As NSW considers minimum energy-efficiency standards for rental homes, Renew has modelled what different levels of upgrades would mean for tenants’ comfort and power bills.
Its research finds that even basic improvements can make homes healthier, but may increase bills when renters begin using newly installed heating and cooling.
At the other extreme, an “excellent” retrofit costs substantially more while delivering only modest additional savings.
A “Goldilocks” package, that combines insulation, shading, efficient heating and cooling, heat-pump hot water and rooftop solar, could cut energy bills by between two-thirds and three-quarters.
Renew CEO Helen Oakey discusses what NSW’s standards should require, how the work should be financed, and why incentives alone are not enough.
