Violet Town's Ecoliving Demonstration Project
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RETROFIT PLAN for the Community Complex and Early Childhood Centre [Kindergarten]
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At the time of going to print July / August, Invitations to Offer - tender for the work - were still open, closing on Wednesday 29 July. So without having received the quoted prices from suppliers and tradespeople, this Plan outlines what we think we can and hope we can do, subject to the price of quotations.
Part One Energy Efficiency Improvements
The Supper Room, Main Hall, Foyer, and Community House all have the common problem of a poorly insulated ceiling / roof system. The internally exposed steel ceiling purlins directly pass heat and cold from the roof, inside.
It looks like the most cost-effective thing we can do, that we can afford, will be to paint the whole roof of the Community Complex with heat reflective paint, and line the exposed internal edges of the purlins with timber strips. In addition to this, other strategies are as below.
Kitchen and Supper Room
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- seal all draughts, and insulate or replace the skylights
- put a timer switch on the air conditioner
- perhaps add a more energy efficient smaller fridge so the big drinks fridge doesn't need to be left on all the time
- add fly screens to doors and windows
- install a roof mounted solar collector for heating and summer night time cooling. See sample illustrations of one type, below
Main Hall, Foyer, and Courtyard
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- design and construct an openable ridge vent cover, to let summer heat out [onen], and keep winter warmth in [closed].
- Seal all draughts and excess wall vents
- add fly screens to doors and windows
- tint south high windows to reflect afternoon summer sun
- add a trombe wall to the blank section of the north wall for winter warmth
- add ceiling fans
- re-landscape the entry courtyard to provide a cool air source that can be drawn into the building in summer
- install water tanks and pump to water this landscaped courtyard
- turn off hot water supply to toilets - with very long pipe runs from the hot water service, usually only cold water comes through anyway.
Meeting Rooms
- insulate above the canite tiles
- timer switch for air conditioners
- possible roof mounted solar collector
- install door from RSL room to internal courtyard.
- possibly tint west windows
Library
- install canopy over north facing window
- possibly re-landscape internal courtyard for summer cooling
- install switches to turn off appliances on 'stand-by'
- timer switch for air conditioner
Community House
- seal vents and draughts
- install canopy and shading for north and west windows
- timer switch on air conditioner, and appliance stand-by controls
- install roof mounted solar collector
- add fly screens to doors and windows
- possible wood heater
- possible ceiling fans on verandah
Early Childhood Centre
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- install fly wire screens for doors and windows.
- free up and repair double hung windows in northern section, that have been stuck with paint since the 1970s
- replace electric hot water unit with solar hot water service
- timer switches for air conditioners
- possible roof mounted solar collector
- install shading to air conditioner heat pumps on west wall
- possibly install raised vegetable garden bed
- install water tank and connected mini water tank for the sand pit, at front of building beside the sand pit.
Part Two Small Scale Electricity Generation
VTAG EcoLiving Project has invited four companies to tender an offer to install grid interactive electricity generating capacity, to the Violet Town Community Complex, and to the Violet Town Early Childhood Centre, with public display on both buildings, and web interactive capacity.
We will be looking for the offer that is most cost-effective, durable, repairable, educational, secure, low maintenance, and preferably will engage local tradespeople.
