I've heard the rumour about energy use.Home air-conditioners - many of them large enough to cool commercial buildings - were putting "significant stress" on ETSA's network.
amazing isntChillyPhilly wrote:Mawson Lakes really needs to lift its game in the environmental and amenity departments. Currently, there is very little entertainment for locals, particularly young locals - if they want such entertainment, they have to leave the site. Take a cinema for example, the closest one is located at Tea Tree Plaza, or failing that, Reading in Elizabeth.
It's also a well-kept secret that Mawson Lakes is by far the most energy-hungry suburb in Adelaide, and probably ranks quite high in all of Australia (if not at the top) for energy consumption levels. A combination of factors lead to this, but the sole culprits are housing density and design, along with land use.
Yep agree 100%. A mate of mine has built many townhouses at Mawson Lakes - most with an energy rating of 6 stars. All these properties require only modest sized a/c units. He also recently achieved a 7 star energy rating - for less construction cost! How? well he asked his architect to design in alignment with raw product dimensions. No rocket science. Each townhouse construction produces less than 1 skip bin of waste.bm7500 wrote:Yes it was well documented a few years ago that some people installed large commercial A/Cs in their homes but it hardly justifies this sort of throw away line "complete failure to be built with any form of energy conservation ideals."
bingoWaewick wrote:the rest of hte country subsiding the installation of solar panels, doesn't make Mawson lakes and more energy efficient.
I disagree. Have a drive around Mawson Lakes and note the western facing residences with no eaves/sunshade protection, just glass and rendered blueboard (and the associated commercial air-conditioners). Before the introduction of five/six star the builder/owner had to fill out a score sheet and achieve a minimum score. Whilst it was checked by Delfin it was never enforced, even by the council. Many proposals had their eaves/balconies removed during construction to cut costs. Given 80% of construction in Mawson Lakes was completed before the introduction of five/six star, it has been a complete failure in achieving an energy efficient suburb. I have a report conducted by Unisa into energy efficient housing developments in Adelaide. Mawson Lakes was top of the list as the worst performing suburb. Mawson Lakes is a big FAIL for energy efficiency.Wayno wrote:Yep agree 100%. A mate of mine has built many townhouses at Mawson Lakes - most with an energy rating of 6 stars. All these properties require only modest sized a/c units. He also recently achieved a 7 star energy rating - for less construction cost! How? well he asked his architect to design in alignment with raw product dimensions. No rocket science. Each townhouse construction produces less than 1 skip bin of waste.bm7500 wrote:Yes it was well documented a few years ago that some people installed large commercial A/Cs in their homes but it hardly justifies this sort of throw away line "complete failure to be built with any form of energy conservation ideals."
What you are talking about is not unique to Mawson Lakes. What you do have in ML is the extremems of efficiency. You have some homes that have energy hungry appliances, 4 plasmas, 50 downlights and a commercial a/c. On the other hand there are many examples of many 'greener' homes as outlined by Wayno above. So even if there is a report done by UNISA, they may want to revisit it as builders and buyers have become a lot more energy consious in recent years. Not all homes are blueboard and glass either just so you know, so please don't generalise!contractor wrote:I disagree. Have a drive around Mawson Lakes and note the western facing residences with no eaves/sunshade protection, just glass and rendered blueboard (and the associated commercial air-conditioners). Before the introduction of five/six star the builder/owner had to fill out a score sheet and achieve a minimum score. Whilst it was checked by Delfin it was never enforced, even by the council. Many proposals had their eaves/balconies removed during construction to cut costs. Given 80% of construction in Mawson Lakes was completed before the introduction of five/six star, it has been a complete failure in achieving an energy efficient suburb. I have a report conducted by Unisa into energy efficient housing developments in Adelaide. Mawson Lakes was top of the list as the worst performing suburb. Mawson Lakes is a big FAIL for energy efficiency.Wayno wrote:Yep agree 100%. A mate of mine has built many townhouses at Mawson Lakes - most with an energy rating of 6 stars. All these properties require only modest sized a/c units. He also recently achieved a 7 star energy rating - for less construction cost! How? well he asked his architect to design in alignment with raw product dimensions. No rocket science. Each townhouse construction produces less than 1 skip bin of waste.bm7500 wrote:Yes it was well documented a few years ago that some people installed large commercial A/Cs in their homes but it hardly justifies this sort of throw away line "complete failure to be built with any form of energy conservation ideals."
Actually, yes it does. If the large number of solar panel installaions in ML is lowering electricity consumption, then it is more efficient regardless of who is subsidising it! Bingo!the rest of hte country subsiding the installation of solar panels, doesn't make Mawson lakes and more energy efficient.
I don't disagree agree with the above, but it comes back to the point that you can't make generalisations about the whole of ML being energy inefficient when that is not the case.Waewick wrote:http://lmgtfy.com/?q=energy+efficiency
no energy efficiency is not just about getting Solar panels and making you feel warm and fuzzy
it is about reducing your overall reliance on electricuty full stop - having Solar panels is a way to reduce your CArbon footprint, designing a house that doesn't need to suck huge amounts of power is about efficency.
i.e getting the same output from the same input, rather than just changing the source of the input.
Modular design revisited? Fantastic!Wayno wrote: for less construction cost! How? well he asked his architect to design in alignment with raw product dimensions. No rocket science. Each townhouse construction produces less than 1 skip bin of waste.
There's a bicycle track that leads directly to the train station, I'd guess no need for the lanes on the road as most cyclists just use the track.mattblack wrote:Why are there no cycle lanes within Mawson Lakes, isnt this standard practice now? No wonder most of the people drive to the station. Even the basics of sustainability are being overlooked.
To access the bike path you need to ride on the road. What if you want to get to the town centre, high school, Uni - good luck! Piss poor in my opinion for a suburb that bills itself as sustainable this and that. Whats the transport dept at the Council doing?eKwatee wrote:There's a bicycle track that leads directly to the train station, I'd guess no need for the lanes on the road as most cyclists just use the track.mattblack wrote:Why are there no cycle lanes within Mawson Lakes, isnt this standard practice now? No wonder most of the people drive to the station. Even the basics of sustainability are being overlooked.
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