Now, hundreds of thousands of Australians are fighting against severely cold homes this winter. Alarmingly, 81% of surveyed homes documented temperatures less than 18 degrees Celsius from June to August. Home energy efficiency During the coldest period of that winter, the average indoor temperature was a mere 16.5 degrees Celsius, a clear indicator of inadequate energy efficiency. This has all been made worse by the lack of the stringent regulatory environment and building codes seen in other countries.
Professor Ralph Horne is associate deputy vice chancellor of research and innovation at RMIT. He points out that most Australian houses are under-insulated, drafty and use bad heating systems. He shares that research conducted after 2005 has brought to light an interesting reality. Housing in compatible climate zones in North America and Europe is 55% more efficient in heating and cooling energy than homes built to strictly enforced minimum standards in Australia.
So many Australians can’t afford to install adequate heating solutions because energy efficiency has been neglected for too long. As such, they’ve become more and more dependent on costly energy sources. Horne states, “An implicit reliance on cheap energy has now become increasingly challenged by the need to respond to climate change, and the rise in energy poverty.” Rising energy costs have illuminated the inefficiencies of Australian homes, leaving households struggling to keep warm while managing their bills.
Adam Corrigan, founder of Your Energy Friend, added that for most homeowners, upgrading heating systems is costly. We hope he pushes them to think deeply about this historic investment. He suggests looking closely at power bills and shopping around to find more affordable options to reduce costs, among other tactics. Corrigan is a proponent of ensuring houses have good heating before tackling energy efficiency, with insulation and draft-proofing leading the way.
“If you want to make your home more comfortable, get your insulation sorted and do your draft proofing. That’s your best return on investment. That’s your best bang for buck.” – Adam Corrigan
For the millions of Americans who rent their homes, the ability to create meaningful change in one’s home is typically out of reach. Fortunately, there are both cost-effective and simple solutions to improve comfort. Installing heavy-lined curtains and a box pelmet are both affordable alternatives to double-glazed windows, which can significantly reduce heat loss.
Australia has for decades fully grasped the importance of drought and water efficiency. It hasn’t brought a similar sense of urgency to bear on energy efficiency. This lack of oversight fuels the harsh winters’ living conditions for many of its residents. It’s time we reconsider minimum building standards for Australia’s new homes. Smart energy use is an addressable market in the hundreds of billions.
These initiatives to improve homes’ energy performance ratings have not kept pace with similar ratings used around the world. Homes in other countries have an enviable average energy efficiency rating of more than seven stars (NatHERS). Australia has still not fully embraced this standard almost two decades later.
