Holt House

Located on a rare vacant block in Bendigo, Holt House looks like a simple minimalist timber home from the outside, but inside it’s a sanctuary with seamless integration of sustainability initiatives. The empty block allowed the designers to create a fully electric home from the ground up.

Holt House is a mini power station, producing clean, renewable energy that it then exports back into the shared grid. While the average Australian home consumes approximately 19 kwh of electricity per day, Holt House generates an average of 50 kwh per day from its 14.6 kW solar system and Tesla Powerwall battery. This not only helps ensure that the home is self-powered by solar energy while providing a source of income for the homeowners through the sale of excess electricity to the grid.

The home’s living areas are positioned around a north-facing courtyard garden, which provides an abundance of natural light and a close connection with nature for the homeowners. Throughout the house, there are integrated systems to reduce its overall energy footprint, including high thermal insulation, double glazed windows with thermally broken seals, energy efficient appliances, and strategically placed window openings to maximize passive heating and crossflow ventilation throughout the seasons.

Inspired by its natural surroundings, the interior palette features natural elements like wood, stone, and white tones to create a fresh, country feel. Custom-made, integrated joinery was used in place of standard cabinetry, resulting in purpose-built areas, an abundance of internal storage, and flexible spaces that can change and adapt over time. The clean, linear approach used in the interiors is carried outside to ensure a consistent minimalist design language.

Location: Bendigo, Victoria

Dwelling: 1 Fully Electric Family Home

Status: Completed – September 2022