“We are 100% off-grid and proud of the fact we are a self sustaining eco friendly villa in Vanuatu”
POWER
We have our own grid at Papaya Villa. Energy is harvested from the sun and stored in our battery system. Our inverter system provides 240 volts of renewable energy to the villa.
It does mean that our guests need to be mindful of power usage whilst staying at Papaya Villa, but that is really not much more than being aware, and turning off lights and fans when they are not needed. A good practice to learn and to take home.
We don’t use a dishwasher or hair dryers as these are absolutely energy hungry, and are not really part of the Papaya Villa experience. The sun is not always shining, so we do have a generator backup system to ensure that the water is still flowing and the refrigerator and freezer keep going.
WATER
We have two sources of water.
- 10,000 litres of water is harvested from the rain and stored in a water tank.
- Endless ground water is pumped up from the natural aquifer that runs underneath Papaya Villa and out to the ocean.
The ground water is potable (safe to drink) and is crystal clear and cold. It is my favorite! You can see some videos of the natural water running out to the ocean across some of our beaches on our Video Channel…
SEPTIC WASTE
Our sewerage system is a fully enclosed septic system that is underground, and more importantly does not require power to function.
We purchased a license to this amazing technology and went about building our own system…
GENERAL WASTE
Every day we sort the waste and utilise any organic material for compost in the vegetable garden … Plastic bottles are reused in the village.
CARBON FOOTPRINT
We have sourced and used construction materials from surrounding the villa where ever possible. This includes natural renewable timbers, sand, natangura roofing, dead coral for walls. In fact the render on the villa is made from sand from our beach. This significantly reduced manufacturing and transport, and carbon emissions.
BUILDING DESIGN
Our intention during design was to ensure that the building took advantage of breezes as well as the natural insulation provided by concrete and high ceilings. To this end we have been able to substitute air conditioners for ceiling fans and smart use of louvered windows and shutters to capture breezes.