The house is built in the Wollongong region and is the first certified Passive House in the Illawarra. The “Pepper Tree Passive House” was built to prove to the industry that houses can be built better for the environment, healthier for the occupants, superior in energy efficiency and does not cost the earth.
Pepper Tree Passive House consists of triple glazed thermally broken windows and doors imported from Germany. An internal airtight membrane including an external permeable membrane has been installed on the entire building envelope to achieve air tightness. The house is fully insulated in the roof, walls, and floors, it is a thermal bridge free construction meaning no concrete or steel enters the building envelope (eliminating cold spots and hot spots within the building).
A Heat Recovery Ventilation system is installed in the dwelling providing fresh filtered (HEPA) air removing excess heat in summer and keeping heat in the dwelling during winter keeping the indoor climate between 20-25 degrees. This also manages humidity to be between 30% to 60%.
Passive Houses generally have a heating and cooling demand 90 percent less than a standard Australian home built to NCC requirements.
The wall lighting is LED, all cooking appliances are ultra-energy efficient including induction cooktop. A photovoltaic system of over 12Kw powers the dwelling with a 14.6Kw battery which is also connected to 100 percent renewable energy company.
Deciding to integrate the dwelling around a 50-year-old pepper tree was the most important environmental issue of this project. Surgically excavating all the piers by hand without damaging the tree’s root system was a long and arduous task.
The green roof creates another ecosystem around the dwelling, introducing microclimates for the occupants as well as an ecosystem for native fauna.
The finished home is a bright comfortable home with a low environmental impact, sitting in a sensitive environment. It is a worthy Winner of the 2022 Excellence in Sustainability - Residential Award.