Increasing occupant comfort and reducing household energy demands by enabling a large-scale home retrofit scheme for millions of Australian homes over the next five-ten years.
This is an opportunity for collaboration and partnership between homeowners, tenants, investors, industry, and government to develop, enable and implement the market demand and the ecosystem required to retrofit Australian homes and contribute to meeting our net zero emissions targets.
Increasing occupant comfort and reducing household energy demands by enabling a large-scale home retrofit scheme for millions of Australian homes over the next five-ten years.
with improved thermal comfort, energy efficiency, and a path to electrification
and decreasing household energy use
that provides independent technical guidance for homeowners and support for industry
A significant amount of collaborative work has been done across Australia to progress home energy efficiency and thermal performance retrofits.
In partnership with NSW Department Planning Industry and Environment, Vic Department Environment Land Water and Planning, Curtin University and UTS and an expert industry reference group, a research project was undertaken. ‘Pathways to scale: barriers to, opportunities from and impacts of retrofitting one million+ homes’ was a fast-track project for the RACE for 2030 CRC.
The project built knowledge and capability to leverage private investment and implement home retrofits, for the purpose of thermal and energy efficiency, in Australian homes.
The report distils the current research on the economic, environmental, and societal impacts of large-scale home retrofitting. Further the report provides insight to advance the design and development of a large-scale home retrofit scheme in Australia. It explores the scale of the retrofit market, finance options available, current policy and programs and the stakeholder landscape.
This work also informs the design of a larger, long-term scheme of research to support the development and implementation of a home retrofit scheme, to monitor and evaluate approaches to retrofitting, to support policy change and private investment and the opportunities for innovation to further accelerate action in parallel with practical implementation.
Phase 1 complete.
Phase 2 aims to develop viable delivery models to electrify and improve the comfort and efficiency of all types of Australian homes at scale. The process will enable collaboratively designing, and ultimately creating, the mobilisation required to do the work of retrofitting millions of Australian homes including public, social and community housing, low income or vulnerable households and owner occupied or rented households.
A policy framework without an achievable pathway to implementation won’t be enough to lead to large scale action and therefore impact. A key part of successful engagement for phase 2 will be demonstrating that it is practical, possible and desirable to implement home retrofits at scale in Australia.
It will then initiate a home retrofit scheme through case studies and community prototypes to test the delivery models across Australia. Through these prototypes delivery models will be established and proven, which will be able to support public and private investment and enable the large-scale roll out of home retrofits across Australia.
Retrofit Australia will roll out a large-scale home retrofit scheme utilising different delivery models, leveraging public and private finance, that will create future ready homes that are comfortable, energy efficient, electric and can support or improve health.
The scheme will target retrofitting one million+ Australian homes over five years.
A significant amount of collaborative work has been done across Australia to progress home energy efficiency and thermal performance retrofits.
In partnership with NSW Department Planning Industry and Environment, Vic Department Environment Land Water and Planning, Curtin University and UTS and an expert industry reference group, a research project was undertaken. ‘Pathways to scale: barriers to, opportunities from and impacts of retrofitting one million+ homes’ was a fast-track project for the RACE for 2030 CRC.
The project built knowledge and capability to leverage private investment and implement home retrofits, for the purpose of thermal and energy efficiency, in Australian homes.
The report distils the current research on the economic, environmental, and societal impacts of large-scale home retrofitting. Further the report provides insight to advance the design and development of a large-scale home retrofit scheme in Australia. It explores the scale of the retrofit market, finance options available, current policy and programs and the stakeholder landscape.
This work also informs the design of a larger, long-term scheme of research to support the development and implementation of a home retrofit scheme, to monitor and evaluate approaches to retrofitting, to support policy change and private investment and the opportunities for innovation to further accelerate action in parallel with practical implementation.
Phase 1 complete.
Retrofitting Australian homes to be comfortable, efficient and electric will be a critical part of an effective climate change response.
