Kylie Ahern is going off-grid in Newtown, Sydney and construction is underway.
Whether you’re a renter, owner, developer or on-looker, Kylie’s how to go off-grid story will have tips, costs, contacts, products and facts for you.
We’ll follow Kylie’s journey on my website. With photos and facts, we’ll see first hand how Kylie’s dream to have low bills – less than $300 a year - in a simple, modest, renovated inner city terrace can be for anyone.
After Kylie and I discussed what she wanted to do she said, “So, there are many ways of taking my home off-grid. I’m going there in a few steps, not in one big one. And I want my project to be a showcase of the different ways I can cut energy and water bills as well as waste. Some people are passionate about water, others want to focus on electricity or food – I’m passionate about them all”,
A new bathroom and kitchen are needed as they are barely useable.
Kylie asked me to specify the products, materials, costs and options for going off-grid. The drawings were made by an architect, Ian McCaig, and engineers, builders, plumbers, council officers and others all contributed.
The Kylie Project has these features:
- How to go off-grid
- A showcase of energy and water efficient appliances
- Off-grid for electricity for two people and mostly off-grid for four people
- Mostly off-grid for water and future plumbed for disconnecting from mains water and sewer
- Appliances chosen from a mainstream retailer (Harvey Norman)
- All appliances chosen for their efficiency - a more expensive fridge is often cheaper to own over three years than buying a cheaper fridge which uses more electricity because it is less efficient
- The lowest possible daily energy use for a two person household but with modern, comfortable and stylish lighting, cooking, washing, cleaning, ventilation, natural lighting, healthy materials
- Only recycled timber, steel and concrete used
- Food growing garden and biodiversity of plants designed to feed birds and insects
- Build a verge garden outside Kylie’s house based on a new design by Michael Mobbs to divert street water to irrigate trees. This has been approved by the local Marrickville council.
- Composting of all food excepts bones and shells
- Indigenous bee hive
- Vertical garden fence
This will be a full, open, story with the battles, losses, costs, materials, products and designs laid out for you to see.
Watch this space! More news in the tag, "off-grid projects", and in the next newsletter.
Check out an article in the Sydney Morning Herald about Kylie's project and watch a video of her and her house.
I’d love to work with you if you’d like to go an off-grid shade; see my contact information, a list of my services and prices, past projects I've completed, or Skype with me to start discussing your project right away!