The Kimberley estate by Villawood at the corner of Lancefield Rd and Balbethan Drive, Sunbury, will have no gas connections and seven-star energy efficient homes.
Millennials are powering ahead of Baby Boomers as Melbourne’s developers switch on more energy-efficient estates.
Villawood Properties are expecting buyers aged from their late 20s to late 30s to account for a good chunk of those camped out for 14 blocks of land being released as part of the launch of a new sustainable project in Sunbury on February 26.
The 2000-lot estate named Kimberley will have no gas connections, feature microgrids that can allow homes to function independently of mains power and will also boast water-saving features.
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Villawood boss Rory Costelloe said they had been increasingly implementing sustainability features pioneered in past projects as typical in new developments, and had noticed a particularly strong uptake by Millennials at their nearby Redstone project — which also has no gas connections.
“Younger generations are very comfortable with all electric,” Mr Costelloe said.
“People in their late 20s to late 30s age group have a different view on life to the Baby Boomers as far as environmental concerns go, and that’s a reflection of what happened in the last federal election.
“They are also voting with their wallets by supporting projects without gas.”
A clifftop residents’ club will feature a range of spaces for locals to meet and play.
It’s likely all homes in the project will be subject to new seven-star National Home Energy Rating Scheme minimum standards for houses that take effect in Victoria from October 1.
The combination of no gas and more thermally efficient builds is likely to lead to reduced energy bills for residents, with renew.org.au recently estimating homes with seven-star energy efficiency, no gas connection and solar panels in use could be facing annual family energy bills as low as $725.
“If you design your house properly in the first place, you don’t need central gas heating,” Mr Costelloe said.
“A seven-star house will work really well thermally. So the only thing you might want it (gas) for is cooking.”
The new estate has “learned” from the efforts of ultra-sustainable aspects of their Aquarevo development in Lyndhurst which implemented advanced water harvesting and smart home designs to slash energy bills in 2019.
Mr Costelloe said while energy bills were already soaring, water would also become “more and more scarce as our population grows” — making it important for new housing to find ways to reduce their fluid consumption.
The Kimberley estate will be perched at the top of the Emu Bottom cliff with views across Jacksons Creek to the Macedon Ranges.
The estate will also have access to a 26km green corridor to be built along Jacksons Creek.
It will also open up public access to a significant stretch of Jacksons Creek as part of a 26km green corridor that will run along the waterway and connect with the developer’s two other Sunbury projects, Redstone and Sherwood Grange.
A residents’ club will feature a pool, gym, cafe and sporting courts.
Blocks of land in the first release will range from 350-825sq m and from $328,900-$499,900.
Mr Costelloe said he had no doubt the estate would reflect the norm in the near future as demand for bill-friendly sustainable homes rose.
“Power is getting extremely expensive so we just have to put more effort into not using more electricity in the first place,” he said.
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