Les

Kinglake

Les' home is an inspiring example of smart green building, and his plans for living green will maximise energy savings and comfort. But it wasn't easy.

After 40 years of paying regularly for insurance, the year before the fires Les fell ill was hospitalised for long periods of time.

Like so often happens under the circumstances, the insurance renewal forms were parked in a drawer and after the bushfires Les and his family realised they were not covered.

With the generosity of Australian donors, help from the local footy club and heaps of volunteers, and backup CDs provided by Alternative Technology Association including 10 years of green magazines, Les is well underway with a passive solar designed green full of innovative features.

In this video Les leads us through his intensively researched insulation choices that will keep the main living area of the house warm and cool at a minimal cost, while providing low cost comfort in every corner of the house.

His use of energy efficient lighting, heat pump heating and cooling, the highest rated energy efficient appliances, and practical wood stove heating tips combine for a very low cost, high comfort result.

Les has used recycled bricks for the outside of the home and we think they look great even without rendering!

In addition to being a devoted ATA member with technical qualifications, Les works with the local CFA to support phone tree ring-arounds when big events happen.

As the conditions leading to Black Saturday worsened, Les sounded the alarm throughout his corner of Kinglake and encouraged people to leave especially if they were elderly or in very vulnerable locations. Les is a gem and we are so grateful that he is sharing his story.