Gary Smith from Ultimate Windows has been in the window industry for most of his career and has seen a lot of change happen over the last couple of years. In our interview, he explained the different materials of windows, of course the variations of glazing, and he also talked about important performance indicators that you should look out for when getting windows for your home. He even shared some valuable insights about how to find the right manufacturer and the first steps you should take when determining what windows you really need for your house. The whole podcast was full of information. We've picked the best parts for Part 1 of our Highlights from the Ultimate Windows Podcast.

For our first episode of 2022 we sat down with Ben O'Brien from Solar Pro Bendigo to chat about solar energy. Ben is a sustainable systems engineer and very passionate about solar energy, especially for residential homes. He explained to us how solar panels work, how much they cost to install, and what current government loans are available for homeowners. This is Part 2 of the best parts of our chat with Ben.

For our first episode of 2022 we sat down with Ben O'Brien from Solar Pro Bendigo to chat about solar energy. Ben is a sustainable systems engineer and very passionate about solar energy, especially for residential homes. He explained to us how solar panels work, how much they cost to install, and what current government loans are available for homeowners. These are the best parts of our chat with Ben.

Today we are talking with Marnie Hawson from Marnie Hawson Photography. In a previous life, she was an environmental scientist with a keen interest in birds. These days, you can find Marnie creating beauty from behind the camera lens, photographing impactful, beautiful, and high-performance homes. All in a quest to contribute to a better world. Marnie is committed to working only with clients who are serious about sustainability, which allows her to align with people who are aware of the social impacts of what they do and are actively making a change. She is B-Corp certified, her practice is carbon neutral, and she is a member of 1% For The Planet. She joins us today to discuss how she found her purpose and provide words of wisdom on how you can find yours too.

On this episode of the Outlier podcast, we're talking with sustainability enthusiast and owner of Ecosky Windows, Monika Rogers. Ecosky Windows is a relatively new player on the Australian market and is already making a huge impression. Monica is the driving force behind Ecosky and she sits down with us today to tell us about the things that make their fenestration systems unique and why we should consider glazing as one of the top priorities during the construction or renovation of our homes. If you've ever wondered what kind of difference higher-quality windows would make in a home, this is the episode for you.

Erika Bartak is an ESD consultant and sustainable housing researcher with a background in architecture and a passion for designing and promoting better housing. She is particularly interested in narrowing the gap between discourse and practice in sustainable housing. This has provided motivation for her doctoral thesis investigating energy efficiency culture, and practice within the Australian volume home building sector. We caught up with Erica to chat about how we can support the industry in building 7-star homes. And she provided some valuable insight into what she believes the changes to the NCC will involve in terms of home design for different housing types across Victoria. We also had an opportunity to discuss the requirements around ensuring new builds are actually being constructed to this new standard

Today we are speaking with Olivia Terziovski principal lawyer over at Boutique Lawyers one of Melbourne's leading building and construction law firms. Olivia has dealt with 1000s of Building and Construction matters and insurance claims over the last decade. In this information intense episode. Olivia shares with us some of the most commonly asked questions by her clients and some of the most common misconceptions regarding the rights of homeowners. Olivia also provides advice on how you can protect yourself legally as a homeowner. And some of the information you hear today may actually surprise you. This is a must-listen episode for those of you contemplating building or purchasing a new home.

Shownotes

Boutique Lawyers- https://boutiquelawyers.com.au/

Mann v Paterson Constructions Pty Ltd- https://blogs.unimelb.edu.au/opinionsonhigh/2019/10/16/jocic-mann/

In this short catch-up episode, we bid farewell to a valued member of our team and welcome a new member on board. We touch on why we've been away for a while and give some hints about upcoming projects. We thank you for your patience and hope this answers a few of your questions. Stay tuned; we'll be back with our regular programming very shortly.

We have talked about waste management on this podcast before, and today we want to take it a step further and chat about creating a circular economy. For that, we have Scott Bryant on the podcast, who is a circular economy coordinator for the City of Greater Bendigo.

Scott has been an amazing resource for the creation of our own waste management plan, and has extensive experience working in this field in Australia as well as overseas.

We start off our conversation with explaining what circular economy actually means, and share some insights about what individuals and business owners can do to help. We also have some great examples for innovative businesses working in this field, as well as some exciting insights into what Bendigo is doing to stop wasting our waste.

Shownotes

Scott Bryant on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scotttbryant/?originalSubdomain=au

Bendigo Council website:

One Living Principles by the Bendigo Council: https://www.bendigo.vic.gov.au/Services/General-Waste-Recycling-and-Organics/Circular-Economy

Circularity Gap Report: https://www.circularity-gap.world/

Ellen MacArthur Foundation: https://ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/

Doughnut Economics: https://doughnuteconomics.org/

Reblade Scotland: https://www.reblade.co.uk/

Revival Projects: https://revivalprojects.com.au/

We are kicking the new year off with a super interesting topic: sustainable property developments. We have Jess Cuman on, designer and thermal assessor in his own business Adapt Design Group, who has done a lot of work for The Cape, Australia’s most sustainable development.

We talk about his own personal journey that brought him and his family to focus on more sustainable and energy efficient house design, and what design approach he is taking in his projects.

Jess also gives his thoughts on the future of housing developments and shares his wishes for improvements in the building code.

Shownotes

Cape Paterson: https://liveatthecape.com.au/

Adapt Design Group Website: https://www.adaptdesigngroup.com.au/

Adapt Design Group Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adaptdesigngroup/