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44 Ways #10: Reduce Your Energy Use Through Your Selections Jun 18, 2026

Show notes

Hello! This is Episode 410. This is Way #10 of the 44 Ways to Create Your Sustainable Home series. And with this episode, we also begin Section Three: Sustainable Services and Infrastructure.

If you’ve been following the series from the start, you’ll know that Section One was about designing for climate and site: orientation, breezes, passive heating and cooling, and climate zone.

Section Two was about sustainable design strategies: home size, your team, structural efficiency, accessibility, and indoor air quality.

We’re beginning Section Three with Way #10: Reduce Your Energy Use Through Your Selections.

[For all resources mentioned in this podcast and a free, downloadable PDF transcript, head to www.undercoverarchitect.com/410]

In the first 9 episodes of the ‘44 Ways’ series, I’ve stepped you through some key decisions that will shape the sustainability of your new home or renovation before any system is installed in it. Section Three is where we look at the services and infrastructure inside your home. Think energy, water, hot water, and renewable supply.

Interestingly, these areas are often where people start their sustainability conversations, as they can feel much more tangible than the project initiation and design decisions we’ve been discussing up to this point. They’re the actual systems that determine how your home runs day to day, how much it uses in resources, and what it costs to run.

In this episode, I take you through where your home’s energy is actually being spent, how to approach appliance and system selection for efficiency, how to correctly size your mechanical heating and cooling systems, and the hierarchy that I think every homeowner should have in mind when making these decisions.

As always, if you'd like to access a full transcript of this episode and links to any resources I mention, head to www.undercoverarchitect.com/410.

Now, let's dive in!

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS PODCAST:

For links, images and resources mentioned in this podcast, head to >>> www.undercoverarchitect.com/410

Accessing my free '44 Ways' E-Book will simplify sustainability and help you create a healthy, low tox and sustainable home. You can download your free copy here >>> https://undercoverarchitect.com/ways

Access the support and guidance you need to be confident and empowered when renovating and building your family home inside my signature online program >>> https://undercoverarchitect.com/courses/the-home-method/

Just a reminder: All content on this podcast is provided by Undercover Architect for reference purposes and as general guidance. It does not take into account specific circumstances and should not be relied on in that way. You should seek independent verification or advice before relying on this content in any circumstances, including but not limited to circumstances where loss or damage may result. The views and opinions of any guests on the podcast are solely their own. They may not reflect the views of Undercover Architect. Undercover Architect endeavours to publish content that is accurate at the time it is published, but does not accept responsibility for content that may or has become inaccurate over time.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

44 Ways #09: Improve Your Indoor Air Quality Jun 15, 2026

Show notes

Hello! This is Episode 409. This is Way #9 of the 44 Ways to Create Your Sustainable Home series. This episode also closes out Section Two: Sustainable Design Strategies.

In this episode, we’re finishing Section Two with Way #9. Way #9 is: Improve Your Indoor Air Quality.

[For all resources mentioned in this podcast and a free, downloadable PDF transcript, head to www.undercoverarchitect.com/409]

The ways I’ve been sharing in Section Two have been about the bigger-picture design decisions that need to be thought about early, but can create a huge amount of impact in your future home’s sustainability, functionality and performance.

We’ve covered designing a smaller, smarter home, choosing an aligned team, creating an efficient structural design collaboratively, and future proofing your home with accessibility.

I know that when most people think about sustainability, they’re thinking about energy, water, and materials, and how they can save all of those things. But a sustainable home is also a healthy home.

And, given that we spend 80 to 90% of our time indoors, and especially since COVID, much of that time is now in our homes. The quality of indoor air that your renovation or new build creates will have a big impact on the health of all living in the home, and how the home functions for you long-term.

Indoor air quality is directly impacted by decisions you make about the materials and finishes you include in your home, and the ventilation strategy you adopt. Those decisions are ideally made during design and specification.

If indoor air quality is important to you, your goals for it belong in your Design Brief, right alongside other strategic design and specification decisions you want to prioritise in your project.

In this episode, I take you through how indoor air quality is part of your sustainability considerations, the main sources of indoor air pollution in residential homes, how moisture and ventilation connect to this, and what you can actually do at the design and specification stage.

As always, if you'd like to access a full transcript of this episode and links to any resources I mention, head to www.undercoverarchitect.com/409.

Now, let's dive in!

