Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Low-Energy Housing as a Means of Improved Social Housing: Benefits, Challenges and Opportunities

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Energy Performance in the Australian Built Environment

Part of the book series: Green Energy and Technology ((GREEN))

Abstract

Rising energy costs are significantly impacting low-income households. These households can struggle to pay their utility bills, and/or self-ration how much energy they consume which impacts on liveability within the home, such as the provision of appropriate thermal comfort. While incremental progress is being made in terms of improving the energy efficiency of housing in many developed countries, such improvements are typically inaccessible to low-income or social housing tenants. This chapter presents outcomes of a multi-year evaluation of a cohort of low-energy social housing from Horsham in regional Victoria, Australia. The analysis includes technical performance data and is supplemented with the occupants’ own stories about improved liveability outcomes. It is clear that the evidence supports aspirations by the state housing agency, which owns and maintains the housing, to move beyond their current minimum housing standards for new construction. A combination approach, whereby the thermal performance of the dwelling is improved, in addition to including renewable energy generation, will address several goals of social (or public) housing providers—namely improving quality of life, health outcomes, finances and poverty. In addition, such housing will help them achieve organisational or broader government sustainability goals such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions and fossil fuel energy consumption.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 109.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 139.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 139.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    One of the low-energy houses installed air conditioning during the evaluation period due to perceived health issues (they believed they were more susceptible to pneumonia due to their age and previous health issues). The monitored data before they installed the air conditioning suggested the dwelling remained comfortable over summer.

  2. 2.

    If assuming the Department received the solar feed-in tariff rates.

  3. 3.

    Government welfare payment.

References

  1. ABS (2015) 6523.0—household income and wealth, Australia, 2013–14. Australian Bureau of Statistics, Canberra

    Google Scholar 

  2. ACOSS (2013) Energy efficiency & people on low incomes. Australian Council of Social Service, Sydney

    Google Scholar 

  3. AIHW (2017) Housing assistance in Australia 2017. Retrieved 18 Nov. 2017, from https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/web/web-189/housing-assistance-in-australia-2017/contents/social-housing-tenants-1

  4. Australian Energy Regulator (2016) Annual report on the performance of the retail energy market 2015–16. Australian Energy Regulator, Melbourne

    Google Scholar 

  5. Australian Energy Regulator (2017) State of the energy market May 2017. Australian Energy Regulator, Melbourne

    Google Scholar 

  6. BCEC (2016) Energy poverty in Western Australia. A comparative analysis of drivers and effects. Bankwest Curtain Economics Centre, Perth

    Google Scholar 

  7. Berry S (2014) The technical and economic feasibility of applying a net zero carbon standard for new housing. University of South Australia

    Google Scholar 

  8. Berry S, Whaley D, Davidson K, Saman W (2014a) Do the numbers stack up? Lessons from a zero carbon housing estate. Renew Energy 67:80–89

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Berry S, Whaley D, Davidson K, Saman W (2014b) Near zero energy homes—what do users think? Energy Policy 73:127–137

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Boardman B (2012) Fuel poverty. In: Smith SJ (ed) International encyclopedia of housing and home. Elsevier, San Diego, pp 221–225

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  11. Chester L (2013) The impacts and consequences for lowincome Australian households of rising energy prices. University of Sydney, Sydney

    Google Scholar 

  12. DBEIS (2017) Annual domestic energy bills. Average annual domestic electricity bills for UK Countries (QEP 2.2.2). E. I. S. Department for Business. London, Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy

    Google Scholar 

  13. DHHS (2017) Social housing. Retrieved 18 Nov. 2017, from http://housing.vic.gov.au/social-housing

  14. EIA (2017) Short-term energy and summer fuels outlook. U.S.E. I. Administration. Washington, U.S. Energy Information Administration

    Google Scholar 

  15. Essential Services Commission (2016) Victorian energy market report 2015–16. Essential Services Commission, Melbourne

    Google Scholar 

  16. Farbotko C, Waitt G (2011) Residential air-conditioning and climate change: voices of the vulnerable. Health Promot J Austr 22(Spec No: S13–S16)

