Carbon Cops - ABC Television

In mid-2007 ABC TV began broadcasting a reality-TV style programme, "Carbon Cops". Each weekly episode features a different family, who make efforts to reduce their carbon emissions as well as improve other sustainability factors such as water consumption and waste production. This typically involves

• the application of technology, such as energy- and water-efficient appliances,
• changes to lifestyle, such as walking and composting, and
• carbon-offsetting.

A similar series, Ecohouse, was screened by SBS TV earlier in 2007.

Master Builders HomeStyle Show & Sustainable Energy Expo 2007

We attended the Master Builders HomeStyle Show & Sustainable Energy Expo at the Perth Convention Exhibition Centre. We were lucky enough to have free passes from our architect, Griff Morris.

Our focus was the Sustainable Energy Expo rather than the HomeStyle Show. The Expo was sponsored by the Sustainable Energy Development Office. The Expo feature many exhibitors of products related to sustainable development. These included:

• building design
• insulation
• double-glazing
• rainwater capture
• greywater reuse
• waste-water treatment
• solar hot water systems
• solar power systems

Four Corners: Home Front - ABC Television

ABC Television's current affairs program Four Corners broadcast an episode entitled "Home Front" that focussed on practical and achievable ways Australians can reduce their energy consumption. The program also revealed that such efforts to save energy at home are being retarded by vested interests and a bewildering variety of rules and rebates, local, state and federal.

Ecohouse Challenge SBS Television

SBS Television ran a six-part series call "Echohouse Challenge" in April/May 2007. The program followed two Perth families' efforts to reduce their environmental impact in four key hotspots:

1. Energy
2. Water
3. Waste
4. Transport

The series was entertaining as it used a reality television format as well as being quite informative. It demonstrated that significant, sustained reductions could be achieved through a combination of changes to lifestyle, e.g. using public transport, turning off lights and electrical appliances when not in use, and the application of technology, e.g. energy- and water-efficient domestic appliances, solar hot water systems.

A second series is being planned.

ABC TV plans a similar series, "Carbon Cops", to be aired mid-2007.

The Eco-Compound

"Nirmala" is an Eco-Compound designed by Gary Baverstock of Ecotect-Architects and built by Econstruct. The aim of the project was to use the best contractors and the most environmentally suitable-materials for Perth's climate. The development demonstrates a design that offers style and comfort with consideration for the environment and our social fabric.

"Nirmala" was built in 2005 in Congdon St, Cottesloe, Western Australia and won a 2005 HIA Greensmart Award.

Book: The Passive Solar House (Kachadorian)

Received the "Passive Solar House: The Complete Guide to Heating and Cooling Your Home" (revised and expanded edition) by James Kachadorian. It is written from the perspective of house design for the USA and Canada. However, the key principles are applicable globally. The table of contents is as follows:

Preface

1. Let Nature Heat Your Home
2. The Passive Solar Concept
3. The Solar Slab and Basic Solar Design
4. Insulation, Venting, and Fresh Air
5. Basic Layouts and Floor Plans
6. How to Do the Solar Design Calculations
7. The Foundation Plan, and Backup Heating and Cooling
8. A Sidehill Variation, and Solar Design Worksheets
9. Sunspaces and Special Design Considerations
10. Interior Design for Year-Round Comfort (by Cornelia C. Kachadorian)
11. Three Projects
12. Using the CSOL Computer Program

Appendices

Appendix 1. Solar Design Worksheets
Appendix 2. Solar Intensity and Solar Heat Gain Factors for 16 to 64 Degrees North Latitude
Appendix 3. Thermal Properties of Typical Building and Insulating Materials (Design Values)
Appendix 4. North Latitude, Elevation, and Outside Winter Design Temperatures for Selected Cities in the U.S. and Canada
Appendix 5. Average Monthly and Yearly Degree Days for Cities in the U.S. and Canada
Appendix 6. Mean Percentage of Possible Sunshine for Selected Cities in the U.S. and Canada
Appendix 7. Isogonic Chart (Magnetic Declination)

Index

The book comes with a CD-ROM containing the CSOL and a photographic tour of Passive Solar Homes.

"Passive Solar House" is available from Amazon.com.

Ecotect-Architects

Ecotect-Architects are a Perth design firm focused on making environmentally sustainable development a mainstream approach in architecture.

Gary Baverstock, several of whose designs feature in the book Warm House, Cool House, is one of Ecotect-Architects' principal architects.

They have designed several demonstration homes including:

• the Perth Hills house
  
• the Eco-Compound