In 1982, when David and Margery bought their little house in an old public housing estate, they could look out their bedroom window and see what everyone had worn during the week, because everyone could be seen washing on the ropes in their garden. Her love of nature developed during her early years living close to nature in Malta and the English Midlands.
Image by David Waterworth
You can’t do that now because David has turned his yard into a native plant paradise. Additional benefits include a multitude of wildlife and a more comfortable microclimate. Today, the house is nestled in a green valley which attracts local birds and small reptiles. Yes, it has snakes, but none that pose a danger. You can feel the temperature drop as you enter the doorway and under the canopy.
In addition to transforming the yard, David made the house more climate resistant. He insulated the ceilings and clad the exterior walls. When he recently added an extra room, he insulated the west walls. The carport is covered with a “SunTuf polycarbonate roof”, which lets in light but retains heat. It has 9 solar panels on the roof and two batteries. The batteries are an all-in-one AC coupled battery energy storage system (BESS). This can help achieve the optimal use of renewable energy. This system can control the two-way flow of electric power, operate in auto/manual and time-of-use (TOU) modes, and charge/discharge the battery according to customer settings. This system will store excess renewable energy on the battery and offload battery power to local loads when the renewable energy is not enough. The batteries were fitted as part of a trial and are offered at a reduced price.
These improvements were made over time, as finances permitted. When an appliance broke down, it was replaced with a more energy-efficient and climate-friendly product. When the family washing machine broke down, David spent a lot of time looking for the most water and energy efficient machine to replace it. At the time, Brisbane was in the middle of a 10-year drought and we were all learning to get by with less water. He ended up choosing a front loader with 4.5 stars (out of 5). He wouldn’t suggest we take our laundry to the river and pound it with a rock to save electricity.
Image courtesy of David Waterworth
However, he mowed his dwindling lawn with a push mower until he wore it out and replaced it with a Stihl electric battery. Gradually, all his gardening and handyman tools are being replaced by battery-powered electric ones. Of course, the battery is recharged in the middle of the day from its solar panels. David uses timers to optimize the use of solar energy.
Image courtesy of David Waterworth
When the gas hot water system died after many years of good service, David redid the search and bought a Rheem heat pump water heater which, uses less energy than an electric water heater. . The water heater’s evaporator absorbs heat from the surrounding air and transfers this heat to the water. Even on cloudy or cold days, heat is drawn from the ambient air. This is also on a timer and heats the water from solar power and ambient air temperature in the middle of the day. He also installed two water storage tanks.
David has not yet opted for an electric vehicle, but does most of his commuting by public transport. When he makes field trips as part of his work as an environmental adviser for Energy Queensland, which includes surveys of protected plants so they can be avoided when building new power lines, he has a Nissan Leaf. His Mazda 6 is rarely used on weekends. He puts his money where his heart is – giving to charities that buy land for conservation – Rainforest rescue and Bush Heritage Australia. He ensured that his retirement pension was invested ethically.
Many of the things David did can be replicated by others. We can think about where to start and how to make homes and backyards better places for ourselves and our flora and fauna.
David Barnes has worked as a landscape architect and environmentalist for over 30 years and has worked for the past 9 years as an environmental consultant for Energy Queensland.
Books:
David’s garden has been featured on the television programs ‘Gardening Australia’ and ‘Totally Wild’.
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