Australian Passive Solar Home

One thing I find very odd about experts promoting new energy efficient housing in Australia is that rather than concentrate on what is achievable now at low cost, they instead invariably promote new and expensive approaches.

Great changes are apparently required… not optimising what we already have.

The idea that good – excellent, even – results can be achieved with existing materials, existing regulations, and existing tradespeople using existing skills seems to not fit their narrative.

Instead, we need specially trained trades, special windows, special exterior doors, special wraps, special insulation, special ventilation systems, special new regulations… the list expensively goes on and on.

But why? I am starting to think that it’s more about self-promotion than getting better housing.

Academics who can show that new approaches will be better… so justifying their research; companies that want to sell new products and training; those who wish to make energy efficient housing sound esoteric and difficult – and only they have the solutions.

In short, over the last few years of building our own energy efficient home and researching a book on it and passive solar design, I have become increasingly cynical.

For example, where are the local architects, consultants or builders developing ultra low cost, energy efficient housing? Tiny homes? Transportable homes? Prefab homes?

I have searched and searched and can’t find even one such example. In contrast, very expensive homes dominate the websites of those selling materials and services in this area.

I am now starting to think that local housing experts are part of the problem, not the solution.