What a sustainable home means
The Green Building Council of Australia writes about sustainable homes, and it says Australian families on average are indoors for 90 per cent of their time, and that two thirds of it is spent at home. It also says homes account for 53 per cent of the emissions from Australia's total built environment.
For a sustainable home, the council describes three elements of a better home: healthy, resilient and positive. It says a healthy home is comfortable and built with products it describes as better for the people living in them. A resilient home is ready for climate change and can adapt as needs change. A positive home is efficient and uses renewable power, which the council also calls net zero energy.
Green Star Homes
The council has created Green Star Homes. It says Green Star Homes typically lower energy use by 56 to 60 per cent, which it links to smaller energy bills.
The council says more than 100 Green Star certified apartment buildings already exist. It names Ed.Square, in Sydney's south west, as one example, and Nightingale, in Bowden, South Australia, as another. It says it is developing a new pathway for apartment buildings.
A positive home is efficient and uses renewable power, which the council also calls net zero energy.
Sustainable renovations
The council offers a guide to sustainable renovations. It says the guide gives practical tips for improving a home's sustainable performance, covering both quick wins and major improvements.
The council also says it supports a television series that examines sustainable design and construction.
Questions people ask
- What is a sustainable house?
- The Green Building Council of Australia writes about sustainable homes through three elements it says define a better home: healthy, resilient and positive. It says a positive home is efficient and uses renewable power, which the council also calls net zero energy.
- How does a sustainable house work?
- The council says Green Star Homes typically lower energy use by 56 to 60 per cent, which it links to smaller energy bills. It also describes a positive home as efficient and using renewable power, which the council calls net zero energy.
- What makes a home sustainable?
- The Green Building Council of Australia describes three elements: healthy, resilient and positive. It says a healthy home is comfortable and built with products it describes as better for the people living in them, and a resilient home is ready for climate change and can adapt as needs change.
- What are sustainable renovations?
- The Green Building Council of Australia offers a guide to sustainable renovations. It says the guide gives practical tips for improving a home's sustainable performance, covering both quick wins and major improvements.
- What does the Green Building Council of Australia say about sustainable homes?
- The council sets out three elements of a better home: healthy, resilient and positive. It also says homes account for 53 per cent of the emissions from Australia's total built environment.