We’ve now had the solar power system on the roof of the cottage next to the Greeny Flat for more than a year and we’re very happy to report that the house is now officially ‘Energy Positive’!
At the time we had the solar installed we also installed a new smart meter which has recorded all our imports and exports of electricity for the last year. If we combine our anytime usage and our off-peak usage, we have imported a total of 2,835kWh from the grid. At the same time we have exported 5573kWh of solar electricity to the grid. That means we have sent almost exactly twice as much power into the grid as we have taken out over a full year.
For an energy retrofit of an old fibro cottage we think this is a fantastic result and we can also vouch for the fact that the house is a delight to live in.
We’re getting closer to having it completely finished. We installed the second rainwater tank last week and we really like how the curve of the gal tank echoes the curve of the house wall.
We’ve also planted a lot of small native shrubs along the north fence to make a bird-friendly hedge. Now we just have to finish the second toilet and some painting and we’ll be done.
Hi Andy I noticed that you used plasterboard on Russel Island, can you please share which brand you opted for. As hard as I search I’m still confused re which brand of plasterboard will be best for subtropics – most breathable and lowest VOC (so far found healthy ones in Europe). It made me think of using plywood instead but you opted out of plywood on Russel Island Thanks in advance for any input
and thank you for your generous sharing of knowledge and experience, you and Cynthia achieved so much, congratulations Maria
Hi Maria and sorry for the very slow response. I’m afraid I can’t offer any insight into the best type of plasterboard for use in the tropics. That’s one particular rabbit hole I haven’t been down yet. Best of luck and thanks for your kind words. Andy