How will consumers be impacted by the gas crisis?

An expert from RMIT University is available to comment on the current gas crisis in Australia, how it will impact consumers and what consumers can do to mitigate rising costs.

Dr Nicola Willand (0403 692 051 or Nicola.willand@rmit.edu.au)

Topics: residential energy efficiency, healthy housing, energy poverty, energy justice, retrofits. 

“The gas crisis will have uneven consequences on the health and wellbeing of Australians. Low-income households and renters are likely to be hit hardest. Low-income households may already feel the impact of increased housing and living costs and may need to choose between meat and heat. Renters will be particularly disadvantaged: they tend to live in less energy efficient homes than owner occupiers, are often on a low income, have little choice in suitable properties and lack the agency to retrofit their homes.

“Fear of rising gas prices is also likely to lead to reduced heating in many households. Cold homes can lead to mould, respiratory and cardiovascular illnesses,an increase in infectious diseases and avoidable winter deaths. Bill anxiety can also cause mental health problems, and people may stop inviting friends over to their house, which can lead to social isolation.

“One of the underlying problems for the crisis is the poor quality of our housing stock. Well-designed, energy efficient homes are resilient to energy price fluctuations. Instead, Australian homes are notoriously leaky, uninsulated and have been likened to “glorified tents”. While there are some energy efficiency requirements for new housing, there are no standards for the quality of existing homes.

“Investments in home insulation and efficient appliances are needed urgently to reduce residential energy demand and increase energy security. Insulation is one of the most cost-effective retrofit measures, however, insulation is rarely subsidised. Other long-term initiatives may include minimum energy efficiency standards for rental homes, targeted retrofit subsidies and access to solar power for vulnerable households, social housing retrofits, more effective energy concessions and better information tools, such as disclosure of home energy ratings for existing dwellings.

“To address this immediate crisis, everyone can and should play a role. We can ensure energy efficiency in our own rental properties. We can watch out for signs of energy hardship among family members and friends, for example cold rooms and mould behind curtains. We can help family members, friends and neighbours with simple, inexpensive retrofits like draught proofing strips and curtains with pelmets. We can help people with limited internet skills or problems with vision or hearing to negotiate the best energy contract - one phone call can save hundreds of dollars. And we can provide shelter and warm food during cold spells.”

Dr Nicola Willand is a Senior Lecturer in the School or Property, Construction and Project Management at RMIT University, where she teaches on sustainable and energy efficient buildings and the links between housing and health. 

Her research focuses on how housing outcomes are shaped by the intersection of dwelling quality, householder practices and the structural, geographical and social contexts. With her work she aims to develop strategies that will minimise environmental impacts and life cycle costs while maximising health and social equity in the built environment. 

She is a Chief Investigator in the Australian Research Council Linkage grant ‘Household energy efficiency transitions (HEET): Scaling up affordable urban retrofit’ and has led several projects on energy poverty in Australia. She is a member of the RMIT Centre for Urban Research and the Sustainable Building Innovation Lab.

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