Location, location… and sustainability

Western Australians are becoming increasingly keen to buy green when it comes to apartments, according to the Curtin University Sustainability Policy Institute (CUSP).

A recent survey undertaken by the institute highlighted that the usual criteria of affordability, location and size are now joined by the need for ‘sustainability characteristics’ when it comes to buyers in Perth. As noted by CUSP research fellow Jemma Green, who conducted the survey, developments that include sustainability features apparently attract more buyers.

“There’s a lot of supply in the market and consumers are tired of the same old, same old,” said Green. “We’ve seen that the developers providing a product that offer more in terms of sustainability better match consumer demand and the sustainable product is viewed as a premium product and more desirable.”

Social worker Jenny Marsh is an example of one such consumer, having recently purchased a one-bedroom apartment off the plan at Evermore WGV. The development is set to deliver 24 highly sustainable apartments powered by cutting-edge solar photovoltaics and lithium battery technology, allowing the solar to be stored and shared among residents via a governance system developed by CUSP.

“I wanted to buy an apartment that was developed with sustainability in mind,” Marsh said.

“The aim to be zero-carbon and the use of the shared solar technology interested me; there’s a commitment to sustainability rather than it being an afterthought.”

More than half of the 24 apartments on offer at Evermore WGV have been sold since launching in July 2016, with the solar PV lithium battery technology forecast to produce approximately 80% of the apartments’ required power. Other initiatives include:

• real-time measurement and recording of water and power consumption to ensure maximum energy efficiency;
• a site-wide bore water system to reduce potable water and use in landscape irrigation;
• an electric vehicle charging point;
• compost tumblers, a worm farm and vegie planters;
• a bicycle repair station and communal bicycles for residents’ use.

Construction at Evermore WGV is expected to commence in early 2017 and conclude in early 2018. For more information, visit www.evermorewgv.com.au.