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A house with no bills?
 Taking on the challenge of recent changes to the Building Code of Australia, Aurora is one sponsor of a No Bills House project. The project sees experts in their fields – including the University of Tasmania, cb&m pty ltd and Housing Australia – combine their skills to build a house that has no net services requirements.
The No Bills House is designed as a very high environmental performance house that is highly insulated and features light timber framing and timber finishing. The design will incorporate passive design techniques such as utilising effective thermal performance, orientation and cross ventilation in order to be bill-free. The house will be fully insulated, incorporate solar hot water and solar power generation, and use water saving and reuse techniques. The designers are targeting a performance rating of 10 stars.
The star ratings are based on energy performance, and are outlined in the updated building rating programs, which now apply in many Australian states.
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The research project
The No Bills House is part of a larger project of the Forest and Wood Products Research and Development Corporation, which incorporates the construction of three houses with different design requirements. The Best Five Star Timber House and the Best Five Star Timber and Concrete Slab House are designed to achieve five star ratings.
 All three buildings will be built on Hobart's eastern shore and monitored over two winters to see how they meet the standards set out for five-star rated houses.
This project has sponsors from all sectors – as well as Aurora, government and private companies, state and national representative organisations are offering sponsorship and a keen interest in the performance of these state-of-the-art houses.
The houses will be a perfect example of a standard family home: approximately 120 m2 with three bedrooms, ensuite, living, dining, car parking and deck. The three houses will be built on a sloping block off Cambridge Road with views to the Tasman Bridge and Mt Wellington.
 The design stage of the project has been finalised and construction will begin in February 2006. The houses, once complete, will be sold at auction.
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Power generation
The No Bills House design uses 30-40 m2 of photovoltaic solar cells directly connected to the electricity grid. Photovoltaic means 'electrical current produced by light' and the system generates power during the day that is stored on the grid. It then uses the grid at night when the photovoltaic cell cannot produce energy. An Aurora smart meter will log the amount of electricity exported and imported to the grid.
The hot water system is a 300-litre cylinder with three solar panels (6 m2) and extra insulation.
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Other ways to achieve no bills
In order to achieve the lowest power consumption and reduce the chances of buying back power from the grid, compact fluorescent lights will be used in all fittings and heating will be supplied from energy-efficient electric panel heaters with timers and thermostatic controls. All appliances will be very high performance, the exhaust will have a heat recovery system for incoming air and ceiling fans will be placed in living areas and bedrooms.
In addition to the importance of the No Bills House achieving its targets through power generation efficiency, the designers have addressed other aspects to ensure the house is self-sufficient. This includes collecting rainwater in water tanks, using appliances such as dual flush toilets and water saving fittings, and installing a composting toilet.
It is possible to use some of these bill-saving techniques in your home.
For more information about the project visit the No Bills House website (external link).
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