Australian homes can be made climate-ready, reducing bills and emissions – a new report shows how
December 15, 2023
Gill Armstrong, Climateworks Centre and Michael Ambrose, CSIRO Millions of homes were built before Australia introduced housing energy efficiency standards in 2003. They’re leaky. Gaps around windows, doors and between building materials allow air to move in and out. So people tend to compensate, with more heating and cooling. It’s costly and damaging for the […]
Heat, cold, pollution, noise and insects: too many apartment blocks aren’t up to the challenge
November 15, 2023
Nicole Cook, University of Wollongong and Sophie-May Kerr, UNSW Sydney The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the impacts of air quality on high-rise living. However, apartments face a range of atmospheric challenges. These include air and noise pollution, temperature and weather extremes, bushfire smoke and insects. Our newly published research shows how apartment residents struggle with the […]
How do I know if a rental house is mouldy before I sign the lease? 12 things to check
October 19, 2023
Rebecca Bentley, The University of Melbourne and Tim Law, Victoria University Although most Australian states require homes be free of mould before they are rented out, seasoned renters know that’s not always the case. In fact, an alarming number of tenants report discovering mould after they’ve moved into a rental property. But how can you […]
5 tips for getting off gas at home – for a cleaner, cheaper, healthier all-electric future
August 21, 2023
Trivess Moore, RMIT University; Alan Pears, RMIT University, and Nicola Willand, RMIT University Burning gas in our homes to cook food or heat air and water has become a contentious issue. Gas is an expensive, polluting fossil fuel, and there’s mounting evidence to suggest it’s also bad for our health. Five million existing Australian households […]
Keen to get off gas in your home, but struggling to make the switch? Research shows you’re not alone
July 24, 2023
Sangeetha Chandrashekeran, The University of Melbourne and Julia de Bruyn, The University of Melbourne More than five million households in Australia are connected to the gas network. Tackling climate change requires homes and businesses to move away from gas, and instead embrace electric appliances as the power grid shifts to renewable energy. People can save […]
All-electric homes are better for your hip pocket and the planet. Here’s how governments can help us get off gas
June 19, 2023
Esther Suckling, Grattan Institute If every Australian household that uses gas went all-electric today, we would “save” more than 30 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions over the next ten years. That’s because there are more than 5 million households on the gas network, and the avoided emissions per home ranges from 5-25 tonnes over […]
Enhancing home thermal efficiency report released
May 18, 2023
The RACE for 2030 Cooperative Research Centre (RACE for 2030) commissioned this Opportunity Assessment on Enhancing home thermal efficiency (Research Theme H2), to identify priority research areas to accelerate the adoption of home thermal efficiency. It was conducted through a combination of desktop research (systematic review of Australian and international literature), consultations with key stakeholders […]
Budget’s energy bill relief and home retrofit funding is a good start, but dwarfed by the scale of the task
May 11, 2023
Trivess Moore, RMIT University and Ralph Horne, RMIT University The quality and performance of our housing have big impacts on the environment, cost of living and our health and wellbeing. The 2023-24 federal budget’s announcement of $1.6 billion for energy-saving upgrades to housing recognises the broad importance of retrofitting Australian homes. Until now, much of […]
We need a ‘lemon law’ to make all the homes we buy and rent more energy-efficient
April 27, 2023
Trivess Moore, RMIT University; Lisa de Kleyn, RMIT University, and Ralph Horne, RMIT University A long-awaited increase in energy-efficiency requirements for new homes is part of revised Australian construction standards taking effect on May 1. All new homes must achieve a minimum 7-star whole-of-home energy rating from October, following a six-month transition period. It’s a […]
RapidRate: AI-powered home energy insights
April 21, 2023
The challenge Making sense of home energy efficiency The case for energy efficient housing in Australia is clear. There is growing demand for residential energy efficiency data in Australia. Residential houses and apartments account for 23 per cent of Australia’s total electricity use and 11 per cent of carbon emissions. Energy efficient homes are more […]