30 Sep 2024
Sometimes it can feel like we are having a ‘two speed’ discussion about sustainable building in Australia. As the leaders race ahead to create long-term value from the net zero transition, others still see sustainability through a cost lens.
We have clear evidence that higher energy efficiency standards make buildings more comfortable, cheaper to operate and, especially in places like Western Sydney, safer in extreme weather conditions.
It is therefore concerning to see the NSW Productivity and Equality Commission’s review of housing supply challenges suggest that affordability and sustainability are “competing social objectives”. The recommendations to create a “pro-housing regulatory environment” include relaxing requirements for solar access. Are we really saying that consumers should decide whether they can afford to pay for sunlight?
As Clinton Skeoch, Executive Director and CEO of Australian Glass and Window Association (AGWA) said recently, “achieving 7-Star energy compliance for new homes isn’t as costly or complicated as projected in some public discussions”.
AGWA has found that implementing the 7-Star energy efficiency standards in the 2022 National Construction Code raised costs by an average of $4,300 per home, offset through energy bill savings of $326 per year. A far cry from the $40,000 claimed in some quarters. (You can read more on the AGWA’s research in this month’s Green Building Voice.)
Playing sustainability and affordability off against each other is a zero-sum game. By treating affordability in isolation, we risk creating homes that are like Berlin-bunkers: cheap and easy to construct today but uninhabitable in the future.
Instead, we need sensible policy that creates long-term value, like the NSW Government’s new Consumer Energy Strategy. We applauded the strategy’s release this month, because it makes energy-saving technologies like solar and batteries, and energy efficiency upgrades, accessible to everyone. Backed by $290 million in new funding, the strategy sets Australia's first targets for solar and battery uptake with an aim for one million households and small businesses to have access to both rooftop solar and battery systems by 2035.
The NSW Government’s ambition is achievable if we have better access to information to make empowered decisions. This month, we sat down with CSIRO’s Melissa James to chat about the RapidRate tool that uses artificial intelligence to estimate energy ratings for established homes. Developed in collaboration with CoreLogic, RapidRate will address knowledge gaps in energy performance data, giving banks the information they need to incentivise green finance.
With more than 5,500 Green Star ratings on the books, our dream of sustainability at scale is within reach. This month, we have opened consultation on changes to Green Star Buildings and invite your feedback to ensure the certification process continues to evolve. How can we continue to reinforce world leadership and incorporate new drivers for circularity, nature positive and net zero? How can we optimise our processes today to make room for more ambition tomorrow? Let us know.
The journey to net zero cannot be a race where some lead and others lag behind. It must be a collective effort. Together, we can reframe these two-speed discussions to ensure sustainability is seen not as a cost but as an investment in a unified goal of healthy, resilient, positive buildings for all.