ECHO Hawthorn offers Australia's first ever off the plan Passive House
Almost a quarter of national greenhouse gas emissions in Australia come from buildings. Buildings also account for over half of total power demand.
Over half of the buildings expected to be standing in 2050 would have been built after 2019, which means reducing the energy consumption of new buildings is important in achieving any net zero carbon goals.
Melbourne developer C Street has put its foot down.
They're currently developing one of the most sustainable collection of townhouses in Australia, the first time a Certified Passive House has been available off the plan.
Passive House is the world's leading standard in energy efficient construction, reducing energy usage, operational costs and improving air quality and thermal comfort for occupants. They're designed for the local climate, minimising heating loads in winter and cooling loads or overheating in summer using applied building science.
The sustainable project, Echo, comprises just eight north-facing townhouses designed by Neil Architecture.
As a certified Passive House project, Echo is optimized to perform – delivering thermal comfort, uncompromised acoustics and superior air quality with minimal energy requirements.Targeting net-zero energy outcomes and using sustainable building materials, Echo is about making responsible choices that will reverberate for generations.
C Street Director Kin Seng Choo said a Passive House is the most stringent sustainability standard to what you can adhere to.
"You work towards a criteria throughout the construction phase which is independently certified, unlike some of the other sustainability practices Australia has," Choo says.
"Where energy prices continue to rise, those who live in a Passive House may not have to pay any energy bills."
Annual energy generation has the potential for a total offset, or net zero energy. The low energy consumption baseline of Passive House will be partially supplied by individual unit renewable energy generation via rooftop solar.
Each Echo townhome has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a two-car garage, and internal private lifts connecting each level.
There are multiple living spaces, the main one meeting the chef's kitchen fitted with V-Zug appliances. That living area opens to landscaped gardens by John Patrick Landscaping.
Jellis Craig Projects Director Stephen Bowtell says he's expecting to field enquiry from those interested in architecture and sustainability.
"There will be the likes of architects, engineers, and university lecturers who will take great interest in what C Street has put together here," Bowtell says. He adds however that the quality of design, and attractive price point for one of Melbourne's more bluechip suburbs, will attract a wider demographic.
The Bank of Australia Clean Energy Home Loan offers a 0.40% p.a. discount off the interest rate for up to five years, to all eligible buyers, builders, as well as for people planning sustainable upgrades of houses complying with the PassiveHouse standard.
