Renew

28/05/2026

Sustainable House Day may be over… but the learning is just getting started 🌿

We’re so excited to launch the 2026 Sustainable House Day Workshop Series, bringing together some of Australia’s leading architects, designers, builders, energy experts and sustainability educators for a month of practical online learning.

And we couldn’t think of a better way to begin than with the brilliant Talina Edwards from Envirotecture 💚

Talina will kick off the series exploring how thoughtful, climate-responsive design can create homes that are healthier, more comfortable, more resilient and deeply connected to place.

Across the series we’ll dive into:
⚡ All-electric homes
🏡 Affordable retrofits
🌱 Wildlife-friendly gardens
🚲 EVs and home energy systems
🌞 PassivHaus design
🌿 Biophilic design
🏢 Future-ready strata living
…and much more.

Each session includes a live Q&A so you can ask questions specific to your own home and project.

Explore the full workshop series via the link in bio or head to:
sustainablehouseday.com/workshop-series/

17/04/2026

Just a reminder to all of our here that we have migrated our social media to Renew Sustainable Living. Here, we are sharing updates about Sustainable House Day 2026, which is now live, upcoming workshops on electrification, and news about our two magazines Renew and Sanctuary. Thank you for following on, we hope you will join us on our new social media account to keep updated on all of the exciting things happening.

10/04/2026

It’s an exciting time of growth at Renew! This page is moving, and you are invited to follow along at Renew Sustainable Living. What does this mean? The new page will feature all of the same content – just more of it. What can you expect? All the news from Renew magazine, sustainable design inspo from our sister mag Sanctuary, tips and tricks from sustainability experts – like how to retrofit for climate resilience, or which air quality monitor you should buy for your home – and updates on events and webinars. We appreciate this community we have built and hope you will join us at our new page.

Just click → Renew Sustainable Living —-> Follow us and never miss another update. See you there!

05/03/2026

Good news if you’ve been thinking about sharing your home… we’ve extended the application deadline to be part of Sustainable House Day 2026.
If you’ve created an energy-efficient, all-electric or climate-resilient home, this is a wonderful chance to share your story and inspire others who are just starting their journey.
You don’t need a perfect house.

You just need a story others can learn from.

📅 Sustainable House Day: Sunday 17 May 2026
🏡 Tours can be in person or online
If you were thinking about applying but hadn’t quite finished the form yet — now’s the moment.

👉 Apply here: https://sustainablehouseday.com

26/01/2026

Sustainable House Day is back on Sunday 17 May 2026 — and we’ve launched a brand new website to match.
Explore real homes, practical solutions, and stories from people across the country, all in one refreshed space designed to make it easier to take your next step toward a more comfortable, affordable and climate-ready home.
Take a look and start exploring: www.sustainablehouseday.com

22/01/2026

Get your hands on a copy of Renew 174 🌱

The first issue of Renew for 2026 explores how the energy transition is playing out on school rooftops, in local communities and inside our homes. Our cover story follows Mount Alexander Secondary College as it turns a large, underused roof into a long-term solar asset, offering a practical roadmap for schools and community organisations navigating approvals, funding and installation.

We return to the idea that energy systems work best when they’re local and collaborative: from Adelaide’s City of Mitcham Community Renewables Program, which has helped more than 1,000 households install solar and batteries, to the growing potential of Community Energy Zones and distributed energy systems expanding access across Africa.

Plus, we turn our attention indoors, investigating mould, microplastics and food waste, alongside circular solutions such as repurposing EV batteries and extending the life of ageing computers.

All this and so much more! Get a copy at your local newsagent or purchase a single issue here: https://renewportal.org.au/order-magazine-single-issues/

28/11/2025

Josh Wilson MP — the focus of our Renew 173 cover story, Assistant Minister for Climate Change, and Australia’s lead at — will join us for an open discussion on the challenges that lie ahead.

With global climate progress still being undermined by fossil-fuel interests and the governments that support them, this is your opportunity to hear what Minister Wilson sees as the path forward - and what role the Australian government will play.

💻 This is a free online webinar, but registrations are essential. Sign up now: https://events.humanitix.com/in-conversation-josh-wilson-mp-assistant-minister-for-climate-change

13/11/2025

⚡ We’re at Everything Electric Australia this weekend at the Melbourne Showgrounds!

Come say hi to the Renew team and check out the ‘Ask an Energy Expert’ area for practical advice on making your home more efficient and sustainable 🌿

Our CEO Helen Oakey will be on the GIGA Stage for two inspiring panels — one on why going all-electric is smarter, cheaper and more comfortable for Victorian homes, and another packed with clever, low-cost ways renters and apartment dwellers can save energy too.

Featuring experts like Tim Forcey (My Efficient Electric Home Handbook), Brendan Lang (Get Off Gas), Ben Russell (Goodbye Gas), Yasemin Selvi (Alchemy Charge) and Jonny Parker (Thundergrid).

🎟 Grab your tickets here: https://au.everythingelectric.show/vic/
See you there! ⚡🌱

04/11/2025

Yesterday's announcement from the Federal Government to mandate energy companies to "give" 3 hours of free solar power to households to access cheap, clean, renewable energy in the middle of the day speaks to the need to shift Australia's power consumption into times of high solar production.

The rollout of this program needs to manage some obvious issues such as ensuring power prices don't go up at other times and maximising access to the program across states and consumers.

But whether you are using your own solar power, or someone else's making the most of that is, as Renew CEO Helen Oakey says “about being smart with your timing”.

Customers won’t need solar panels to benefit from the scheme – but will need a smart meter

27/10/2025

It was fabulous to celebrate Sanctuary magazine's 20th anniversary in Sydney earlier this month with friends and supporters, many of whom had a long history in sustainable housing. Thanks to Anna Cu***ng, current editor, for sharing her thoughts in conversation with CEO Helen Oakey, about sustainable design, some of her favourite stories, and what she hopes will be emerging trends over the next decades.

We are excited to be doing it all again in Melbourne on November 20 - register here: https://events.humanitix.com/celebrate-20-years-of-sanctuary-melbourne