This house at Austinmer on the NSW South Coast is designed as a north facing thermal passive dwelling optimized for cross ventilation, and thermal mass for both heating in winter and cooling in summer.  This dwelling contains a 3.4kW Photovoltaic system for electric generation, a gas boosted solar hot water system for the domestic hot water, and a solar hot water system for the pool and spa. Although the house is designed to operate in passive thermal mode, additional active systems such as an in slab hydronic heating system and a hybrid mechanical exhaust system have been implemented to cope with peak weather conditions.   User comfort has been implemented via the house’s daylight strategy, natural ventilation for 100% outside air and healthy building materials. The timber framed windows and doors fitted with double glazing allow the winter solar gain during the day, while controlling the conductive losses during winter evenings, and conductive gains during summer.
All ventilation systems are passive, excluding the three Eco Vents above the void which switch on when the internal temperature exceeds 26 degrees Celsius, to extract warm air and create additional air movement. Ceiling sweep fans are used throughout the building for additional comfort, and are low friction fans that require less energy for comparable air movement.    The environmental initiatives were primarily architect and contractor initiated and much thought and value was put into creating a low environmental impact and energy efficient dwelling that met the client’s lifestyle needs.