The zero-carbon village - in Australia

November 17, 2012

Kate Robertson

A Cape Paterson community will feature houses to run without fossil fuels.

Ecovillage houses, such as the one from Adam Dettrick Architects will have building costs that start around $292,000.

Accountants might outnumber greenies at Australia's first zero-carbon housing development at Cape Paterson, with a study finding people who have a 7.5 energy star-rated house and use an electronic vehicle can save more than $300,000 and take eight years off a typical mortgage.

Cape Paterson Ecovillage director Brendan Condon says a zero-carbon study, commissioned by the Ecovillage and Sustainability Victoria, shows technology has reached a tipping point, where the cost of building and living in sustainable housing is far outweighed by the benefits.

The study backs up what Mr Condon, in his other role as the director of environmental restoration and consultancy company Australian Ecosystems, has been telling developers for years. ''The general industry story is it's too expensive to do it,'' he says. ''We have proved that's not the case.''

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