By Maggie Dare

Image: More shading on the west side of Maggie’s house.

As a resident of Yea, I’ve been watching with keen interest the progress of 2030Yea in the committee’s quest for sustainability within this great little town.

In early August I engaged Clare Daly and Rebecca Bowles to summarise my energy sufficiency and that was followed by a comprehensive report and recommendations.

I was particularly impressed with the clever meter used to read the temperature of the tell-tale spots in the house like the top and bottom of the front door the step of which has significantly worn a very old wooden entry step which is attractive in one sense as it forms the history of this 1930’s entry but problematic when dealing with the winter months.

 

 

 

Image: Underfloor insulation at Maggie’s house.

When I purchased the property in 2010, I recognised I had significant work ahead and set about replacing the ceiling insulation and planting trees along the west, both deciduous and non-deciduous. I already had two split systems, front and back but replacing the oldest one for one more up to date. I also had underfloor insulation installed.

Once that initial work was completed, I didn’t use the air conditioner once in the following summer.

Fortunately, the house was built with a back door directly opposite the front door to take advantage of cool summer evenings. I also organised a builder to install hoods on all the west facing windows.

 

 

 

Image: Awnings over window for shade.

It’s been a worthwhile exercise for this valuable free service offered by 2030Yea and it certainly reinforced the fact that I was on the right track.

All these changes were easy to organise and I must reinforce the value of trees when planning as they obviously offer shade. When planting include indigenous trees, a list of which is available through Murrindindi Shire.

Contact 2030Yea to see what you can do to make your home more energy efficient or catch up with us between 10 am and 2 pm outside:

– Yea FoodWorks on Thursday 2 February
– Bendigo Bank on Saturday 1 March.