‘There’s no place like home. But if that home is cold, mouldy, expensive to heat … it can also be an incredible source of stress.’‘There’s no place like home. But if that home is cold, mouldy, expensive to heat … it can also be an incredible source of stress.’Last modified on Mon 13 Jun 2022 03.19 BSTs winter sets in, and temperatures plummet, it can sometimes feel as cold inside as it does outside. The reason for this is the poor thermal performance of houses in Australia.
Minimum building standards for energy and comfort in Australian houses lag far behind many regions. Fifty years ago, it was the oil crises of the 1970s that triggered the creation of building energy standards across Europe and North America, and a widespread switch to double-glazing, increased insulation and concern for energy efficiency. In Australia, it wasn’t until the 1990s that minimum insulation requirements emerged.
I know the feeling, shivers!
We used to live in a VILLAGE, in Germany and the insulation and the usage of sun exposure was so smartly designed that we turned off the heaters from 10 pm to 5 am with no issues while the outside temperature could be as low as -20 Celsius. We need to learn!
Couldn't agree more! I belive our home insulation statndards (does it really exist?) were copied from a 17th century document and we never even bothered updating it!
ChristineMilne I remember my apartment being insulated back in 2009 with the government scheme. Nothing has been done about it since then. Freezing during winter and terribly hot during summer.
When I was first elected to Tas Parlt in 1989 and tried to introduce compulsory insulation for new builds, it was condemned by Master Builders Association as elitist and an attempt to deny young people a home by increasing cost of new build. auspol
Built our first house in 2019, almost no guidance on AC or the benefits of double glazing Ended up getting gas ducted heating in the roof and Evap ducted cooling The latter is just daft in Victoria, so much atmospheric humidity that the system is almost pointless
OMG, double glazing has no place in a country as temperate as Australia. Its the lack of insulation that is the problem.
Yep. Aussie houses look great but that’s about it. So badly built.
anytime state gov wants to start building code developers r pushing back Just look at ugly unit towers They r surrounded by floor to ceiling glass with little insulation value It always comes down at minimal cost max sales value They treat buyers like dirt
. Health science that neglects healthy housing results in higher downstream workloads, more preventable disability, lower health equity and accelerated global heating. .
Just put a jumper on when it is colder - problem fixed
Our house is fully double glazed and insulated - keeps reasonably warm.
no no no, we need to be thinking about how to get more people into cheaper houses, not making them more expensive for less people to feel snug & cosy. After folk are in & their life's circumstances improve then they may afford an upgrade & better insulate their happy home 😀
Italy's Superbonus scheme, referred to in the article, has been rorted by wealthy home-owners. It is difficult to design a rebate scheme that primarily benefits low and middle-income renters and home-owners.
Retro fitting for improved energy efficiency could be tied to tax rebates or rent caps, too. If a landlord, (looking at you NSW Dept of Housing) leases out an energy inefficient home, rent rebates could be required until a standard is attained.
I have been saying that for years!!! Our building standards of deplorable