Energy efficient and electric homes are healthier and more comfortable but also reduce peak load demand on the overall energy system whilst contributing to emissions reductions and an equitable energy future.
Existing homes are not supporting our needs for comfort, efficiency, and resilience. Australia needs to transform our existing houses from ‘glorified tents’ into comfortable, desirable and efficient electric homes. This transformation will align with the energy transition and support homeowners as prosumers and consumers in the distributed energy grid. Maximising comfort and energy efficiency in homes and enabling electrification can support the transition toward net zero energy.
Retrofits have been shown internationally and locally to yield benefits including:
Modelling of a selection of Australian homes has shown that retrofits offer decreased energy use at a household scale. A basic retrofit saves between 18% (in New South Wales, terrace home) and 31% (in Victoria, detached house) of energy use. In New South Wales and Western Australia, a comprehensive upgrade can obtain a near 100% saving in energy use.
Several pilot programs have demonstrated that retrofits can be effectively implemented and yield positive impacts. Climate change, rising energy prices and ageing population mean it is now more critical than ever that our homes meet our current needs whilst also being future ready.
There is a large market opportunity in Australia, the task ahead is highly complex, yet feasible through collaborative efforts. And now more than ever before.
A large-scale home retrofit scheme can create jobs for Australian communities and provide comfortable homes that require less energy for heating and cooling for Australian households, whilst stimulating public and private finance and investment in the Australian home retrofit market.
International program examples from the United Kingdom, Europe, United States of America and New Zealand boost the reasoning for development and implementation of a large-scale home retrofit scheme in Australia. These programs demonstrate that retrofits can be effectively implemented and yield positive impacts including:
Climate-KIC Australia’s ambition is to collaborate and lead the development and implementation of a retrofit scheme for millions of Australian homes.
This is an opportunity for collaboration and partnership between homeowners, tenants, investors, industry, and government to develop, enable and implement the market demand and the ecosystem required to retrofit Australian homes and contribute to meeting our net zero emissions targets.
Retrofitting Australian homes to be comfortable, efficient and electric will be a critical part of an effective climate change response.
Energy efficient and electric homes are healthier and more comfortable but also reduce peak load demand on the overall energy system whilst contributing to emissions reductions and an equitable energy future.
Existing homes are not supporting our needs for comfort, efficiency, and resilience. Australia needs to transform our existing houses from ‘glorified tents’ into comfortable, desirable and efficient electric homes. This transformation will align with the energy transition and support homeowners as prosumers and consumers in the distributed energy grid. Maximising comfort and energy efficiency in homes and enabling electrification can support the transition toward net zero energy.
Retrofits have been shown internationally and locally to yield benefits including:
Modelling of a selection of Australian homes has shown that retrofits offer decreased energy use at a household scale. A basic retrofit saves between 18% (in New South Wales, terrace home) and 31% (in Victoria, detached house) of energy use. In New South Wales and Western Australia, a comprehensive upgrade can obtain a near 100% saving in energy use.
Several pilot programs have demonstrated that retrofits can be effectively implemented and yield positive impacts. Climate change, rising energy prices and ageing population mean it is now more critical than ever that our homes meet our current needs whilst also being future ready.
There is a large market opportunity in Australia, the task ahead is highly complex, yet feasible through collaborative efforts. And now more than ever before.
Climate-KIC Australia are currently leading the Retrofit Australia portfolio of action by providing portfolio governance and management, as well as project oversight that enables the ecosystem, and in collaboration with our partners working toward delivering a large-scale home retrofit scheme for Australia.
Retrofit Australia is currently seeking funding and implementation partners for Phase 2 of this project. If you would like to learn more or get involved, please contact Katie Vines.
Climate-KIC Australia are currently leading the Retrofit Australia portfolio of action by providing portfolio governance and management, as well as project oversight that enables the ecosystem, and in collaboration with our partners working toward delivering a large-scale home retrofit scheme for Australia.
