Building Connection Summer 2016

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BUILDING CONNECTION SUMMER 2016 19
communities of the south east of Melbourne to produce zero
net emissions and have highly adaptive capacity to climate
change.
SECCCA provide completely independent advice. It doesn’t
align with any products or manufacturers and encourages
builders to use their own suppliers.
Being government funded means its main role is to
advocate for the consumer to get a better deal, improve
energy efficiency and reduce energy bills.
“As a result of that vision, we work with new home owners
to help build more sustainable homes, reduce energy bills
and subsequently reduce carbon emissions,” SECCCA
projects coordinator Daniel Pleiter said.
Daniel and his team were based at the Selandra Rise
eight star sustainable display home at the Selandra Rise
estate with the intention of being able to demonstrate to
prospective home buyers what they could achieve in their
own homes. Dotted around the home were information
points that highlighted various green aspects such as double
glazed windows, extra roof insulation, split system air-
conditioners and so forth. Visitors collected cards containing
QR codes at the various information points that interested
them which would then be able to research further online.
“This was the pilot project so we designed a program that
would help inform people that came through the door. This
facility demonstrates those features and we have used a
whole range of information points to explain things. We had
staff here on weekends to answer any questions and to go
into further detail about the costs and benefits of each,”
Daniel says.
“Ideally, we try to speak to people before they have
purchased their land and/or signed any contracts. The main
reason for this is to look at orientation, which is the first
step to take when trying to achieve passive solar benefits.”
Daniel intimated that a large percentage of new homes
were oriented the wrong way, and that builders needed to
play a vital role in explaining the benefits of considering how
a home is positioned on a block, to capture the most warmth
from the sun.
“Once upon a time energy was cheap, so no one really
cared, but energy is becoming more expensive and the
problem is now, with the impact of climate change, we are
getting heat waves.
“If we experience a heatwave between 35-45°C for a
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