The Property Council of Australia has welcomed the combined statement from a coalition of consumer and welfare organisations calling for stronger action by COAG energy ministers on minimum energy performance standards for new homes.
Property Council Group Executive, Policy, Mike Zorbas, said improved energy performance in new buildings was a winning trifecta: it would reduce stress on the electricity network, deliver energy bill savings for householders and improve health and resilience outcomes for communities.
“We back the call for a trajectory toward zero-energy and carbon-ready homes that provides policy certainty for industry and underpins a least-cost pathway to a zero carbon built environment.,” Mr Zorbas said.
“Stronger energy standards for new buildings in the National Construction Code (NCC) could reduce household energy bills by up to $900 per-year per-household, cut energy network costs by more than $12 billion and deliver at least 78 million tonnes of cumulative emissions savings,” Mr Zorbas said.
Energy performance standards have not been meaningfully updated since 2010 and won’t be updated in 2019 for residential buildings. The next revision of the code will be in 2022.
“Australians want action on energy efficiency and support stronger minimum standards for new homes.
“Our industry can deliver these outcomes with a clear forward trajectory built into the Code.
“The property industry has set its own ambitious targets to improve energy efficiency and reduce emissions. Governments must also lead through consistent policies that promote improvement and encourage innovation,” Mr Zorbas said.
Source: Property Council of Australia