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Thanks, Dad

This Sunday we celebrate fathers everywhere. In property news, new building codes to reduce energy use; refinancing booms; and lighting your home to best effect

NCC 2022: 7-star homes encoded

All new homes built Australia-wide will be subject to an updated code of energy efficiency, after an agreement was reached this week by the country’s Building Ministers.

The agreed changes to the National Construction Code (NCC) represent the first significant adjustment to energy standards in a decade and mean that new homes will need to achieve the equivalent of ‘7 stars’ NatHERS thermal performance, at least.

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Apartment approvals drive fall

A large fall in building approvals to build new apartments drove the national total down in July, according to the data released this week by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

The total number of dwellings approved fell 17.2 per cent in seasonally adjusted terms in July, following a 0.6 per cent decrease in June. The fall was led by a sharp decline in approvals for multi units, which dropped by 43.5 per cent.

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Light up your home

Although it's often overlooked, good lighting can make a huge difference to a home. We might spend hours poring over paint charts, but it's actually the light that shows off a space to its best advantage or even makes it useable.

Well-planned lighting can make your home feel cool, warm, cosy or spacious. Here's how...

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Australia’s favourite tree named

Did you vote for your favourite Australian tree in the ABC Science online poll?

After three weeks of successive competition, the River Red Gum has been named the winner. It was followed closely by the Snow Gum and the Ghost Gum, with the magnificent Moreton Bay Fig settling for fourth place in our hearts.

Refinancing reaches record high

More Australians than ever are adopting a proactive approach to managing their home loan amidst rising interest rates, new research has revealed.

Analysis released by PEXA Insights shows that property refinances recorded across Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria in FY22, were up 29 per cent on the previous 12-month period.

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Siri, close the curtains

Thanks to smart technology, we can now control and program things like lights, ovens and air conditioning just by pressing a button on our phones.

Now, with the SwitchBot Curtain Rod, we can open or close curtains without getting out of bed or the comfy chair. Controlled via the SwitchBot phone app and attached to the curtain rod between folds of the fabric, the small device works on almost any type of curtain, and can be programmed to open as a wake-up call in the morning, or close when the sun goes down; a built-in sensor even allows the curtains to operate automatically at sunrise and sunset, based on the amount of light outside.