House Facts

Canberra’s Sustainable House prides itself on excelling in the following areas:

Winner Sustainable Cities Awards 2007 & 2011

Owners Sarah Clayton and Nicholas Mayo were the winners of the 2007 ACT Sustainable Cities Award, Residential Category.

In July this year Canberra’s Sustainable House was awarded two Sustainable Cities Awards. One for Water Conservation and another for Energy Innovation.

Disconnection from the ACT Sewerage and Water Networks

For the past 5 years Canberra’s Sustainable House has been collecting and treating all of its “waste” water onsite. There is NO connection to the ACT Water and Sewerage Networks. An innovative biological grey-water treatment system treats all household “waste” water. An approved waterless composting toilet avoids the creation of black-water.

Canberra’s First Composting toilet

Nicholas Mayo was instrumental in gaining approval to instal in Canberra’s Sustainable House. This is the first and currently the only approved and installed waterless composting toilet in residential Canberra.

Carbon and Greenhouse Emissions

Canberra’s Sustainable house operates in a proactive manner acknowledging the impacts of carbon and other greenhouse gas emissions – surplus solar generated from Canberra’s Sustainable House is currently used by other residents in Duffy Street Ainslie. A scaled up solar hot-water system, heats all of Nick and Sarah’s water. Their kitchen garden is viewed as a productive carbon sink – composts, including end product from their waterless composting toilet is added to the soil building diversity, water holding capacity and and stable nutrient supplies for food production.

Kitchen Garden

Showcasing a productive kitchen garden and developing food forest, Canberra’s Sustainable House produces most of the owners fruit and vegetables. It is watered with only the water that falls on the property. The owners are advocates of slow food and solar cooking. Visit the Canberra’s Sustainable House blog and follow the development of our concentrated solar bbq and cookers.

Access For All

Canberra’s Sustainable House integrates housing for life principles. This home was designed and built with accessibility and adaptability at the fore. Canberra’s Sustainable House acknowledges and addresses the reality of an inevitable aging population. From the moment you enter Canberra’s Sustainable House you will notice features such as wider doorways, level thresholds, generous circulation spaces and accessible switches and power-points – and this is just the start.

Extreme Weather Events

Canberra’s Sustainable House is designed and constructed to deal with extreme weather events. The owners design vision addressed and increasing bushfire frequency and intensity in our region.

Electric Vehicles

Canberra’s Sustainable House uses hybrid electric vehicles to visit sites to deliver our services. Totally electric vehicles and waste vegetable oil fueled vehicles will be added to our fleet.

Toxic and Carcinogen Free

Canberra’s Sustainable House has been plumbed and cabled with superior environmentally friendly products. Paints and finishes used in Canberra’s Sustainable House are zero VOC, respecting the health of owners, visitors and other creatures on the planet. Plumbing and cabling is proudly PVC Free reducing both embodied energy in construction and the release of dioxins into our biosphere.

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