My ’80s Brick Home Is an Unexpected Sanctuary from the Australian Heat — Here Are the 4 Upgrades We Made

Almost two years ago, my husband and I bought our dream house on the Queensland Gold Coast, Australia: a brick house from the 1980s with three bedrooms, two bathrooms and 2,900 square feet. It has all the characteristics of the time from which it comes – glazing windows, gaps that fled, gas devices and no insulation in the ceiling or internal walls – but we fell in love at first glance.

The house had high ceilings, the light oriented to the north pouring into the main living spaces and a cautious court with space for all our garden plans. But living in a warm and humid climate, we knew that the house would not face long sums or increasing energy requests without changes. Gold Coast Summers regularly pushed in the mid-1980s, humidity oscillating above 80% for a large part of the year. Even an increase in modest temperature is oppressive. Spring last summer was the second warmer in Australia, with temperatures much higher than average, and more days on 95 ° F than in previous years.

In this spirit, our priority was to make our house comfortable and energy efficient, while preparing it for a harder climate in the years to come. Here’s how we did.

We have added the insulation and tightness to the air

Typical for older Australian houses, our house had no insulation and heat transfer was a major problem. This means that in winter, the pieces that had been hot during the day would drop to a figure at one -digit during the night, and in summer, the brick walls absorbed the heat and released it long after sunset, keeping us much more toast than we would like.

Overall, around 25% to 35% of heat is lost or won on the roof, and 15% to 25% through the walls, depending on Victoria sustainability. We knew that insulation was the most affordable and effective way to make the house more comfortable and lower our energy bills.

For insulation, we examined some options – natural wool was too expensive. Natural wool with recycled polyester batts was attractive, but we were worried about acoustic performance because we both worked at home, and cellulose fiber was disorderly to install, which was not ideal in a partial renovation. But in the end, we chose R3.5 Ecowol, glass wool insulation which uses a natural binder to maintain the volatile organic compounds low – which means no clearance over time.

The first winter after installation, we noticed an immediate difference in our house. The winters of Queensland are light – generally from 50 ° F to 68 ° F night and day – but in a poorly designed house, the cold is trapped and feels freezing inside. The house now holds from 64 ° F to 68 ° F during the night without racing heat, and in the morning, it takes minutes, not hours, to bring the house back to a comfortable 75 ° F.

Seal gaps around doors and windows helped, cutting the drafts and leaks. Our previous rental – A brick house of similar size from the 1980s without insulation – cost us about $ 400 at $ 500 AUD per quarter of electricity bills. In our new house, our bills fell at around $ 150 per quarter, even with us both working at home. And we expect it to reduce almost nothing in the coming months.

We have replaced the windows with a single component and invested in simple shade

The house came with the original glass to a single shutter on all windows and doors, another weak point for heat gain and loss. The replacement of each window with double glazing was not realistic for our budget or adapted to our climate. Double glazing is excellent for trapping heat in colder regions, but it offers less advantages in a subtropical setting where ventilation and shade are often just as effective.

Instead, we upgraded the windows and doors oriented to the north – the kitchen, the living room and my home office, which are all surrounded by the morning and noon sun. We have chosen a glass with a low emissivity that reflects the radiant heat in summer and helps keep heat in winter. During the hottest months, it is already 86 ° F outside at 8 a.m., so these spaces had the most protection. The vintage and sliding doors came to about $ 4,000 each, and the windows varied between $ 1,500 and $ 2,500 AUD.

We have the priority to spend the money we had in these living spaces for high use and we turned to more affordable fixes elsewhere. On the south side of our house, where the direct sun is less intense, we have opted for honeycomb blinds in rooms and secondary spaces. These create an insulating air pocket against glass, cutting the heat gain in summer and retaining heat in winter. With the sealing of the project and the new door seals, these changes have stopped the worst leak.

