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Food'n'drink Going green Home life

Disconnecting the gas

In some parts of Australia, removing a gas connection is complicated. Thankfully for me it was a smooth process.

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Going green Home life

Kitchen renovation

I finally renovated my kitchen, and now my house is gas-free

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Food'n'drink Going green

Electric cooking

Trying out cooking with electricity instead of gas

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Going green

Tracking your electricity usage

I’ve written previously about moves to reduce my carbon footprint. I was wondering if it’s possible to get better electricity data… and it turns out it is. With thanks to a post on the Facebook “My Efficient Electric Home” group, it turns out the electricity distributors have a way for you to get half-hourly data  ... [More]

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Going green transport

Electric buses are coming

On Saturday I had my first brief ride in an electric bus. The electric bus seemed much quieter than it’s diesel cousins. And no engine vibration while idling. And no fumes of course.Great to see more electric buses coming into service – hopefully with ongoing investment in route reform and more frequent services.? pic.twitter.com/AsVFhGWdKI —  ... [More]

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Going green Home life

Cutting my household emissions

I’ve been on a long term course to reduce my household emissions, so this little list caught my eye: One by one on these (in a slightly different order): LED lighting – yes – I think all the CfLs have been replaced by LEDs. LEDs to me seem to be living up to expectations of  ... [More]

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Going green

Green and red and yellow

The recent IPCC report is a reminder that we should all be doing what we can to minimise our environmental impact. Rather than big picture, right now I wanted to focus on rubbish going to landfill. I think it’s good that my local council, Glen Eira, have modified their rubbish collection. Since late July, the  ... [More]

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Going green Home life

Greening my house, the next chapter

Not a transport post, though it does get a mention. Previously in my quest for a greener house: 2012: Better roof insulation 2015: External blinds 2017: Air conditioning (livingroom) 2019: Wall insulation 2020: Heat pump electric hot water (replacing gas-boosted solar hot water) I’ve got two new house upgrades to report on. Solar PV This  ... [More]

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Going green Home life

Solar panels on period homes

Solar panels on heritage homes are the perfect blend of old and new

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Going green

Getting into hot water

There’s a lot of doom and gloom from COVID-19 at the moment. So here’s something positive: I got a new hot water system. Twelve years ago this month I got solar hot water installed: a collector panel on the roof, a tank to store the water, and a gas booster. I thought it was going  ... [More]

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Going green Home life Toxic Custard newsletter

Wall insulation

Improving my house’s heating and cooling and energy efficiency is an ongoing project. 2008 Solar hot water 2012 Ceiling fans and roof insulation 2015 External blinds 2017 Air-conditioning (a backwards step for energy efficiency, but a giant leap for comfort on very hot days) This week it was wall insulation. Obviously this is best fitted  ... [More]

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Going green Home life Toxic Custard newsletter

Decarbonising my home

While my most pressing home renovation need is the bathroom (planning to do this the next time my sons are away on a trip), I was also thinking: Governments should be doing a lot more on climate change, but what are the major emissions in my home, and how could I decarbonise? The car. I  ... [More]