The influencing factors in designing conceptual energy-waste solutions for sustainable housing

Abstract

This paper attempts to identify and discuss the influencing factors in designing conceptual energy-waste solutions for sustainable housing. It will address broad issues relating to the design process as well as their applications, primarily for the Gold Coast and surrounding region. The information contained in this paper was derived from a research project which aimed to design a residential energy-waste solution. The major design constraints were the amount of energy and waste that needs to be supplied and disposed in order to determine the demand that will be placed on the technologies involved, as well as the availability of resources which will be harnessed. It was evident throughout the research that the fundamental principles of sustainability and green building do not allow the design of an energy-waste solution in isolation from the related systems of the house. By incorporating the green building principles exemplified in the City of Melbourne's “Council House 2” (CH2) and Queensland's “Smart and Sustainable Homes Program” (SSHP) amongst others, it was possible to optimise energy related systems within the house in order to greatly reduce demand. Following this, a range of different technologies was considered to address the optimised requirements of the design.