Jenny Edwards

Often referred to as Jenergy Efficiency, Jenny was named 2023 Energy Efficiency Champion at the National Energy Efficiency Conference in Sydney in May for her free advocacy and education work about residential energy efficiency over the last 15 years.

Jenny has an Bachelor of Science (Hons), a Masters degree in science communication and is an ACT licensed Building Energy Efficiency Assessor. She has been conducting theoretical building-envelope testing using thermal performance simulation software, and doing physical building-envelope testing, for air leakage and insulation integrity, using the fan depressurisation method (blower door) and thermal imaging, since 2009. (If you're interested to know how Jenny, originally a molecular biologist, got to this point you can read more about that here).

Jenny has used her science training in a variety of roles: from research and education to public relations and policy. She began her research career in a Cooperative Research Centre based at CSIRO and ANU in the early 90s and later worked in the innovation policy section of the federal government. She is a passionate believer in collaborative industry-government research.

In 2008 she decided it was time for a change of perspective and left government to establish her own business in the sustainable building industry. This was initially in the form of the company Energy Imaging – the first Australian business to combine the use of air leakage testing and thermal imaging in the local construction industry (following training in NZ and the US). In April 2009, as Managing Director of Energy Imaging, Jenny presented a submission to the ACT Legislative Assembly Green House Gas Reductions Enquiry in which she advised the committee members of the great potential for energy savings by improving the quality of the envelope, or fabric, of buildings (the transcript of the presentation can be viewed here). 

In 2010, Jenny established an energy efficiency consulting business – Scinergy – which won the ACT Sustainable Cities Energy Innovation Award in 2010 for its innovative, scientific approach to improving energy efficiency in the residential construction sector.

Since 2011, Jenny has been a Director of the award-winning company Jigsaw Housing Pty Ltd, which has traded as the business Light House Architecture & Science since the end of 2015. This company integrated the building science consulting work of Scinergy. In 2012, Scinergy was contracted to conduct diagnostic assessments and analysis on a sample of 11 low-income households participating in the ACT Government Outreach Energy and Water Efficiency Program (more information about that project can be found here).

In 2015 Jenny won the 'Outstanding in Industry' award from the ACT branch of the National Association of Women in Construction.

In 2017, Jenny was invited to be on the Residential Technical Advisory Group for the Building Code Energy Performance Trajectory Project.  This project is a partnership between the Australian Sustainable Built Environment Council (ASBEC) and ClimateWorks Australia.

"The Building Code Energy Efficiency Trajectory Project will outline increases in the National Construction Code energy provisions and show the way towards optimal long term goals for all building types. This will support governments to adopt the policies we need, while sending a strong regulatory signal to provide the certainty needed by industry. An agreed trajectory will support market development of technologies and services to reduce energy use and emissions across the building sector." You can read a great article about the project here.

In 2018, Jenny was invited to present at the Festival of Ambitious ideas. You can see her short and snappy 5 minute presentation here. HOUSING magazine also ran a three page feature article about Jenny which can be read online here.

In 2019, the ACT branch of the Institute of Architects awarded Jenny the Clem Cummings prize for “outstanding contribution to architecture and the built environment.”

You can find links to many of Jenny’s articles in Renew and Sanctuary Magazines, and various podcasts and stories at our journal.

You can read about Jenny's most recent and very personal sustainable housing experiment here, and her previous, award-winning renovation project here.