Cool Living House
The Alice Springs Cool Living House is a demonstration house for energy and water efficiency in central Australia.
Tour the Cool Living House
History of the house
The Cool Living House was built in 1974 as a Housing Commission home, and was rented to tenants until 1999 when sold to private owners Simon Murphy & Margaret Carew. The house was unchanged from its original design and was quite run down. Substantial renovations were made to the outdoor areas and living rooms between 1999 and 2002, many improving the water, energy and comfort levels of the house. In October 2002 additional energy and water efficient products and monitoring equipment were retrofitted to the house by the Arid Lands Environment Centre & the owners to prepare it as the Alice Springs Cool Living House. Photo: House before renovation.
House plan
Click here for a plan of the house.
The original design is identical to hundreds of other Housing Commission homes in the town. The block is 800 square metres, a typical size for Alice Springs. The house is skewed on the block so it faces north-south – a good original design feature.
Building features
- Water
- Energy
- Garden
- Rainwater tank
- Greywater reuse from washing machine
- Air conditioning
- Grid-connected solar electricity system
- Solar hot water
- Water-efficient garden
- Windows & blinds
- Cross-ventilation
- Insulation
- Fridge & white goods
- Indoor water appliances
- Lights
In November 2002 a normal, lived-in house in the suburbs of Alice Springs was retrofitted with off-the-shelf products to improve energy and water efficiency. In the next 18 months the house used only half the energy & water of an average house and was far more comfortable than before. Importantly the lifestyle of the residents was not compromised. In 2003, the energy and water bills were $1,258 less than an average house.
Over 2,000 people visited the house during monthly Open Days and many later said they made changes to their own homes based on the knowledge gained.
According To The Homeowners
"It has been a pleasure living in the comfort of the Cool Living House in winter and summer, a big change from before the house was retrofitted. And as a 'normal' family, we haven't had to compromise our lifestyle at all to achieve it.
We trust our home has shown others that they can dramatically reduce their energy and water use through simple, cost-effective changes. It'd be great if all homes in Alice Springs could became 'cool living' houses".
Margaret Carew & Simon Murphy, homeowners.