Sustainable House Day 2014 takes place in September, the public invited to tour over 150 homes around the country to see the many approaches to sustainable design and living practices.

Started in 2001 as an initiative of the Australian Solar Council, the event has seen more than 1,000 homes open their doors to over 100,000 Australians over the past thirteen years.

Houses will include, for example, The Blue House in Victoria - 14 Robert Street, Elwood, designed by David Vernon Architect (pictured below).

It features a Star Energy Rating 7.3, Passive solar design, Large inground stormwater tank (21,000 litres) and Energy monitoring devices.

Organisers describe the event:

This unique, free grassroots initiative was developed to combat the growing environmental impact of Australian homes and generate peer-to-peer education on eco-friendly practices.

Now in its 13th year, Sustainable House Day 2014 is an opportunity for homeowners to showcase the hard work they put into designing, building, improving and managing their environmentally healthy homes.

Australia’s environmental footprint requires national attention with studies showing households contribute up to 13 tonnes of greenhouse gas to the atmosphere yearly. This is enough to fill more than 700 balloons every day.

Additionally, Australian households draw 73,000 buckets of water a year – enough for 12 baths a day. Sustainable House Day 2014 aims to promote sustainable activities that are easily implemented by the wider community and will reduce our environmental impact in the long term.

Sustainable House Day 2014 is being held over two weekends on Sunday 7 and Sunday 14 September 2014 between the hours of 10am and 4pm. Homeowners Australia wide will open their doors and give visitors inside tips on green living, explaining what worked, what didn’t and listing the benefits.

For examples of homes on show across Australia see the attached Home Profile List. 

For more information on Sustainable House Day 2014 and a full list of homes opening visit the website www.sustainablehouseday.com or like us on Facebook page facebook.com/sustainablehouseday.