CSR House Showcases 8-Star Energy Efficiency

CSR recently unveiled CSR House, a state-of-the-art buildings research centre in Schofields, Western Sydney that represents the future of energy efficient housing design for Australia.

Unique to the industry, CSR House is not only a practical and energy efficient 8-Star product display home but also a working research and development facility, representing a major investment in industry innovation.

CSR’s many divisions worked together to explore how a cost-effective and energy efficient Australian home could best be constructed using readily available building materials. 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.

What does 8 Star mean?

The resulting 8 Star house has a heating and cooling load 45% lower than that of a 6-star home. In fact, early indications suggest the company’s 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 brand new business division, Bradford Energy Solutions. Using its knowledge of how to improve the energy efficiency of residential and commercial buildings the company will offer comprehensive energy assessments, along with the professional installation of energy efficiency product solutions.

CSR House not only demonstrates the latest energy efficiency technologies, it has been fitted with 140 data collection points, generating a huge body of knowledge to be shared with the industry. CSR is working with leading Australian institutions in a bid to learn even 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.

Building better homes: Learnings from CSR House

• Spend time on design - make the builder an integral part of the early design process, to ensure that the finished structure works perfectly and is cost-effective. Plan your house for the way you live, not the way you think it should be done; give thought to how to position switches, power points, and light fittings to best suit your lifestyle.
• You are the client - be a hands-on project manager. Regularly visit the site and continually review the plans. Make any changes before the structure is closed to save you time, money and headaches. Ensure quality Australian building products are used.
• Foundations Matter - when it comes to concrete, don’t guess. Commission a geo-tech report to accurately determine the nature and bearing capacity of the sub-surface to be built upon. Insist that slab tolerances are to Australian Standards. 
• Maximize energy efficiency - review every aspect: the local climate, design and orientation of the home, draft proofing, insulation and glazing performance.
• Consider acoustics – take acoustic performance into account when choosing building products for walls, floors and roofs – it can make a real difference to the comfort of your home environment