Improving the thermal performance in Australian homes is an urgent priority to ease cost of living pressures, improve wellbeing and reduce energy consumption and emissions, experts say.

An RMIT University-led report, commissioned by RACE for 2030, assessed current challenges related to home thermal efficiency improvements.

The report recommends several priorities to help Australia reach its goal of net zero by 2050, such as improving how we build new homes and how households prioritise and undertake thermal upgrading of their homes.

While the introduction of the new seven-star energy efficiency building standards is a necessary step to improve new homes, Rajagopalan said more needs to be done during the design and construction stage of building to ensure each home is thermally efficient.

A potential solution was creating a “One-stop shop” on how to embark on retrofitting your home and the benefits of a thermally efficient home from verified sources.

  • ryannathans@lemmy.fmhy.mlEnglish
    15·
    1 year ago

    Bruh make rentals have mandatory insulation or something, we spend 100kwh a day in heating the house to 18C with a reverse cycle heat pump system

    • starspacegrl@lemmy.mlEnglish
      10·
      1 year ago

      this is absolutely needed. a minimum viable energy efficiency standard in order to lease to renters. if it doesn’t meet the minimum standards sell it to someone who will upgrade it or build a new property

      • ryannathans@lemmy.fmhy.mlEnglish
        21·
        1 year ago

        Haha heating to 18C right now during the winter, it’s 3-10C at night and 13-19C durung the day. Aussie here too

          • ryannathans@lemmy.fmhy.mlEnglish
            61·
            1 year ago

            I’m in a cold part of Sydney. The house is brick (single brick in many areas), the floor has no insulation and neither does half of the ceiling. Thermal camera shows brick walls at about 12C while it’s 20C outdoors. Typical indoor temperatures without heating are single digit most of the time, maybe peak at 12C for the day.

            Do you have a link to this article?

            Edit: why the downvotes?

          • Zagorath@aussie.zoneEnglish
            4·
            1 year ago

            Even under 18 is regarded as bad.

            Personally I’m in an old brick apartment in Brisbane and this time of year it’s regularly below that indoors. I can physically feel the air leaving through the gaps under the front door or under the sliding glass windows. The insulation is just terrible.