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Unobtrusive solar panels by Sunfish Solar Electricity, installed by Climatron Projects, generate up to 15 kW/hr at peak. And double-glazed windows with Solar Shield Low E film add to the effective insulation. -
The spiral concrete stairway, French oak flooring and raw brickwork combine to create an earthy anchor to the entrance space. -
Indigenous plants have been chosen for the garden, resulting in a 33 % reduction in water requirements. -
An evaporative cooling system keeps the house cool in summer, and a ducted reverse cycle air conditioner keeps it warm in winter. -
A harlequin washstand, Charlie Chaplin print and purple walls add an eclectic touch. -
Kyalami Eco House -
Project manager Gustavo Norambuena in the battery room. -
A bright red cooker and stools add a fun, contemporary country feel to the kitchen. -
The house is so well insulated that a small free-standing fireplace is all that’s needed to heat the large main bedroom. -
The children’s bedrooms are themed to match their interests, in this case wildlife.
PHOTOS Dook PRODUCTION Annemarie Meintjes WORDS Lisa Johnston
When load shedding is implemented, one house in an upmarket Johannesburg estate stands out in the dark, because its owner wants his children to know how the choices we make affect our planet.
From the outside, the house in Waterfall Estate in Kyalami, Johannesburg is an aesthetically pleasing, upmarket suburban home with views of the estate’s parks and dam to the west. A small blue sedan waits outside, ready for the school run, and the landscaped garden in front of the house is in perfect trim. There’s a lush vertical garden to the right of a fat wooden door, which slides open to welcome neighbours and friends. It’s the perfect example of suburban charm and a great place to raise children.
But it’s when the lights go out – and by this we mean the dreaded load shedding – that the dwelling begins to reveal its rarity. While neighbours scrabble for candles and lamps or crank up loud, grizzling generators, it stands like a beacon of quiet, unblinking calm: There’s no ungracious shunt between energy sources, no dip in the lights or blip in the television signal.
The secret to its source of external (and internal) calm lies in a room to the rear of the garage filled with dozens of small white boxes, reminding one of scene from a James Bond movie. Although there are no flashing, bleeping buttons, the efficient tech behind the boxes, and in fact the whole house, would bring a broad smile to Q’s stern British face – because unlike 007, this home is a model agent for change.
The boxes house batteries, which store electricity produced by the photovoltaic solar panels from Sunfish Solar Electricity on the roof. There’s enough charge generated here to keep the house fully operational for two days with no sun. And that includes charging two Nissan Leafs – the world’s first mass-produced 100% electric car.
“The decision to build a completely environmentally friendly home stems from the owner’s wish to teach his children a conscious way of living,” says project manager Gustavo Norambuena. “He believes how you live your life is what children learn from you, and he wants them to know what’s going on with the environment and how the choices we make affect the planet.”
In fact, just about every aspect of this home, which was designed by architectural designer Karissa Barnett and interior designer Amanda Barnett, is an example of off-grid living without the need for compromise on comfort or aesthetics. Every inch was designed for energy efficiency, starting from the foundations, where a high-density, load-bearing XPS polystyrene board was fitted below the ground-floor concrete slab to retain heat. Even the orientation of the house and the decision to use clay bricks to build cavity walls with an insulating polystyrene fill was with the best possible insulation in mind.
Then there are the double-glazed windows and doors; an evaporative cooling system for summer; and a reverse-cycle air conditioner that keeps the house warm in winter, using a mere 4 kW electricity an hour. The owner of the house is a part-owner of the air-conditioning company Climatron, which also installed the solar panels and heat pump.
The plants are all indigenous, so the garden uses 33% less water than your average suburban garden, and there are vegetable and berry patches – all of which obtain their water from four large rainwater tanks tucked behind the house.
As an agent for eco-friendly change, this home is in fine form.
