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https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/feb/12/landlords-energy-efficiency-of-houses-revealed-power-bill-prices-acoss-report>
"Governments should require landlords to reveal the energy performance of homes
put up for sale or lease as part of a policy blitz aimed at helping low-income
households cut power bills and improve their comfort, according to a report by
the Australian Council of Social Service.
The report, released on Monday, also calls for a $2bn federal fund and
coordinated policies across all levels of government to assist less-advantaged
residents tap emerging technologies. They should also follow Victoria by
banning new gas connections.
“There are about 1.8m low-income households in Australia who cannot afford to
escape extreme temperatures because they’re stuck in inefficient homes that are
expensive to warm or cool,” said Acoss’s energy program director, Kellie
Caught.
“Funding upgrades to make homes electric, solar and climate resilient will
reduce poverty, protect against heat-related illness, bring down the cost of
power and create local jobs while turbocharging Australia’s emissions reduction
targets.”
The report noted so-called split incentives – where landlords had little
incentive to help tenants reduce their energy bills – were impediments holding
back renters from improving the efficiency of their homes. Of the 2.4m private
rental properties, more than 270,000 housed people on the lowest 20% of
incomes.
The average energy performance of Australia’s 8m dwellings was also just 1.7
stars compared with the 7 stars – out of a possible 10 – required of new
residences. Australian homes contribute more than 11% of national greenhouse
emissions.
Energy efficiency is often neglected in policy and media discussions even
though it is one of the cheapest ways to cut energy usage and emissions, as
recognised by the International Energy Agency, among others."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
