Sunday 7/9/2008 Page: 12
NESTLED in the Hobart CBD behind a historic 1850s stable is one of Tasmania's most sustainable homes. It is the work of architect and owner Robert McGregor who specialises in solar design. The Macquarie St house features solar energy for hot water, electricity and heating and has a water tank. An environmentally friendly fridge, a front-loading washing machine, a combination of a microwave and convection oven and energy-saving lamps all help to lower energy use.Mr McGregor recently received a bill from Aurora informing him he was in credit. "That's the greatest feeling." he said. "I really put my money where my mouth is in doing this and seeing the 'no payment is necessary' note on the bill is a great feeling." The hone and office will feature in Saturday's Sustainable Homes Open Day. Visitors are invited into houses across the state for a taste of the best in environmental practices.
Mr McGregor said sustainable housing was finally being taken seriously. "These ideas have been lying around for 30 years but no one bothered with then." he said. He says it took changes to building regulations regarding insulation for sustainable designs to become mainstream. His own home has been a labour of love - albeit an expensive one. "I won't be going on holiday or buying a car for a long time but it's worth it," he said.
"I'm very proud of it, the solar features in particular." Mr McGregor bought the 1850s stable 10 years ago to use as an office. He then decided to create a sustainable home. The first step was trapping the sun. All the main windows in the house collect the heat. "It's a very restricted site, only 10m wide, and we have three neighbours on three sides so it was a challenge," he said. Mr McGregor's interest in solar energy started in the 1970s when he moved from Sydney to Tasmania. "I was fortunate enough to design a solar-heated house for the Housing Department that was open to the public," he said. "I was so impressed I got deeply interested in energy saving."
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