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 […]
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 […]
Complicated, costly and downright frustrating: Aussies keen to cut emissions with clean energy at home get little support
August 4, 2021
Hugo Temby, Australian National University and Hedda Ransan-Cooper, Australian National University Even after A$4,000 in repairs, Heather’s $18,000 rooftop solar and battery system is still not working. Heather worked as a nurse until a workplace accident caused her to leave the workforce. She put most of her compensation towards making a switch to clean energy, […]
‘Die of cold or die of stress?’: Social housing is frequently colder than global health guidelines
July 22, 2021
Daniel Daly, University of Wollongong; Federico Tartarini, University of Wollongong; Gordon Waitt, University of Wollongong; Michael Tibbs, University of Wollongong; Paul Cooper, University of Wollongong, and Theresa Harada, University of Wollongong As you huddle inside this winter – possibly as part of a pandemic lockdown – you might be noticing the “thermal performance” of your […]