The acceleration of a nationwide energy transformation in how Australians heat, cool, and power their homes is underway. Cost-of-living pressures, energy costs, and concerns around climate change are motivating householders to act to improve the energy efficiency of their homes.
Energy Upgrades for Australian Homes (EUAH) is a consortium of government, industry, community pilots, and academic institutes working together to make it easier for Australian households to upgrade the comfort and energy efficiency of their homes.
The project will address policy and market barriers that exist at multiple levels, and put communities at the heart of a rapid scale-up of energy upgrades in Australian homes.
The acceleration of a nationwide energy transformation in how Australians heat, cool, and power their homes is underway. Cost-of-living pressures, energy costs, and concerns around climate change are motivating householders to act to improve the energy efficiency of their homes.
Policy Recommendations (briefs) to drive change at the federal, state,and local levels, developed in collaboration with industry partners and stakeholders based on the research and pilot outcomes and insights.
Practical and evidenced based tools and guidelines for delivering tailored programs in communities to generate millions of home energy upgrades.
Communications content and engagement to ensure that the knowledge and tools generated by the project are effectively disseminated to key stakeholders and the wider public.
An easy to use residential building stock model to assess home energy upgrade costs and co-benefits.
Practical and evidence-based tools and guidelines for strengthening product and service delivery in home energy upgrade supply chains, including improved training and resources.
A prototype Online Home Energy Update Platform to consolidate and disseminate tools, guidelines, and evidence outlined in the project.
Urgent action is required to transform existing residential housing in Australia to reduce carbon emissions and adapt to climate change. Residential housing is responsible for 12% of the country’s carbon emissions and 24% of electricity use, and yet it is ill-equipped to withstand the increasing impacts of extreme weather. This issue goes beyond environmental concerns; it affects the cost of living, public health, social equity, physical and mental well-being, and liveability of homes. Improving energy efficiency not only offers potential savings for households but also positive public health outcomes, especially for marginalised communities like low-income households, public and private housing tenants, and First Nations communities.
Efforts are being made at the national level with initiatives such as ‘Whole of Home’ energy assessments, the Trajectory for Low Energy Buildings Plan, and the draft National Framework for Disclosure of Residential Energy Efficiency. However, challenges remain, preventing the widespread upgrade of homes to meet climate and energy system goals. To address these issues, tailored home energy upgrade programs are essential, accommodating various housing types, ownership structures, climates, and communities. Behaviour change is a crucial component, influenced by the timing and manner in which households receive information, their financial capacity, cultural norms, and trust. Effective policies, regulations, partnerships, and business models are needed to mobilize resources and respond to community needs.
Instead of relying solely on households to initiate energy upgrades, a place-based approach that considers local circumstances and leverages existing social networks can be more efficient. Understanding community attitudes and networks, as well as household circumstances, is crucial for successful activation. Tools that assist place-based programs in understanding these attributes and facilitate collaboration and co-design with local communities are more likely to yield positive results. In contrast, top-down programs may fail to respond adequately to household needs, especially for those in poor-quality housing and tenant households with limited decision-making power. The emphasis should be on empowering communities to drive change. This approach aligns with the NSW Government’s recent announcement of electrification trials in three communities in February 2023.
The primary objective of Energy Upgrades for Australian Homes is to create, test, and adapt a comprehensive and community-focused platform. The platform aims to reduce energy costs, lower carbon emissions, and enhance comfort and health outcomes for communities by enabling the upgrading of millions of existing Australian homes by 2030.
To achieve the ambitious target of millions of home energy upgrades by 2030, our approach will prioritise the daily needs and aspirations of individuals and communities. This place-based strategy is designed to address a wide range of social conditions, urban and regional settings, and varying climate zones while emphasizing community engagement and leadership.
The project will undertake the following key steps:
Working directly with state governments, peak bodies, and private industry will allow this project to determine pathways and delivery models for implementation of the platform after the project’s end date.
Urgent action is required to transform existing residential housing in Australia to reduce carbon emissions and adapt to climate change. Residential housing is responsible for 12% of the country’s carbon emissions and 24% of electricity use, and yet it is ill-equipped to withstand the increasing impacts of extreme weather. This issue goes beyond environmental concerns; it affects the cost of living, public health, social equity, physical and mental well-being, and liveability of homes. Improving energy efficiency not only offers potential savings for households but also positive public health outcomes, especially for marginalised communities like low-income households, public and private housing tenants, and First Nations communities.
Efforts are being made at the national level with initiatives such as ‘Whole of Home’ energy assessments, the Trajectory for Low Energy Buildings Plan, and the draft National Framework for Disclosure of Residential Energy Efficiency. However, challenges remain, preventing the widespread upgrade of homes to meet climate and energy system goals. To address these issues, tailored home energy upgrade programs are essential, accommodating various housing types, ownership structures, climates, and communities. Behaviour change is a crucial component, influenced by the timing and manner in which households receive information, their financial capacity, cultural norms, and trust. Effective policies, regulations, partnerships, and business models are needed to mobilize resources and respond to community needs.
Instead of relying solely on households to initiate energy upgrades, a place-based approach that considers local circumstances and leverages existing social networks can be more efficient. Understanding community attitudes and networks, as well as household circumstances, is crucial for successful activation. Tools that assist place-based programs in understanding these attributes and facilitate collaboration and co-design with local communities are more likely to yield positive results. In contrast, top-down programs may fail to respond adequately to household needs, especially for those in poor-quality housing and tenant households with limited decision-making power. The emphasis should be on empowering communities to drive change. This approach aligns with the NSW Government’s recent announcement of electrification trials in three communities in February 2023.
Climate-KIC Australia is the project coordinator for EUAH. Climate-KIC acts as a trusted broker among government, industry and the research sector and facilitates effective dialogue and collaboration. We coordinate partners and manage research and dissemination activities across the work packages, supported by the Monash Sustainable Development Institute as project lead.
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Melinda brings her experience working on climate partnerships and projects in the Pacific and the UK to lead adaptation and resilience projects. She draws on her legal and policy background and experience in knowledge brokering, facilitation and strategy to support cross-sectoral stakeholders working collaboratively to build resilience and adapt to climate change.
As Director of Strategic Projects, Belinda brings her global experience in accounting, marketing, strategy and innovation for financial services to develop strategies to build greater resilience for Climate-KIC Australia.
As a project officer on the Energy Upgrades for Australian Homes project, Clare brings her background in project management and research administration to enable seamless convening and coordination a complex collaboration of researchers, industry participants and affiliated projects. An environmental biotechnology major, Clare is passionate about helping organisations adapt to the evolving needs of the environment, and brings to this project relevant experience analysing the impact of urban environments on the health of people and the natural environment.
Jes is responsible for Climate-KIC Australia’s communications and outreach. With a background working in international organisations, Jessica finds the stories within complicated processes or technical concepts, to connect with audiences and celebrate the successes of climate change changers.
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