We’ve mentioned the Australian Federal government’s home sustainability assessments program regularly in the past on our website, in our workshops and at events. Whilst the program has changed since July 1st and is no longer offering loans towards any recommended improvements, the assessments are still available, still free and we heartily recommend them as a useful insight into your home’s energy efficiency.

Whilst we maintain a list of assessors we recommend in particular areas and don’t necessarily recommend any particular assessor over another, Green Return have started an associates program that means groups who refer assessments to them get a small commission, so not only do you get a free assessment, but you get help fund groups like Green Renters.

So, what do you need to do?
Simple, head to greenreturn.com.au/book-now and enter ‘GRS‘ into the referral code box when you book your assessment, and that’s it.

Thanks! Enjoy your assessment, it’s very enlightening…

In our workshops, we talk a little about discovering how much electricity your appliances and devices use, what that might be costing you and how to measure the electricity consumption in your house. Using devices like the Efergy E2, Powermate and a myriad of other devices it is relatively easy these days to ascertain which devices in your home are drawing the most electricity and when.

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Whilst the issue of and justifications for Smart Meters and their roll out across Victoria (aiming to be complete by 2013) is not completely an environmental or tenants one, we have been asked enough questions about it over the past few months that we deemed there be enough reason to write a special post about it. I met with the Department of Primary Industries (DPI) for a special briefing on Smart Meters, what they are and how they will affect Victorian residents, so here’s a round up of salient points in (hopefully) easy to understand language…

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Energy to burn

JOANNE BROOKFIELD

For any of you who missed it… Which is probably most of you… The Smart Water fund held a conference in October 2009 and have made all the speaker’s presentations available for download. There’s one or two in there that might interest renters in there…

www.smartwater.com.au/conference/Pages/presentations.aspx

I recently installed a Shower Saver (www.showersaver.com.au) after the good people at Green Renters asked me to undertake some independent testing.

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We bumped into a new and promising eco product company called Motta whilst perusing the Sustainable Living Festival and were immediately captivated and impressed by several of their products highly suited to renters. A lot of these have been designed in Japan, a nation well used to living in small, cramped conditions and creating cunning ways of coping with them.
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