Sustainable House Day

Taking a peek

Did you know May 4^th is Sustainable House Day? On this day, across the nation, you can go and take a sticky beak into a wide variety of houses across city and country locations—more than 230 of them. Houses which are interesting because of their sustainability features: solar passive design, natural building materials, electrification, energy-efficiency upgrades. Passive houses, mud brick houses, hemp houses—cutting edge and fascinating.

Obviously I’ve booked myself some tickets to tour several houses in Sydney.

As the website says:

Sustainable House Day is an annual event run by Renew that provides the opportunity to explore some of Australia’s most inspiring homes, and learn from the people who designed them, built them, and live in them.

And who is Renew?

a membership non-profit organisation working to transform Australian homes for climate and energy resilience.

The organisation was established in 1980 and provides expert, independent advice on sustainable solutions for the home to households, government and industry. It also lobbies, advocates and promotes sustainable building options: renewable energy, cutting emissions, making homes healthier, more affordable and climate resilient.

Renew publishes a magazine called Sanctuary, a copy of which has made it into the pile of house mags I’ve been collecting.

Renew has branches all around the country, and anyone can join. It costs $120 annually, which includes digital access to Santuary and another magazine called Renew and access to all kinds of events and resources, including a library.

Renew holds local branch events and meetings on subjects such as “Creating healthy and sustainable solutions in your home” and “My path to a 10-star sustainable home” and—this caught my eye—“Using gravity to store energy”.

This all sounds fascinating. Like your local Weight Watchers or a Rotary Club, but all about sustainable living.

The Tankulator

Renew also has a free online resource to help you calculate and plan for a new rainwater tank. And full marks to the marketing whizz who came up with the name ‘Tankulator’. (It may even be better than Sydney Water’s ‘Tap In’.)

Yes, I punched some numbers into the Tankulator and it came up with this detailed info. Which I’ll have to study carefully. (10,000 litres??)

But enough of this side-track.

Back to Sustainable House Day

As an article in Sanctuary tells us:

For those eager to see sustainability in action, the in-person open homes program will welcome visitors into homes across the country. From energy-efficient builds to innovative retrofits, these homes demonstrate how sustainability can be integrated seamlessly into everyday living. Attendees will have the chance to speak with homeowners to gain insights into design principles, material choices, and energy efficiency strategies.

Webinars too

In case you can’t get to Sustainable House Day, or just want more info, Renew has a webinar series too.

Webinar series: Deep dives into sustainable homes
Sustainable House Day 2025 will also feature an eight-part webinar series, running for the month of May.

These webinars will bring together experts, architects, and homeowners offering deeper insights and practical advice for those looking to make their homes more efficient, comfortable, and environmentally friendly. The series covers EV integration, climate resilience, affordable upgrades, sustainable building materials and innovative housing solutions, plus a live Q&A with sustainable builders.

What will I see?

I’ve snapped up tickets for Sustainable House Day (they’re cheap) to go peek at houses in Berowra Heights, Asquith and Ryde. And I’m waitlisted for that cute house in Newtown called ‘The Impossible House’ which was featured on Grand Designs Australia.

I’ll be sure to report back.

A small sample of the houses you can go and poke around.