Green Building Council of Australia: A practical guide to electrification for existing buildings
The Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) has released its Practical guide to electrification for existing buildings which highlights the potential for quick decarbonisation wins. GBCA’s practical guides detail the most effective ways to electrify buildings, using a range of technologies.
This guide will take you through the steps to retrofit an existing building to be all-electric. It covers:
- the types of technologies that can be used today to replace natural gas with electric solutions
- seven key issues to consider when electrifying
- how to address the common myths and barriers to electrification.
The guide complements, A practical guide to electrification for new buildings, and was developed in partnership with Cundall and supported by the Clean Energy Finance Corporation and NSW Government.
More information here
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Australian Government: Residential Efficiency Scorecard website launch
The Australian Government and Victorian Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning have launched the new Scorecard website, www.homescorecard.gov.au
The Residential Efficiency Scorecard (or Scorecard, for short) is a government program which helps to make homes more comfortable and cheaper to run.
Pages include:
- what a Scorecard assessment is and how it can help
- becoming a Scorecard assessor
- finding a Scorecard assessor from our Australia-wide assessor community
- how Scorecard can assist Industry
- how to save on energy bills and improve your home's comfort with Scorecard
More information here
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Productivity Commission: Study Report - Housing and Homelessness Agreement Review
Australia has a housing affordability problem, with many Australians struggling to rent or buy a home, according to the Productivity Commission’s review of the National Housing and Homelessness Agreement (NHHA) released on 30 September.
“The NHHA is intended to improve access to affordable housing, but it is ineffective. It does not foster collaboration between governments or hold governments to account. It is a funding contract, not a blueprint for reform,” Commissioner Malcolm Roberts said.
The Commission is recommending the new NHHA have a greater focus on coordinated policy action across jurisdictions, homelessness prevention and early intervention, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander housing.
More information here
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Sustainability Victoria: Victorian Healthy Homes Program findings
Sustainability Victoria released its Victorian Healthy Homes Program findings. The Victorian Healthy Homes Program was a randomised controlled trial designed to measure the impact of an energy efficiency and thermal comfort home upgrade on temperature, energy use, health and quality of life.
Key findings:
- A relatively minor upgrade (average $2,809) had wide ranging benefits over the winter period.
- Householders in the intervention group were more than twice as likely as controls to report that their home felt warmer over winter (These gains in thermal comfort were obtained despite a significant reduction in gas use in upgraded homes, and no change in electricity use).
- Householders in the intervention group reported less condensation over winter.
- Health benefits of the upgrade were reflected in cost savings, with $887 per person saved in the healthcare system over the winter period.
- Cost-benefit analysis indicated that the upgrade would be cost-saving within 3 years and would yield a net saving of $4,783 over 10 years – due to savings in both energy and health.
More information here
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Greenpeace: The economic impact of decarbonising household heating in the UK
Produced by Cambridge Econometrics on behalf of Greenpeace UK, “The economic impact of decarbonising household heating in the UK” shows how a properly funded, ambitious program to insulate homes and swap gas boilers for low-carbon heating sources, such as heat pumps, could deliver huge economic and social benefits.
The report highlights that the greater the government’s investment in decarbonising homes, the greater the return, both in terms of jobs and economic growth.
More information here
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ScienceDirect Report: Is heating homes with hydrogen all but a pipe dream? An evidence review
ScienceDirect recently published a review use of hydrogen for heating, undertaken by energy influencer Dr Jan Rosenow, looking at 32 independent studies conducted at international, regional, national, state, and city level by universities, research institutes, intergovernmental organisations such as the IPCC and the International Energy Agency (IEA), and consulting firms. Every study shows that the widespread use of hydrogen for heating is not supported.
Instead, existing independent research so far suggests that, compared to other alternatives such as heat pumps, solar thermal, and district heating, hydrogen use for domestic heating is less economic, less efficient, more resource intensive, and associated with larger environmental impacts.
More information here
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New South Wales Government: Sustainable Buildings SEPP
The NSW Department of Planning and Environment has released a new State Environmental Planning Policy (Sustainable Buildings) 2022. This new SEPP will encourage the design and delivery of more sustainable buildings across NSW and will commence on 1 October 2023.
The new State Environmental Planning Policy (Sustainable Buildings) 2022 encourages the design and delivery of more sustainable buildings across NSW. It sets sustainability standards for residential and non-residential development and starts the process of measuring and reporting on the embodied emissions of construction materials.
More information here
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