Innovation Frustration

Designing a sustainable house of the future may win awards, but it won't necessarily make it into everyday houses. For builders pushing the envelope it can be a frustrating hurdle.

Brett McKenzie speaks to Amanda Horswill of the Courier Mail, about his frustrations with his ulti-award winning home at Brookwater. While it was praised for it's sustainable features, he had to strip it of it's water saving infrastructure before it was sold at auction.

Despite councils resorting to desperate measures to save water, the house would still not get occupancy approval if it were built today, unless it was in an unsewered area or was not connected to the mains water.

It's a false economy for councils. They made water big business, and penalise people for not using water by putting up the rates. But there is a way to look after water without threatening the current system - by not putting in more infrastructure.

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