Community group shows that LESS is more

Community group SEE-Change believes in the power of local community projects to stimulate change in the broader community.

SEE-Change member, Leigh, envisioned a project to demonstrate that any building can be made super energy efficient.

The project was to transform a tumbledown shed at Canberra City Farm into a Low Energy Super Shed (LESS).

The LESS project shows that it is possible for people to increase the energy efficiency and comfort of their home, business premises or… shed!

The challenge

“I love Canberra’s climate with its four distinct seasons, but many Canberra homes provide insufficient protection from extreme hot and cold temperatures,” said Leigh, member of SEE-Change Woden.

“I wanted to show Canberrans just how much of a difference things like excellent insulation, thorough draft sealing and sensible placement of windows can make to the comfort and energy efficiency of a building.

“Canberra City Farm offered us a shed to use for the project. It was perfect – I knew that my fellow volunteers and I could make impressive improvements to its thermal performance.

The action

“The uninsulated metal shed had about the poorest thermal qualities you can find in a building. It was going to take a lot of work to make it a Passive House building!

“Passive House buildings require very little heating and cooling to keep a comfortable temperature all year round. That’s because their outer shells are well insulated and air-tight, and their windows are placed to let in lots of sunlight in winter while cutting out the harshest summer sun.

“The design principles for Passive Houses can be used in new buildings, however our goal was to modify an existing building to meet the Passive House standard.

“We kept the walls, roof framing and concrete floor of our shed at Canberra City Farm, but absolutely transformed it with the addition of insulation, new windows, external cladding and more.

“Funding from a Community Zero Emissions Grant helped with the purchase of materials.

“A heat recovery ventilation system and triple glazed windows are somewhat high-tech features of the shed, but most of the materials used in the project are second-hand.

“By using second-hand materials, we reduced the embodied energy and the cost of the shed construction, making it even more environmentally friendly.

“Volunteers on the project benefitted from working with professionals including an architect, thermal consultant, structural engineer, passive house carpenter, qualified builder, and heat recovery ventilation and duct installer, all of whom generously volunteered their time.

“Work parties took place about one weekend per month – when COVID restrictions allowed – and there were about 6 people on site at any time. In all, it took three years, and the labour of 35 volunteers to bring the shed up to Passive House standards.”

The benefit

“The LESS provides an excellent demonstration of how to convert an existing structure to meet the Passive House standard.

“It has been a great learning experience for all who were involved in the project, and a number of the volunteers have gone on to retrofit their own houses or build new ones to Passive House standard.

“Now that the LESS is finished it serves as an educational resource for members of the public as well. Visitors to the LESS can view the structure, experience the qualities of a Passive House building and learn about the construction process.

“We hope that visitors to the LESS leave with much more in terms of knowledge and ideas for improving the liveability and energy efficiency of their own place.”

An image of Leigh Duxson outside a shed

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Acknowledgement of Country

We acknowledge the Ngunnawal people as traditional custodians of the ACT and recognise any other people or families with connection to the lands of the ACT and region. We acknowledge and respect their continuing culture and the contribution they make to the life of this city and this region.