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS PODCAST:

For links, images and resources mentioned in this podcast, head to >>> www.undercoverarchitect.com/409

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

44 Ways #08: Future Proof Your Design with Accessibility Jun 11, 2026

Show notes

Hello! This is Episode 408. This is Way #8 of the 44 Ways to Create Your Sustainable Home series. We are in Section Two: Sustainable Design Strategies. The ways I include in this section are about the strategic design decisions that have consequences well beyond the immediate project, and Way #8 is a strong example of that.

Way #8 is Future Proofing Your Design with Accessibility.

[For all resources mentioned in this podcast and a free, downloadable PDF transcript, head to www.undercoverarchitect.com/408]

I want to start by saying that the word ‘accessibility’ comes with a lot of connotations for some people, and it can immediately bring to mind images of hospital-grade handrails, institutional flooring, and design that feels clinical rather than inclusions you’ll happily consider for your future home.

However, that is not what accessible design means, and it is not what this episode is about.

What it is about is designing a home that works well for people, at every age and stage of life, without requiring expensive modification when circumstances change. And the design features that achieve that are, in most cases, simply good design that support the longevity, durability and ease of use of your home, whether you’re building new or renovating.

In this episode, I take you through what accessible design actually means in a residential context, the case for including it from the brief stage, the specific features worth considering in your project, and how to approach it with your design team.

As always, if you'd like to access a full transcript of this episode and links to any resources I mention, head to www.undercoverarchitect.com/408.

Now, let's dive in!

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS PODCAST:

For links, images and resources mentioned in this podcast, head to >>> www.undercoverarchitect.com/408

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

44 Ways #07: Create an Efficient Structural Design, Collaboratively Jun 08, 2026

Show notes

Hello! This is Episode 407. This is Way #7 of the 44 Ways to Create Your Sustainable Home series, and we are continuing through Section Two: Sustainable Design Strategies.

The ways in Section Two are about the bigger-picture decisions that shape a project from a strategic level, before we get into the detail of specific systems, materials, or construction.

Way #7 is Creating an Efficient Structural Design, Collaboratively.

[For all resources mentioned in this podcast and a free, downloadable PDF transcript, head to www.undercoverarchitect.com/407]

In the last episode, we covered the importance of choosing an aligned team.

This episode is about something that your aligned team needs to do together: create a structural design that is genuinely efficient.

This Way #7 tends to surprise homeowners, because structural design often feels like something that happens in the background of a project and rarely gets discussed with the client directly. But the decisions made around your home’s structural design have direct consequences for cost, material use, durability and longevity, and consequently, the sustainability of your finished home.

Whether those decisions are made in the most efficient way usually comes down to one thing: when and how your designer or architect and structural engineer collaborate and integrate their work.

In this episode, I take you through what structural efficiency actually means, why it typically doesn’t happen by default, what collaborative structural design looks like in practice, and the questions worth raising with your own team.

As always, if you'd like to access a full transcript of this episode and links to any resources I mention, head to www.undercoverarchitect.com/407.

Now, let's dive in!

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS PODCAST:

For links, images and resources mentioned in this podcast, head to >>> www.undercoverarchitect.com/407

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

44 Ways #06: Choose an Aligned Team Jun 04, 2026

Show notes

Hello! This is Episode 406. This is Way #6 of the 44 Ways to Create Your Sustainable Home series, and the second episode of Section Two: Sustainable Design Strategies.

In Episode 405, we covered Way #5: Designing a Smaller, Smarter Home. The case for asking what is enough, and building to that rather than to the status quo that drives a bigger home with more in it.

Way #6 is choose an aligned team.

[For all resources mentioned in this podcast and a free, downloadable PDF transcript, head to www.undercoverarchitect.com/406]

In this episode, we are covering something that will affect every single sustainability decision you make in your project, from the very first design conversation all the way through to the final stages of construction. Way #6 is choosing an aligned team.

Teamwork really does make the dream work in any new build or renovation project. But in a project with sustainability goals, I find it can matter significantly. Because the building industry is not universally aligned with sustainability. Building codes and regulations set a minimum floor, and most projects simply meet that minimum.

The professionals who go beyond it, who have made sustainable design and construction a genuine area of expertise and commitment, are still only a subset of the industry. And finding them, and knowing how to assess them, takes preparation and know-how so you can find the best fit.

In this episode, I take you through why team alignment matters so much in a sustainable project, what alignment looks like in practice and how to recognise it, how to find aligned team members, the questions that can help you assess their genuine capability and commitment, and what to do if you are already working with a team whose priorities do not match yours.

As always, if you'd like to access a full transcript of this episode and links to any resources I mention, head to www.undercoverarchitect.com/406.

Now, let's dive in!

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS PODCAST:

For links, images and resources mentioned in this podcast, head to >>> www.undercoverarchitect.com/406

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

44 Ways #05: Design a Smaller (Smarter) Home Jun 01, 2026

Show notes

Hello! This is Episode 405. This is the first episode of Section Two of the 44 Ways to Create a Sustainable Home series.

Section One, which we completed in the last episode, covered the foundational climate and site strategies: orientation, breezes, passive heating and cooling, and climate zones.

We are beginning Section Two with Way #5: Design a Smaller, Smarter Home.

[For all resources mentioned in this podcast and a free, downloadable PDF transcript, head to www.undercoverarchitect.com/405]

Section Two is called Sustainable Design Strategies. This section covers the bigger-picture design and process decisions that make a home more sustainable from a strategic planning and design level, before we get into the detail of specific systems and materials. Interestingly, these decisions can often be the most impactful for your home’s sustainability as well.

In my experience, when homeowners are considering sustainability, they’re often thinking of inclusions, upgrades and enhancements to their project. And design-wise, it can be common to be considering how many rooms you want, how much you can get for your budget, and how much functionality you can cram into the home you’re envisaging.

However, whether you’re building or renovating, a foundational choice in sustainability can be to simply create a home that has a smaller footprint. And to do this, your project can begin with asking the question: ‘what is enough home for us?’

In this episode, I share the data on what Australian and international homes look like in terms of size, I introduce the concept of sufficiency or ‘enoughness’ as an alternative to the more common conversation about efficiency and sustainability, I give you a practical framework for interrogating your brief before design begins, and I explain why building less can create compounding benefits across sustainability, budget, and quality.

As always, if you'd like to access a full transcript of this episode and links to any resources I mention, head to www.undercoverarchitect.com/405.

Now, let's dive in!

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS PODCAST:

For links, images and resources mentioned in this podcast, head to >>> www.undercoverarchitect.com/405

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

44 Ways #04: Know Your Climate Zone May 28, 2026

Show notes

Hello! This is Episode 404. This is Way #4 in the ‘44 Ways to Create Your Sustainable Home’ series. It’s also the last episode of Section One, which takes you through Designing for Climate and Site.

Over the past three episodes in this ‘44 Ways’ series, we have covered orientation, natural ventilation from breezes and protection from harsher winds, and how to design a home to naturally heat and cool itself through passive solar design principles.

This Episode will help tie all of that together and give it a specific context for your project.

[For all resources mentioned in this podcast and a free, downloadable PDF transcript, head to www.undercoverarchitect.com/404]

None of the strategies I’ve discussed so far apply identically everywhere. What works best in a hot and humid tropical climate is different from what works in a cool, elevated climate. And so, the best way to understand which strategies apply most powerfully to where you are building or renovating is to know your climate zone.

Because knowing your climate zone is what helps you understand how to utilise these design strategies in a climate responsive way, to make your home more sustainable, comfortable and functional overall.

In this episode, I take you through what a climate zone is and why it matters so much, what the main climate types are and how they shape design priorities, how to find your climate zone, and how to use it as a filter when you are making design and specification decisions.

As always, if you'd like to access a full transcript of this episode and links to any resources I mention, head to www.undercoverarchitect.com/404.

Now, let's dive in!

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS PODCAST:

For links, images and resources mentioned in this podcast, head to >>> www.undercoverarchitect.com/404

Accessing my free '44 Ways' E-Book will simplify sustainability and help you create a healthy, low tox and sustainable home. It will give you an overview of what we’ll be covering in this podcast series. You can download your free copy here >>> https://undercoverarchitect.com/ways

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

44 Ways #03: Naturally Heat + Cool Your Home May 25, 2026

Show notes

Hello! This is Episode 403. This is Way #3 of the 44 Ways to Create Your Sustainable Home series.

Over the last two episodes, we have discussed designing for your site’s orientation, and considering how your home is positioned to work with the movement of the sun and prevailing breezes, and how your home is designed to maximise natural ventilation, whilst protecting you from harsher wind events on your site.

In this Episode, those two design considerations come together into something larger.

