Dune 1

Dune 1 is nestled along Victoria’s Bass Coast with wonderful views to both the ocean and surrounding farm land at the award winning ‘The Cape’ sustainable housing project. Driven by a passion for energy ef cient design, Dune 1 is a collaboration between local building designers Tad Hendry and Jess Cuman from Adapt Design Group, and is a great reflection of their design work.

The design brief behind Dune 1 was to create an extremely energy efficient dwelling whilst keeping construction costs low. The home showcases all the fundamentals of best practice energy efficient design and construction – including good orientation, quality insulation, cross flow ventilation, double glazing, thermal mass and shading.

The result was this 8.7star rated home featuring a 8 kw photovoltaic system including battery storage. The combination of sustainability, energy efficiency and onsite clean energy generation elements will ensure this home is “energy positive” – generating a surplus of clean energy on an annual basis, with the potential for a net return of over five hundred dollars per annum for surplus power generated.

The capacity for the occupants to close down half the home while other members of the family are away further reduces the costs of living. Housing the fridge and Sanden heat pump together allows heat generated from these appliances to dry clothes on inclement days. Air locks to control temperature, clever roof design for rainwater harvesting and easy access to solar panels all help create a home which virtually ‘pays its owners to live in it’.