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RMIT experts available for comment on access to affordable household energy and sustainable building

PR Newswire

Melbourne, Vic., Sep. 16, 2020 /Medianet/ --

Experts from RMIT University are available to talk about access to affordable household energy and sustainable housing improvements, including mandatory disclosure of the energy rating of housing, ahead of global goals week (18-26 September).

Dr Nicola Willand (0403 692 051 or nicola.willand@rmit.edu.au)

Topics: sustainable housing, retrofits, energy justice, health

Access to affordable household energy

“Staying at home due to the COVID-19 emergency has increased our use of electricity and gas and created challenges for those who are living in poor quality homes or may be on a limited income.

“The temporary stop to disconnections in some states acknowledges that access to electricity and gas is a basic human need and essential for health and wellbeing. 
 
“This guarantee of energy and the stopping of penalty fees for late payment by many retailers will give affected households some temporary relief. However, people need a more sustainable solution to the affordability of energy.

“Affordability means that reducing energy demand in our homes needs to be a cornerstone of any COVID-19 recovery response, for example in the form of retrofit and solar PV programs. 

“Concerted efforts should be made to reach those who are struggling the most to pay their energy bills. It also means that energy pricing mechanisms should reward consumers rather than punishing them for loyalty or pre-existing financial difficulties. 

Dr Nicola Willand is a Lecturer in the School or Property, Construction and Project Management at RMIT University and a member of the Sustainable Building Innovation Lab. Her research aims to develop strategies that will minimise environmental impacts and life cycle costs while maximising health and social equity in the built environment. 

Sustainable housing

Dr Trivess Moore (0408 318 182 trivess.moore@rmit.edu.au)

Topics: sustainable housing, reducing energy costs, renewable energy, government support

“If we are to move toward more sustainable cities and communities, substantial improvements in new housing and retrofit programs are needed.

“Delivering new housing which performs significantly better than minimum building code requirements is crucial, while focusing on a systematic retrofit program to lift the quality and performance of existing housing is also a key step.

“New housing delivered to a minimum of 7.5 Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) performance, is shown to reduce energy consumption for heating and cooling by at least 40%.

“With improved building performance and renewable energy technologies, many households in our study had reduced annual energy bills to less than $500 a year.

“A push towards sustainable cities must also include upscaling both the amount and scale of energy retrofit undertaken on existing housing.

“Retrofit can improve thermal performance and reduce energy consumption for heating, cooling and other usage in existing housing, making existing homes more comfortable and affordable to live in.”

Dr Trivess Moore is a Senior Lecturer in the Sustainable Building Innovation Lab in the School or Property, Construction and Project Management at RMIT University. His research explores sustainable housing from a material and technical perspective and the implications on and for households and policy making.

Dr Neville Hurst (0430 922 919 neville.hurst@rmit.edu.au)

Topics: real estate agency practice, housing and housing markets, sustainable housing

Mandatory disclosure of energy rating

“Most house hunters fail to appreciate the importance of a low star rating, even though it can have profound impacts on a household’s health and budgets.

“These challenges have come to the fore during the COVID-19 pandemic as people spend more time at home. In a home with a low star rating, it can be hard and costly to maintain a comfortable temperature and occupants’ health can suffer.

“However, it is extremely difficult for house hunters to obtain basic information like energy star ratings in the home rental and ownership markets, with many estate agents lacking sufficient knowledge of energy efficiency and its impact on the housing market.

“The problems can only be overcome if state and federal governments work together to make it mandatory to disclose the energy efficiency of housing at point of sale.

“Home owners would then be required to provide information to buyers and renters about the energy star rating. House hunters could easily compare the performance of all homes they are interested in.

“Such transparency would also provide more options to owners. Mandatory disclosure does influence the housing choices buyers make. Properties with higher energy ratings are often more appealing and fetch higher prices.

“Mandatory disclosure is no panacea for improving the poor energy performance of Australian housing, particularly the rental properties that would benefit from minimum standards.

“However, mandatory disclosure is an essential element of a suite of policies that governments should implement to drive the transition towards net-zero-carbon, healthy homes.”

Dr Neville Hurst is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Property, Construction and Project Management at RMIT University. His research focuses on real estate agent engagement with energy efficient housing, sustainable housing, housing markets and real estate agency practices.
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