How three Cape Paterson Homeowners ditched sky-high energy bills
Three Cape Paterson residents who have reduced their power bills to near zero have been featured in a video series titled ‘Great Energy’ produced by award winning lifestyle storytellers ‘The New Joneses’.
WITH the rising cost of living putting increased pressure on household budgets a groundbreaking video series featuring three Cape Paterson residents has shown that it is possible to beat inflation right from your own living room.
Produced by award winning lifestyle storytellers ‘The New Joneses’ the video series titled ‘Great Energy’ shines a spotlight on three local homeowners who have managed to reduce their power bills to near zero.
The core message of the series is universal. Whether you are a builder, renovator, first-home buyer or renter, saving energy means saving big money. The series serves as a practical blueprint for anyone looking to slash ongoing household running costs.
For Michelle Isles, one of the three featured Cape Paterson residents, her home was so masterfully built that it does not even require mechanical heating or cooling systems.
Michelle focused on the core principles of north-facing orientation to capture natural sunlight, high-grade insulation, and double glazing on the windows. By adding highly efficient heat pumps, strategic blinds, and a solar-and-battery system as the ultimate cherry on top, she has successfully insulated her wallet from rising utility costs.
“Sunlight is free light and free heat,” said Michelle who estimated she has saved around $4,500 a year on petrol which pays for a lot of school excursions. For Michelle the health benefits were just as important as the power savings.
She didn’t want her kids exposed to gas pollution in the home and chose induction cooking instead of gas. “Induction is fast, safe, easy to clean and has no naked flame for little fingers to reach,” said Michelle.
Tad Hendry a local retiree and his wife are equally enthusiastic about their beautiful, healthy, and exceptionally comfortable all-electric home designed around passive solar principles. Despite his wife driving up to 600 kilometres a week the couple pay just $10 a week to power both their entire home and their electric vehicle (EV).
By charging their EV directly from their rooftop solar and battery system instead of buying fossil fuels, Tad says they are saving up to $5,000 a year on power and petrol. For the Hendry’s the choice was simple. They believe that an energy-efficient home does not mean compromising on lifestyle, it means enjoying a healthier, happier environment with significantly more money left in your pocket.
"Everyone deserves a home that works for them, not against them," said Tad.
Amanda McMahon a single mum at the Cape built a smaller energy efficient house, and her power bills have been reduced to around $200 a year.
When Amanda first moved in she thought there was something wrong when her energy bill for the whole year was about $200. As a single mum on a teacher’s salary, raising two kids, Amanda wanted a beautiful, comfortable, affordable home.
She loves her home. It’s small, but with high ceilings so it feels so spacious.
“It’s comfortable all year and so cheap to run,” said Amanda. The best thing about the place according to Amanda is that it’s north-facing meaning it gets loads of natural light.
The house also has lots of trees to cool the house helping Amanda save on energy bills.
Local builder Troy Harris believes building healthier homes with near zero energy bills saves energy and makes money.
Troy loves building healthy, comfortable, affordable, energy-efficient homes.
“Most of the houses have solar now. It used to be an optional extra. Now it’s normal.”
Troy believes modern energy efficient homes are better for your family’s health.
‘You can’t put a price on that,” he said.
You can watch the ‘The New Joneses’ video series at thenewjoneses.com
