Making headlines this first week of the new financial year, value growth accelerates; 30% solar battery rebate kicks in; and the many ways you can go plastic-free this July
Australian housing values rose by 0.6 per cent in June, marking a fifth straight month of growth following a 0.3 per cent dip between November and January, according to new figures released this week by Cotality (formerly Corelogic).
Do you sometimes wonder if your efforts to reduce pollution, plastic or food waste have too little impact? This month is Plastic-Free July, and we are being asked to once again look at how we can make changes.
So it is encouraging that CSIRO researchers have found that plastic pollution littering Australian coastlines has dropped by more than a third over the last decade.
From this week (July 1, 2025), Australian households could be eligible for a 30 per cent discount on the upfront cost of installing eligible small-scale solar battery systems through the Federal Government’s Cheaper Home Batteries Program.
The discount will be applied to batteries with a capacity between 5kWh and 50kWh, and generally provided by solar and battery retailers and installers.
Whether you’re looking to freshen up or completely change the look of your home, it helps to understand the difference between painting and staining; the effects can vary dramatically.
Sales of new homes rose to a 13-month high in May, according to a monthly survey of Australia’s builders.
The HIA New Home Sales report shows that the volume of new home sales increased by 6.9 per cent in the month of May 2025, to reach the highest level in 13 months.
People who live in apartments or rented homes in the UK could soon plug in their own ‘balcony solar panels’, under plans announced by the government.
The DIY panels have already been fitted to about 1.5m balconies in Germany, where they are known as Balkonkraftwerk (balcony power plant). They typically save households about 30 per cent on their energy bills and cost between €400-800 (AU$700-1435), with no installation fees required, meaning they pay for themselves within six years. Image: Tornasol Energy