Despite installing insulation in our ceiling, our house is really cold in winter.

Unfortunately, the main culprits are bare wooden floor boards – complete with cracks - in our main living area and a huge evergreen tree in the backyard that blocks out all North facing sun.

Our bedroom is also freezing – thin carpet tiles lie on top of bare wooden floor boards and the wall mounted heater faces a window so most heat is sent straight outside through the glass. The roof to our bedroom is tin and uninsulated.

At the moment we can’t afford to insulate under the floorboards or in the roof of our bedroom and the tree…well the tree provides such fantastic shade in summer we just can’t face pulling it out.

So, we are taking some simpler actions to help our house cope better in winter. (more…)

I’ve just finished reading Making Your Home Sustainable by Derek Wrigley. It’s a really useful book for anyone wanting to retrofit their house to improve its energy and water efficiency.

When architect and solar consultant Derek Wrigley moved into a townhouse in Canberra in 1991, he began retrofitting it to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels. Throughout the book, Wrigley uses the house to show how homes in Australia’s southern states can be made more sustainable.

The book is ideal for home owners who can fit out and alter their house. However, there is a small and informative section that provides renters with ways to improve their home’s efficiency at minimum cost.

The book covers more than just basic green living tips – it provides detailed information (but easy-to-understand) about solar energy, energy efficiency, appliances, mass and thermal comfort, insulation, ventilation, minimising water and effective landscape use.

It’s a great resource for all us retrofitters out there. To buy the book, visit Scribe Publications.

Finally, there is a water tank that you can pack up and take with you when you move. If you don’t want to create your own do-it-yourself tank or fork out for the more expensive metal or plastic tanks, which remain as permanent fixtures to your home, then possibly the Handytank could be for you.

The Handytank is a 1,000 litre water tank which can be bought at Kmart, Mitre 10, Home Timber and Hardware, Thrifty-Link and Trade Link stores. It comes in a flat pack so can be transported home in most cars and is assembled and fitted in about 20 minutes. The manufacturers also claim it can be easily dissembled for easy moving.

I love the idea of a water tank that you can take with you when you move, such a great idea for people renting. Now if you could just do the same with solar panels…

Trying to find products made from sustainably harvested wood can be tricky in Australia.

To help consumers do just this Greenpeace has releases its online Good Wood guide.

The guide lets you search for furniture and materials made of timber from ecologically responsible sources, as well as find out the eco status of certain timber species and find alternatives.

Did anyone get to Sustainable House Day? If so let me know how it went. Last year I was in Canberra and managed to check out two great homes that used solar energy really wisely.

Unfortunately, I missed it this year because I have gone back to university so had to spend the day inside studying.

Oh well, ¦there is always next year.

Ok so a cool $4 million ($US) isn’t quite what most people can afford for a house, but this place is really amazing and worth checking out just for the wow factor.

It’s the sort of house that both myself and my husband would love - me the green aspects and him the techy-gadgets. Although we wouldn’t need as much room or as many bathrooms.

The Wired Home is described as a modernist home in an exclusive enclave of Los Angeles that allows luxury and the environment to live together in harmony.

Sounds pretty cool huh?

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To celebrate 100 issues of ReNew magazine, the Alternative Technology Association is holding free sustainable house open days. The houses will be open this weekend across Australia.

Last year I checked out a few houses in Canberra during Sustainable House Day which gave me loads of ideas and inspiration for my own home. You have to pay to enter the houses during Sustainable House Day so this free event is a great opportunity to get inspired by people who are living the “sustainable dream”.

The weird thing is I will be in Canberra again this weekend so if I get time I will try and check out the house in Mawson. If you are in Sydney, you can visit Michael Mobbs’ house in Chippendale, which was one of the first sustainable houses in the city. Bummer I will miss that one.

Installing solar hot water might get a little cheaper. The Federal government has announced households will receive a $1,000 rebate for installing solar hot water systems.

Anyone out there planning to install a system? It would be great to know how much you ended up paying and if that included any state rebates.

Thanks to Jerry over at the Sustainable House in Brisbane, I’ve learnt that the Total Environment Centre has released its Safer Solutions website, which aims to help people keep their homes healthy and green.

The site has loads of information about topics such as reducing hazardous chemicals in your home, organic gardening, and greener ways to renovate your home and loads more. Check it out for more information.

Lately I’ve been battling the dreaded lurgy so I apologise for my sparse postings.

However, through my sleepy, fuzzy, throaty amblings I came across a new magazine at my local newsagent called Green.

The magazine launched this month, is published quarterly and focuses on sustainable architecture and landscape design. However, Green is also packed with loads of useful tips such as retrofitting your home, new products, green innovations and growing food locally.

Definitely worth a read and its website is great for a visit.