Filled with streaming sunlight, warmth, and ACT Government Ministers, Ginninderry’s brand-new energy efficient demonstration home was officially opened today, Sunday 7 August.

Ministers Yvette Berry, Rebecca Vassarotti, Shane Rattenbury, along with Senator David Pocock, all gathered in Strathnairn for the unveiling of the Australian-leading energy efficient demonstration home.

Homeowner and Director of Commonsense Sustainability Solutions, Paul Nagle, is opening his home to Canberrans to share tips and tricks on how to save on power pills and how to conserve energy throughout the year.

“Whether you’re buying a new home or renovating an existing home, it is important to look at ways to save energy and make your home more comfortable to live in, and many of these simple solutions are demonstrated in this sustainable home,” Mr Nagle said. 

“We are providing free guided tours of the home on weekends to give visitors the opportunity to ask questions about how they, too, can incorporate energy saving solutions into their new home build or renovation project.

“This home demonstrates how easy it can be to achieve a more energy efficient and sustainable home that requires very little heating in winter or cooling in the summer, resulting in a more comfortable home that is cheaper to run.”

The unique home includes sustainable features including a grass driveway, a backyard studio with a green roof, north-facing living spaces, burnished concrete flooring with natural linseed sealant, an edible front garden, and more efficient insulation.

Built and located on the edge of Ginninderry’s GX Display Village, this home has “been built with a different motivation” to the other Ginninderry display homes.

“Our aim in building this home on the edge of the display village is not to sell homes,” said Mr Nagle.

“The purpose of this build was to provide an educational resource, which shows visitors firsthand how they can easily achieve energy efficient, sustainable solutions in their own homes.”

ACT Senator David Pocock said houses like this demonstration home are not only tackling housing, but also the cost-of-living crisis.

“I think the fact that we’ve got four politicians here to open a house probably says, one, we’re in Canberra, but two, just how important housing and sustainability and cost of living are at the moment – they’re burning issues,” Senator Pocock said.

“There’s such huge opportunities for Australia to start to head down this path where we are actually helping everyday Australians reduce their energy bills every year.”

ACT Minister for Climate Change and Sustainability Shane Rattenbury called the home “inspiring” and says it feels like a “nice, warm, and comfortable home”.

“It does all the things you need a home to do, and I think that for me is the most inspiring part,” Mr Rattenbury said.

“We’ve just announced that the ACT is overall going to move away from gas over the next 20 years, and again, having houses like this that are showing what is possible and how comfortable being in an electric home can be…”

Minister for Housing Yvette Berry said the home is a learning opportunity for Canberrans, and also for developers on how building energy efficient homes has the capacity to be less expensive.

Minister for Sustainable Building and Construction Rebecca Vassarotti said the home was one she could see herself and her family residing in.

“What really strikes me is that a lot of this is low tech, it’s not high tech. It’s actually just about taking care, it’s about craftsmanship, and it’s actually around priorities,” Ms Vassarotti said.

“As government and as regulators, we are often catching up to best practice and I think this is what is really evident in what’s happening here. And it strikes me that there’s a real role that consumers can play in terms of what they are actually asking in terms of the homes that they want to live [in] and could developers be really world leading in terms of showing what’s possible.”

The energy efficient demonstration home is open for guided tours most Saturdays and Sundays from 13 August. Visit www.commonsss.com.au for more information.

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