West Australians are helping to drive one of the world’s fastest national energy transitions via a raft of innovative changes, including an increasing number of suburban homes moving off-grid.
From DIY solar power systems to homes built from bales of straw or bags of soil, homeowners across the State are coming up with inventive ways to get off the grid.
And the energy efficiencies are not only saving money and the environment, but they are also helping owners to an additional six-figure profit at re-sale time, according to research by Domain.
But retiree Martin Chape, who set up an off-grid home in suburban Bellevue, claims the main benefit of his green-powered home is the ability to run five air-conditioners at his home simultaneously — and for free.
Before he moved from the South West Interconnected System to his DIY solar-power system, he could not afford to turn on any cooling systems, even at the height of summer.
“Now I leave them on all day, even if I am not at home, to keep the house at 24 degrees,” he said.
“It doesn’t cost any extra or have any impact on the grid.”
But Mr Chape — who will open his doors for Sunday’s national Sustainable House Day — said his decision to move off grid was only partly for financial reasons.
He was also keen to expand skills learned over his career as a telecommunications engineer by becoming an early domestic adopter of the technology. Most importantly, he wanted to reduce his reliance on fossil fuels.
“Some people don’t care what kind of world they leave their grandchildren, but I do,” he said.
“You’ve got to care. You’ve got to take an interest in these things.”
Mr Chape spent a couple of thousand dollars building his first DIY solar-power system for a few thousand dollars in 2011, using 12 Volt lighting and 12 Volt solar photovoltaic panels, powering them with lead-acid batteries.
Within a few years he upgraded to a slightly more powerful and more expensive 5 kW off-grid inverter-charger, which connected a 3kW west-facing solar PV panel system to 10 kWh of deep-cycle gel lead-acid batteries. This system was powerful enough to leave him with excess energy at times, which he fed back into the mainstream grid under a buyback scheme.
These two smaller systems are still connected to the SWIS but only to allow him to feed power back into it — earning him hundreds of dollars every bill cycle — unless diverted to charge his electric car.
But in 2019 he moved his household operations completely off grid with a new $22,000 DIY system comprising 8.2 kW solar array system on the shed roof, 20KWH of LFP batteries, a 7 Kw Selectronics SP Pro invertor and a 7Kw back-up generator.
The result is a 20 kWh system with a maximum load of around 7 kWh. Panels are usually fully charged within two hours of sunlight and have never dropped below 40 per cent capacity, even in long, dark winters.
Mr Chape said not everyone could build such a powerful system for $22,000, and he was able to rely on free installation help from friends. But he said any solar-powered system was cheaper than the $220,000 Western Power quote an acquaintance received under the Contributory Extension Scheme to hook up his Serpentine property to the mains.
But he said a decent system need not cost the earth. A simple DIY system able to power lights, a TV and a fridge, cost as little as $5000.
As much as he enjoys the freedom of off-grid life, he does not recommend others in suburbia go to the same expense.
He said a hybrid system would offer the same benefits, but allow the grid to be used as back-up instead of a noisy generator, while also requiring a smaller, cheaper battery.
Western Power does not have data, but anecdotally, an increasing number of metropolitan homes are fully, or effectively, operating off-grid.
At present, seven properties listed for sale in Greater Perth claim to have some off-grid capacity, usually in the form of an independently-powered granny flat.
Domain’s chief of research and economics Dr Nicola Powell said Perth’s green homes earn an extra 16 per cent when they sell compared to comparable homes that are not energy efficient.
Data in Domain’s most recent Sustainability in Property report shows Perth homes with energy-efficient features are selling for an average of $118,000 more than home without green features.
Specific features are linked to higher profits, with north-facing homes the most sought-after, followed by homes with solar panels or double-glazed windows.
“(Green homes) are a smart financial choice, particularly given rising energy prices and mounting cost-of-living pressures,” she said.
But not everyone agrees. Property agent Vanessa Naso said while buyers are keen on solar power, they do not base buying decisions on it.
“The most asked question is if there are solar panels for cost-saving reasons,” she said.
“However, if there isn’t, this isn’t a deal breaker. I find most buyers are willing to add these features once they secure their ideal home.”
Helen Oakey, chief executive of not-for-profit organisation Renew, said Australian homeowners were among the biggest adopters of energy efficient technology in the world.
She said the motivation seems to involve both a desire to save money on power bills, as well as a deep concern about climate change and fossil fuels.
“People think that if the technology is there, it’s time to get on with it,” she said.
Ms Oakey said Renew’s annual Sustainable House Day, which is being held across Australia on Sunday, helped usher in changes by showing people big and small ways to reduce power use.
Examples include the 15 to 25 per cent energy saving in heating or cooling costs after sealing leakages in a house, such as wobbly windows, draughty floorboards or unnecessary air vents.
Moving from gas hot water systems to an electric systems also saved on operational costs, while something as simple as closing curtains on hot days reduced cooling costs.
Ms Oakey said building materials were also making a massive different to heating and cooling costs, with some recent innovations including walls made from straw, hemp or mud bricks.
Off-grid homes made from bales of straw have popped up in Katanning, Shadforth, Witchcliffe and Naturaliste, among other places.
While fairly new in WA, its relies on principles used by our ancestors over thousands of years, with wind and sunlight used to create ventilation and warmth, bolstered by the natural insulating qualities of straw.
In Kendenup, a one-bedroom home built with about 4000 bags of dirt maintains a year-round temperature of 20 degrees.
Council-approved, structurally sound, solar-powered and completely off grid, the dirt bag homes are helping to challenge Perth’s obsession with double brick homes.
