Building products company CSR has unveiled a display home in Sydney which it says represents the future of energy-efficient housing design for Australia.
At the same time the company has launched a new business division, Energy Solutions.
CSR House is an energy efficient 8-Star product display home as well as a working research and development facility, which the company says represents a major investment in industry innovation.
CSR’s many divisions worked in tandem (including the provision of 44 different CSR products) to explore how a cost-effective and energy-efficient Australian home could best be constructed. The goal was to create a home with outstanding build quality, comfort, internal air quality and acoustics – as well as all-important thermal and energy efficiency.
The resulting house has a heating and cooling load 45 per cent lower than that of a 6-star home. The company says early indications suggest the focus on reducing air leakage has resulted in even further reduction.
Some of the lessons learnt during the design and construction process, will be employed by CSR in a new business division, CSR Energy Solutions. Using its knowledge of how to improve the energy efficiency of residential and commercial buildings the company will offer comprehensive energy audits, along with professional installation of energy efficiency product solutions, accessing CSR’s broad range of expertise.
To ensure the ongoing research facility of CSR House, it has been fitted with 140 data collection points, generating what the company says is a huge body of knowledge to be shared with the industry.
CSR is working with leading Australian institutions in a bid to learn more about achieving lower cost energy efficient homes.
Commenting on the launch, Ray Thompson, general manager, Innovation & Market Development, CSR Building Products, said: “As energy prices continue to rise, energy efficiency has never been a higher priority for homeowners and builders alike. What is perhaps less well understood is that a single-minded focus on build quality can deliver this and a myriad of other advantages, such as excellent acoustics, comfort, air quality, and of course lower power bills.
“The launch of CSR House and CSR Energy Solutions represent the culmination of a significant investment in innovation. We’re proud to be spearheading such an initiative in the construction industry, sharing the many lessons we learnt during this process,” he said.
The facility in Schofields, Western Sydney was launched this week at an event hosted by industry luminary Professor The Hon John Thwaites, Professorial Fellow at Monash University, Chair of the Australian Building Codes Board and Chairman of ClimateWorks Australia, and attended by key figures from the Housing Industry Association, CSIRO, UNSW and Green Building Council amongst others.