We have invested in energy electrification and independence

From the start, Dave and I knew that we wanted to move the house of petrol and go all electric. Heating and cooking gas are still used in millions of Australian houses, but it is increasingly expensive and a major source of household emissions. But that does not mean that electricity is cheap. The average family in Australia spends at least $ 500 (33 cents per kWh). Energy prices continue to increase (household electricity costs have increased by around 20% in the past year), so really the long -term objective is to bring our bills closer to as close as possible.

The gas cooking table, the water heater and the dryer have been replaced by effective electric alternatives-an induction hob, an electric water heater and a dryer. We have also upgraded the refrigerator and the dishwasher to more energy-efficient models and took advantage of any discount. Appliances are one of the largest engine consumption engines – around 30% (or more) of the total. A hot water pump system uses 60% to 70% energy less than a standard tank, saving $ 300 at $ 700 per year. Heat pump dryers cut electricity consumption in half, while older refrigerators can use up to three times more energy than modern units.

With the fully electrified house, a few months after our move, we installed a solar system of 6.6 kW on the roof. With only two of us in the house, this size system is more than enough to cover our needs and a house of this size. To get the most out of our system, we have moved routines so that the washing machine and the dishwasher work during the hours of clarity, while the solar panels produce.

This month, we installed a SOLAIRE BYD battery to store excessive power and provide a backup during breakdowns. The storms on the Gold Coast strike stronger and more often, and the generalized breakdowns are becoming more and more common. After a recent summer storm of a nearby cyclone, a large part of the Gold Coast without electricity for days, and some suburbs for weeks, the battery is already likely spent money for the peace of mind to keep the lights and the fridge.

We are not out of network. All excess energy is exported for a small buyout rate, which does not make you rich but helps to compensate for the invoices. It is still early, but ultimately the solar system and combined batteries should comfortably cover most of our annual use.

We have invested in passive design adjustments

We also examined how to make the most of what was already there. We have adjusted the floor plan to work with existing doors and windows to improve air flow and cross ventilation. On hot days, we close the rooms on the south side to block the sun and open the windows on the east side to catch breeze. The ceiling fans help to move the air, and the air conditioner works on the hottest parts of the year when the humidity becomes too much. We also close a side of the house, the rooms that we do not use day by day, to half the area we need to cool.

We have “rewild” the garden

When we bought the house for the first time, the 941 square meter block was mainly the lawn – kept neat and green by years of pesticides – fringed of tufts invaded by more than 100 palm trees of golden cane, clusters of agaves and introduced tropical plants. The ground was compacted and lifeless, and the garden almost devoid of biodiversity.

We have spent months withdrawing the golden rods as well as the invasive trees introduced – the coconut palms and the umbrellas. We have kept some of the oldest palms in Bangalow and shade trees that help cool large areas of the house. Little by little, we replaced the lawns with new gardens filled with native water plants like Westringie, Banksia, Chrysocephalum and Prostanthera. Until now, more than 60 species are from the southeast of Queensland, thrive in our climate and our construction structure for a layer habitat.

As plants ripen, they help cool the block, buffer erosion after heavy rains and bind to a wider housing corridor in the neighborhood. To help us cross the years of drought and keep the gardens alive, we have a 5,000 -liter rainwater tank and plan to install a second lower water reservoir on the track.

What I learned about creating a sustainable house

We did a lot of research before we start, and that helped us focus on upgrades that would have the most impact. The biggest surprise was the difference in insulation and sections of drafts. These simple fixes have provided the most comfort and savings for the least cost and efforts. At the same time, moving away from the gas unlocked the advantages of solar energy and facilitates the execution of the house on clean energy and helped us start to save money.

I feel incredibly lucky that we were able to bring these changes, and reassured the knowledge of our house is better prepared for a changing climate and everything that comes next. Of course, you can never fully prepare yourself for the unpredictable, but work with nature rather than against it looks like a step in the right direction both for our own comfort and for the role that we play in the situation as a whole.

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