Bathroom fans and sliding glass doors: new research shows how those cold draughts sneak into your home
August 27, 2024
Michael Ambrose, CSIRO Winter is now well upon us, and many of us – especially those living in old homes – are discovering just how draughty they are. In fact, Australia has some of the least air-tight homes in the world. But there’s good news. New research by CSIRO, which I led, shows Australia’s newly […]
If you’ve got a dark roof, you’re spending almost $700 extra a year to keep your house cool
April 8, 2024
Sebastian Pfautsch, Western Sydney University and Riccardo Paolini, UNSW Sydney If you visit southern Greece or Tunisia, you might notice lots of white rooftops and white buildings to reflect the intense heat and keep residents cooler. It’s very different in Australia. New housing estates in the hottest areas around Sydney and Melbourne are dominated by […]
Australian homes are getting bigger and bigger, and it’s wiping out gains in energy efficiency
March 18, 2024
Kate Wingrove, University of Wollongong and Emma Heffernan, University of Sydney New Australian homes are being designed bigger and so require more energy for heating and cooling, wiping out potential gains in energy efficiency, according to our new research. The increasing energy demand is inconsistent with global efforts to tackle climate change and suggests Australia’s […]
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 […]
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 […]