Residential housing is a major contributor of greenhouse gas emissions with most emissions being generated during the operation of buildings. Josh’s House has shown that high performance, Net Zero Emissions Homes (NZEH) are accessible to the volume market. The challenge is to now translate this into mainstream construction industry practice.
Through the collaborative delivery of NZEH display homes in new housing developments around Australia, Josh and his research colleagues are looking to establish an agreed position on cost barriers and customer perception of NZEH homes, whilst engaging industry and informing the market.
The findings of the study are being documented in a series of videos and publications.
Mainstreaming Net Zero Energy Homes Videos
Project Introduction
Dr Josh Byrne and his colleagues from Curtin University and the CRC for Low Carbon Living set out to impact the Australian housing market through demonstration and research into high performance Net Zero Energy Homes.
Townsville Case Study
In tropical-arid Townsville in Northern Queensland, we follow local builder Darren Finlay as he builds a ZEH display home in the North Shore estate by national developer Stockland.
Melbourne Case Study
Victorian based construction company SJD Homes build a ZEH display home at the Timbertop estate by Parklea near Officer in south-east Melbourne. Builder Simon Dunstan describes what makes this home different to what they normally build, and why it will perform better.
The Path to Change
We meet Suzanne Toumbourou – Executive Director of the Australian Built Environment Council (ASBEC) to find out what can be gained by making improvements to the National Construction Code, and what are the costs of inaction.
