The Australia Sustainable Built Environment Council (ASBEC), has today called for a new nationally consistent rating framework for housing sustainability.

ASBEC President Ken Maher said: “Housing is responsible for 13% of Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions.”

“Improving the sustainability of our housing stock is crucial to meeting Australia’s targets for emissions reduction.”

“At the same time, with energy costs rising, greater energy efficiency in our homes will improve the cost and quality of living for all Australians.”

Right now, there is no coherent national framework for rating housing sustainability. Instead, a plethora of ratings and measurement tools make things complex for industry professionals and incomprehensible to consumers.

“The industry is clear”, said Prof Maher. “We need governments to work with us to implement a nationally harmonised sustainability ratings framework for houses.”

Such a framework should consist of three key elements: minimum regulatory performance standards in new buildings; benchmarks for market comparison of best practice sustainability performance; and communication messages explaining the value of sustainability features to renovators and homebuyers.

The Council of Australian Governments’ National Energy Productivity Plan shows that there are huge opportunities to empower consumers if we improve way we rate and disclose the energy efficiency of our homes.

At the same time, the findings of the National Energy Efficient Buildings Project highlight that Australia is falling well short of its potential when it comes to the energy efficiency of our homes.

“We know the Turnbull government is committed to improving Australia’s built environment. The very welcome creation of Australia’s first federal ministry for Cities and the Built Environment showed that. Now it’s time to act on the building industry’s recommendations and deliver the right tools for measuring housing sustainability.” said Prof Maher.

Download the full media release here

Read ASBEC’s Policy Platform on a National Framework for Residential Ratings

Read ASBEC’s Discussion Paper on a National Framework for Residential Ratings