Cape Paterson Eco - The place to be!

Interested in sustainable housing?

Take a look at some of the latest  sustainable homes located at "The Cape" 

The Cape Eco community is a master planned residential development on the South Coast of Victoria at Cape Paterson.  Eventually it will consist of over 200 homes surrounded by more than 50% of open, natural space, The Cape has very clear and prescriptive guidelines for all homes.  A minimum 7.5 star rating, 2.5kW PV Solar and 10,000 litres of water storage is mandatory.

​Australia’s premium sustainable housing project, The Cape, in Cape Paterson, has opened its doors to its newest 8.3-star edition, "Periwinkle". This carbon neutral, energy and water efficient coastal home sits within the top 1% of sustainable homes in Australia. The home features state of the art energy efficient design, construction and fit out, which combines to keep the home beautifully comfortable in all weather conditions, while reducing annual running costs to below $500 per annum, which is around 15% to 20% of the running costs of a state average home.

The home owners will have a place to live that will be significantly cheaper to run than a similar sized house that does not have the same level of environmental consideration.  The home’s outlook is onto a well-designed and locally sympathetic garden that will become a haven for local fauna, birds and insects. 
 
Day to day benefits include the availability of natural light throughout the home and natural airflow.  From a power consumption point of view, all standby appliances associated with the TV and entertainment units are connected to a Greenswitch to permit them to be turned with one switch. 
 
Liveability is also a large feature with materials selected to reduce the amount of off-gassing encountered in the home. Features such as zero or very low emission paints, EO joinery, architraves, skirtings, claddings and natural fibre carpets all add together to create a space that has much reduced emissions and allergens

The Eclispe" design has 10,000 litres of harvested rainwater available for both potable and non-potable purposes, including drinking, toilet flushing and gardening.  All tapware is 4 star wels rated, with 3 star wels rated showerheads.  The garden is extensively planted with indigenous native plants which require minimal watering once established, and the lawn area has been minimised and planted with a durable, water wise species.

Internally the home features natural products such as timber finishes to joinery, polished concrete floors and handmade rammed earth blocks that were pressed on site from local gravels. Products were selected to reduce their impact on the residents, such as zero VOC paints and EO boards in the joinery.
​The home boasts a 7.2kW solar photovoltaic system connected to the grid that will provide the majority of power required to operate the home for most of the year. A highly efficient Sanden eco-pump hot water system with a COP of 4.7 and a stainless steel storage unit is in place for all hot water needs. 
 
The home’s lighting has been carefully selected to suit the purpose of the room whilst remaining efficient, and consists of LED down lights, strip lights and oyster lights. A ‘Greenswitch’ has been installed at both TV point areas which allows for all standby powered items to be turned off with one switch. 
 
The owners are so confident that the home will remain cool in summer that they elected not to install an air conditioner. A small hydronic system has been installed for any additional heating required during winter.   Sweep fans are provided in all bedrooms for air movement and ducted exhausts have weather shields to prevent external drafts. 
 
Passive design and siting of windows provides cross flow ventilation when required, allowing the owners to take advantage of the local sea breezes.  When extremes of temperature are present, the home has been designed and constructed so that it is airtight.  The home has been provided with an electric vehicle charge point in the garage.