    Google Scholar 

  17. Hoppe T (2012) Adoption of innovative energy systems in social housing: lessons from eight large-scale renovation projects in The Netherlands. Energy Policy 51(Supplement C):791–801

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Jacobs Australia Pty Limited (2016) Retail electricity price history and projections—public. Jacobs Australia Pty Limited, Melbourne

    Google Scholar 

  19. Langevin J, Gurian PL, Wen J (2013) Reducing energy consumption in low income public housing: interviewing residents about energy behaviors. Appl Energy 102(Supplement C):1358–1370

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Marzouk M, Azab S (2017) Analyzing sustainability in low-income housing projects using system dynamics. Energy Build 134(Supplement C):143–153

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Moore T (2012) Facilitating a transition to zero emission new housing in Australia: costs, benefits and direction for policy. RMIT University

    Google Scholar 

  22. Moore T, de Haan F, Horne R, Gleeson B (2018) Urban Sustainability Transitions. Australian Cases—International Perspectives. Springer, Singapore

    Book  Google Scholar 

  23. Moore T, Ridley I, Strengers Y, Maller C, Horne R (2016) Dwelling performance and adaptive summer comfort in low-income Australian households. Build Res Inf 1–14

    Google Scholar 

  24. Moore T, Strengers Y, Maller C, Ridley I, Nicholls L, Horne R (2016) Horsham catalyst research and evaluation. Final Report. RMIT University, Melbourne

    Google Scholar 

  25. Pretlove S, Kade S (2016) Post occupancy evaluation of social housing designed and built to code for sustainable homes levels 3, 4 and 5. Energy Build 110(Supplement C):120–134

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Roders M, Straub (2015) A assessment of the likelihood of implementation strategies for climate change adaptation measures in Dutch social housing. Build Environ 83(Supplement C):168–176

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Santangelo A, Tondelli S (2017) Occupant behaviour and building renovation of the social housing stock: current and future challenges. Energy Build. 45(Supplement C):276–283

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Smith A (2006) Governance lessons from Green Niches: the case of eco-housing. In: Murphy J (ed) Governing technology for sustainability. Earthscan, London, pp 89–109

    Google Scholar 

  29. US EPA (2011) Energy efficiency in affordable housing. A guide to developing and implementing greenhouse gas reduction programs. Local Government Climate And Energy Strategy Series. Washington, United State Environmental Protection Agency (2011)

    Google Scholar 

  30. Victorian State Government (2007) K2 apartments technical report. Retrieved 05 Aug. 2017, from http://www.dhs.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/560964/k2_apartments_technical_report.pdf

Download references

Acknowledgements

The construction, research and evaluation of this project were funded by the Director of Housing, Victoria and are reproduced with permission of the Director of Housing. The author thanks the research participants (householders and stakeholders) who generously gave their time to this project, Becky Sharpe and Daniel Voronoff from the Department of Health and Human Services, Ian Adams from Organica Engineering and acknowledges the wider RMIT research team involved in the project: Yolande Strengers, Cecily Maller, Larissa Nicholls, Ian Ridley, Ralph Horne and Shae Hunter.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Sustainable Building Innovation Laboratory, School of Property Construction and Project Management, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

    Trivess Moore

Authors
  1. Trivess Moore
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Trivess Moore .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Property, Construction and Project Management, RMIT University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

    Priyadarsini Rajagopalan

  2. School of Property, Construction and Project Management, RMIT University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

    Mary Myla Andamon

  3. School of Property, Construction and Project Management, RMIT University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

    Trivess Moore

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Moore, T. (2019). Low-Energy Housing as a Means of Improved Social Housing: Benefits, Challenges and Opportunities. In: Rajagopalan, P., Andamon, M., Moore, T. (eds) Energy Performance in the Australian Built Environment. Green Energy and Technology. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-7880-4_7

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-7880-4_7

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore

  • Print ISBN: 978-981-10-7879-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-981-10-7880-4

  • eBook Packages: EnergyEnergy (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation