Sustainable Home Guide
This guide has been created by AP Group in conjunction with Green Moves Australia.
Sustainability is defined by the United Nations as “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” For homes, sustainability translates to environmentally conscious and socially responsible practices within the household.
Sustainable Home Quick Wins
Switch your power supply to 100% renewable energy
Install solar panels if possible and choose a renewable power provider through reputable platforms like GreenPower.
Minimise water and energy wastage
Repair dripping faucets and install water-saving devices to minimise water usage. Use heating and cooling only as needed and seal up any gaps in windows and under doors, as well as closing off unused areas of the house.
Manage waste and start composting
Avoid food wastage and set up composting or a worm farm for scraps. Clearly label bins for recycling, landfill and green waste, ensuring your council has a green bin collection service.
Benefits for Homes
When your household commits to sustainability, you can unlock a range of advantages
Cost Savings: Sustainable practices can lead to long-term cost savings through reduced utility bills.
Healthier Living Environment: Sustainability measures can create a healthier indoor environment and encourage your household to make greener choices both in and outside of the home.
Increased Home Value:: Energy-efficient upgrades and eco-friendly features can increase the overall market value of your home by appealing to environmentally conscious buyers.
Reduced Carbon Footprint and Environmental Impact: Adopting sustainable practices significantly reduces your household's carbon footprint and impact on the environment. The home is the perfect place to start making a difference.
Why Sustainability Matters
Resource Preservation
It ensures that natural resources are conserved for future generations.
Ecosystem Protection
Sustainability safeguards the ecosystem on which we all depend on.
Quality of Life
Sustainable practices improve the quality of life for both your family and the planet.
Tips to Reducing Your Home’s Environmental Footprint
You can start transforming your home to become more sustainable with a few simple steps
Understand Your Home's Footprint
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Regular Tracking: Measure and monitor your home's energy consumption regularly and track your carbon footprint using tools and resources like Green Moves.
Monitoring Tools: Consider installing a smart meter to track energy usage and utilise energy monitoring portals offered by your energy provider. Check out the following resources for each state for more information on smart meters:
The 5 Key Areas to Target
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Green Energy: Source 100% accredited Green Power for your home through government-approved resources like GreenPower.
Water Saving: Ensure you use the highest rated water-efficient appliances and install water-saving devices on taps. Keep shower times to a minimum. Opt for highly efficient hot water systems or instant units. You can find out more information, including how to choose the right water heater via the Australian Government energy rating website.
Heating and Cooling: Install smart thermostats and set up zones that can be isolated instead of heating your entire house. If possible, turn off heating and cooling while you are sleeping or when you are not home. You can find out more about selecting the most efficient unit for you via the Australian Government energy rating website.
Lighting: Switch to energy-efficient LED lighting, add motion sensors, use timers and always switch off lights when you’re not in the room.
Appliances: Choose energy-efficient models as per the product’s energy rating labels. You can find out more, including an explanation of the mandatory energy rating labels via the Australian Government energy rating website.
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Recycle as much as possible: Assess and manage household waste through segregation, recycling, and responsible disposal practices. Refer to your local council for more information on their recycling segregation requirements.
Set up composting: Keep a compost bin in your kitchen for food scraps. The compost revolution is a great resource if you would like to learn more about how to best compost to suit your home.
Worm farms are also great for disposing food scraps and the ‘worm juice’ is also fabulous for your plants!
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Seal Gaps: Inspect walls, windows, doors, chimneys and floors for gaps and use caulking or weatherstripping.
Insulate: Improve insulation with batts, blown-in insulation, or rigid foam insulation.
Upgrade Windows: Consider double-pane or low-emissivity (low-E) windows.
Thermal Curtains or Blinds: Use thermal curtains or blinds to regulate temperature.
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Prioritise sustainable sourcing, ethical ingredients, and recyclable packaging - beware of items using unnecessary plastics for packaging.
Focus on purchasing re-usable items such as keep cups for take-away coffee and re-usable shopping bags – and make sure you remember to use them!
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Family / Household Engagement: Make sure everyone in your household is educated on sustainable practices and responsible waste management, no matter how young or old they are.
Stay Informed: Keep up to date with new technologies, and trends, actively seeking opportunities to be even more sustainable. Renew is a non-profit organisation that have some great resources if you would like to find out more.
Transforming your home into a more sustainable and environmentally responsible haven is a journey well worth embarking upon.
You don’t need to tackle every step at once, you can always start with one or two steps and build momentum from there.
By following these steps and embracing sustainable practices you can save cost, contribute to a healthier planet, and help create a brighter future for generations to come.
Ready to get started? – You can check out Green Moves to explore resources and have your sustainability questions answered.
About Us
AP Group was established with a clear vision: to redefine how pharmacists sell their business by using advanced technology and end to end service.
Today, AP Group is the largest pharmacy brokerage in the country with offices throughout Australia. But we didn’t stop there. AP Group expanded to offer Finance Broking and Legal Services, so we can simplify the sales process from start to finish.
Our success is built upon ground-breaking technology, outstanding customer service, knowledge of the pharmaceutical industry and a strategic approach to sales. The result? A seamless sales process and consistently higher sale prices.
At AP Group, our purpose is not only to create a more efficient and better way of doing business in the pharmacy industry but also to drive positive change and progress for the environment. We are proud to be a Certified Climate Active Carbon Neutral Organisation, committed to reducing our carbon footprint and leading the way in environmental sustainability.
Green Moves is a small privately-owned services company providing totally independent and fully qualified energy efficiency, sustainability, and carbon footprint services for small to medium businesses and residential sectors since 2009. We are highly experienced and take pride in providing thorough reports that are both easy to read and meaningful.
Our team of qualified assessors have helped many clients identify energy waste issues, reduce resource use, and identify practical, cost-effective solutions by providing appropriate, independent advice and guidance. We always aim to provide recommendations that are practical and make financial common sense.
Green Moves walk the talk on sustainability having become B Corporation certified in 2015 and Climate Active Carbon Neutral certified in 2020.