Home energy upgrades can help households reduce their energy bills and Australia’s carbon emissions. However, it’s not always easy for homeowners to identify the most suitable and cost-effective upgrade option, and this can lead to inaction.
BETA partnered with the Australian Government Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) to design and test interventions which empower homeowners to take action to upgrade their home’s energy performance.
BETA surveyed 13,797 Australians – testing 5 different policy interventions to gauge their potential for making a positive impact.
What worked
Survey results showed that making it mandatory to disclose a home’s energy rating on a sale/rental listing would help Australians make more informed decisions when buying, renting or selling their homes.
Survey participants said it was important to know the home energy rating of a property at the point of sale (86%) and lease (75%).
A survey experiment found that participants were more likely to inspect homes whose listing displayed high energy ratings. It also found that ‘sellers’ were more likely to choose upgrades that improved home energy ratings when told it was mandatory to disclose the rating in a hypothetical real estate listing.
Homeowner supports such as an online decision tool were also found to increase interest or confidence in making an upgrade decision.
This research has identified strong evidence of positive benefits to Australians and the environment if there were widespread implementation of mandatory disclosure of Home Energy Ratings. It also offers evidence to support improving online resources (decision tools, interactive information about costs, savings, and rebates) and using prompts that encourage people to use those resources.
The research results form a robust evidence base for policy development – to improve the energy efficiency of Australian households.
Read BETA’s full report or find out more about the Home Energy Ratings Disclosure Framework.