Renew Magazine

Fact-based and human-interest stories about building climate and energy resilience in your home and community. All the latest in sustainable issues and technology, as well as useful how-tos for reducing your footprint and contributing to a more resilient future.

Renew Magazine

ISSUE 166

Beyond BAL project update • We are perpetually innovative.

About Renew

UP FRONT

How does working from home impact on energy use?

Partnering up in the name of electrification

PRODUCTS

A second life for big EV batteries • What happens to electric bus batteries when they reach the end of their service life? They go on to charge smaller EVs, of course!

Leisure centre goes all-electric • Jane Hone introduces us to the recently renovated Northcote Aquatic and Recreation Centre.

Sustainability specs:

Fungimentally different • Fiona Gray unearths the potential of mycelium homes.

Craig Reucassel's War on Waste • Renew’s sustainability researcher Dr Rachel Goldlust sits down with comedian and TV presenter Craig Reucassel.

What we can learn from Spain's response to heatwaves • As Australia heads into a summer set to be marked by climate change and El Niño, resilience to extreme heat is front of mind. Renew’s Policy and Advocacy Manager Rob McLeod reports on Spanish responses to heatwaves and the lessons for Australia.

Living with tomorrow's energy • A team of researchers at Monash University report on future-proofing our homes under new energy transition scenarios.

How well does your future home align with tomorrow's energy system?

Resilient and cool: The rise of underground homes • Jacinta Cleary looks at four earth-sheltered homes designed and built for bushfires and heatwaves.

Is it feasible … or affordable?

Adapting earth-sheltered principles in our own homes

Sustainable building materials: the choices we make • Alasdair Taylor from Light House Architecture & Science unpacks the environmental impacts of building a home, and offers four ideas to make the process more sustainable.

Breaking the barriers to innovation • Rob McCann looks at the big sustainability innovations of the past, and implores us not to become a nation of laggards.

Reinforcing concrete with coffee • … and other ways to reuse coffee waste. Myke Bartlett explores.

Putting the good stuff back into the ground

Reduce water use this summer Greywater system buyers guide • Water is a very precious resource in a country as dry as Australia. Greywater systems let you reuse water for secondary uses, reducing your mains water requirements. We take a look at available greywater systems.

Pump and surge tank basics

Low-cost greywater • Jeremy Spencer from Positive Footprints describes his experience with low-cost greywater installations.

Do's and don'ts for using greywater

PV oversizing—again! • John Hermans shares his experience of oversizing his PV array.

My EV journey • Bryce Gaton shares what he has learned 15 years on in the electric vehicle transition.

The end of high FiTs—where to go from here? • Many solar system owners will see a dramatic reduction in their feed-in tariffs in 2024. What’s their best option for making best use of their solar systems?

The one-year flashlight • Russell Gurrin describes his design for a night light/flashlight that runs continuously for one year on three AA rechargeable batteries.

About NiMH batteries

Transmission and emissions • Alan Pears brings us the latest news and analysis from the energy sector.

Write to us • We welcome questions and letters on any subject, whether it’s something you’ve read in Renew, a problem you’ve...