Narara Ecovillage – Taking Sustainability into Their Own Hands
It all began with a dream — one that is soon to become reality for up to 550 people. That dream is Narara Ecovillage: an environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable community located in Narara, New South Wales — just an hour’s drive north of Sydney. Pushing the boundaries of conventional building, water, and power models, Narara Ecovillage aims to be carbon neutral — maybe even carbon positive — while building a stylish, intergenerational, and friendly community. The ecovillage sits on 64 hectares of land, with 35 hectares of biologically diverse native forest, 15–20 hectares reserved for development, and the remainder used for food production.
To achieve high levels of sustainability, the ecovillage developed and applied a set of simple but effective planning principles. These include replacing traditional fencing with shrubs and trees, encouraging smaller homes built with sustainable materials, situating houses within the natural forest setting, and prioritising pedestrian and cycling access with vehicle parking kept to the outskirts. In addition to these principles, the village has adopted cutting-edge technologies for both power and water systems.
Energy is supplied via an intelligent, community-scale smart grid — one of the most advanced in Australia. Rooftop solar cells on homes and community buildings, along with freestanding solar farms, feed renewable energy into this grid. Using a high-tech European-sourced tap change transformer and advanced control systems, the grid determines when energy should be consumed, stored, or exported. It adapts to weather conditions and time-of-day demand. If needed, electricity can be imported from the local grid to cover rare shortfalls.
On the water front, Narara Ecovillage holds a unique distinction — it was recently granted a community-owned water licence, the first of its kind for any community enterprise in New South Wales. This allows the village to supply residents with drinking water from its own catchment and 45-million-litre dam, fed by a tributary of Narara Creek and catchments in the surrounding Strickland State Forest. The licence also permits treatment and reuse of wastewater for toilet flushing, garden irrigation, and agricultural use. These initiatives make the community 100% water self-sufficient. The process of securing the licence was supported by award-winning water recycling company Aquacell, who provided assistance from project inception to operational rollout.
With a smart energy grid and sustainable water supply, it’s only natural for residents to extend this efficiency into their homes — especially when choosing a hot water system. With no natural gas available, electric options are key. Glenn Day from STIEBEL ELTRON visited the community to discuss the use of WWK-range air source hot water heat pumps. These systems are up to 74% more efficient than traditional electric storage tanks, helping residents save money and preserve solar energy for other appliances. STIEBEL heat pumps also operate efficiently down to -5°C — ideal for the Narara climate — and are solar PV-ready, boosting water temperatures up to 65°C when excess solar is available. This reduces hot water use and increases overall efficiency. For residents seeking to enhance comfort and sustainability even further, STIEBEL ELTRON also offers ventilation systems with heat recovery — ideal for airtight homes.
STIEBEL ELTRON’s efficient technologies are an excellent match for the values and goals of Narara Ecovillage. We look forward to supporting the residents as they continue building a sustainable, self-sufficient future.
If you have any questions about Narara Ecovillage or STIEBEL ELTRON hot water heat pumps, please contact us on 1800 153 351 or via our Facebook page.
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