Tathra ResidenceContemporary Dining Room

Winters on the far south coast can be cold, windy and stormy. Bergsma says; “The home is naturally warm with very high R-values in the external cladding and high R-values in the internal insulation and double-glazing. The sun from the northern aspect takes care of the rest.” R-value is a measure of thermal resistance used in the building industry to rate materials. It refers to heat retention and rate of heat-loss properties.“The couple were very involved when it came to energy-efficient specification and inclusions, and researched a lot of these details,” says Bergsma. The home has water tanks, solar power and hot water, LED lighting throughout, double glazing to all windows and doors, and a Thorma Andorra certified low-emission, solid-fuel heater. On occasional very cold days, a free-standing wood-burning stove is called into service.