[For all resources mentioned in this podcast and a free, downloadable PDF transcript, head to www.undercoverarchitect.com/403]

This is where passive solar design becomes a whole-of-home strategy. Where orientation, breezes, shading, thermal mass, and the building envelope work, not as separate decisions, but as an integrated system, designed to keep your home comfortable across the seasons without relying on mechanical or artificial heating and cooling.

From a sustainability point of view, understanding your home as a building system is incredibly powerful. And what I consistently find is that, when these principles are applied well, the result is a home that feels different the moment you walk into it, and where you can feel much better and more comfortable, day in and day out.

In this episode, I take you through how passive heating and cooling actually works in practice, the role that thermal mass plays in stabilising temperature, how to approach these principles for different climate types, and when mechanical systems are still appropriate and how to approach them intentionally.

As always, if you'd like to access a full transcript of this episode and links to any resources I mention, head to www.undercoverarchitect.com/403.

Now, let's dive in!

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS PODCAST:

For links, images and resources mentioned in this podcast, head to >>> www.undercoverarchitect.com/403

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

44 Ways #02: Design for the Breezes + Wind at Your Site May 21, 2026

Show notes

Hello! This is Episode 402. This is Way #2 of the 44 Ways to Create Your Sustainable Home series.

In Episode 401 we covered orientation, and understanding how the sun moves across your site and how positioning your home to work with that movement can transform its comfort, help it feel amazing to live in day-to-day, and reduce its energy use and requirements for artificial heating and cooling.

In this Episode, we are covering another natural asset that is freely available on your site, and that’s breezes.

[For all resources mentioned in this podcast and a free, downloadable PDF transcript, head to www.undercoverarchitect.com/402]

Natural ventilation can be one of the most effective, lowest-cost strategies for keeping a home comfortable. And like orientation, it works best when it is designed in from the beginning, because the floor plan layout, window types, and building form all determine how well a home is able to ventilate naturally.

In this episode, I’ll take you through why breezes matter so much for both comfort and sustainability, how to understand the specific wind patterns on your site, how to design your home to capture prevailing breezes, and how to protect it from the harsher wind events that may also occur.

As always, if you'd like to access a full transcript of this episode and links to any resources I mention, head to www.undercoverarchitect.com/402.

Now, let's dive in!

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS PODCAST:

For links, images and resources mentioned in this podcast, head to >>> www.undercoverarchitect.com/402

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

44 Ways #01: Design Your Future Home for the Orientation of Your Site May 18, 2026

Show notes

Hello! This is Episode 401. And we are beginning something on the podcast that I’m really looking forward to sharing with you, especially if you’re wanting to build or renovate in a more sustainable way, but feeling curious, confused or even overwhelmed about what that might mean.

This is the first episode of a podcast series called ‘44 Ways to Create Your Sustainable Home’. It’s inspired by my free e-guide of the same name, but in this series here on the podcast, I want to take some time to dive into more detail, actions you can take and ways you can apply this in your new build or renovation project, wherever you’re located.

[For all resources mentioned in this podcast and a free, downloadable PDF transcript, head to www.undercoverarchitect.com/401]

And the first ‘way’ I’m kicking off with is, for me, what I believe is the single most impactful decision you will make for your home’s sustainability and comfort.

In over 30 years in this industry designing residential homes, I believe this way is also available to every one and every project, but only if you know and think about it early and embed it into your project’s design from the start.

It’s where I’ve always started my projects, it’s where I teach my HOME Method members to start their home design, whoever they’re working with, and its significance cannot be overstated in how much it can improve the sustainability, functionality, feel and performance of your home overall.

We are talking about designing for your site’s orientation. This is about knowing how your existing or new home is or will be positioned on your site or block of land, and how its overall layout is designed to respond to the movement of the sun across your land.

All so you can keep your home cool in Summer and warm in Winter, without it costing a fortune in energy bills and artificial heating and cooling, whilst feeling fantastic to be in.

In this episode, I take you through what orientation actually means in practical terms, why it belongs at the very top of any sustainability strategy, how to think about the sun’s movement for your site, and how to apply these principles in your project, whether you’re building new or renovating an existing home.

As always, if you'd like to access a full transcript of this episode and links to any resources I mention, head to www.undercoverarchitect.com/401.

Now, let's dive in!

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS PODCAST:

For links, images and resources mentioned in this podcast, head to >>> www.undercoverarchitect.com/401

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.