Housing Affordability Experiment Launches in WA

Having delivered our social determinants of health webcast on housing, communities and neighbourhoods on Monday, we were pleased to today read of a new affordable housing experiment between Mirvac, Synergy and Keystart. The Mirvac Affordability Experiment aims to address the challenge of building an affordable home that’s also affordable to live in.

Mirvac will construct a $415,000 three-bedroom, two-bathroom net-zero energy terrace home at Iluma Private Estate in Bennett Springs. The home will be built to an 8.4-star energy rating, taking into account various energy saving initiatives, including solar passive design and energy efficient appliances. Synergy will provide solar panels and a battery, to further reduce the energy requirements of the home. 

Applications are now open for one Western Australian family to live in the home for 12-months. The family must be able to qualify for Keystart to apply and take part in the experiment. The family chosen to live in the home will have rental payments set aside and saved by Mirvac, which can then be used towards a deposit to purchase the home at the end of the experiment.

The successful family will move into the home in March 2020, when the 12-month study will commence. The family’s energy, water use and lifestyle will be monitored over the 12-month period to better understand the cost savings that can be achieved by living in an energy-efficient home. Synergy will analyse the family’s power consumption and provide energy education to assist the family in making the most out of the installed solar PV and battery systems.

It is expected that the experiment will provide an important insight into the impacts of a sustainable home on ongoing household costs as well as behaviour and quality of life.