Australia on way to meet EEC targets

Adrian Joyce, Secretary General of Efficient Buildings Europe, has called on Australia to “stay the course” to accelerate home energy renovations to support energy-efficient electrification, protect vulnerable households and to strengthen the resilience of the electricity grid.

During his visit to Australia to deliver the keynote address at the Energy Efficiency Council’s Efficient, Electric Homes: Market Acceleration Summit in Sydney, Joyce said that despite strong headwinds, it was clear to him that the country was making strong progress and should not be afraid to continue pushing for highly ambitious renovation standards.

“It has taken tenacity, creativity and political courage to get the EU to where it is today. From what I’ve seen over the last week, Australia understands the policy needs and is well on its way to emulating our experience in Europe.”

The one-day summit explored how Australia can scale up retrofits across millions of existing homes to make them efficient, electric, flexible and powered by renewable energy, while improving their health, comfort and affordability.

This will help Australia to meet the targets identified by the EEC for the energy transition where Australia will need to electrify 2.4 million homes and improve the energy efficiency of homes by 25% by 2035.

Joyce said, “It is clear that the future of energy is electrification and the more we reduce energy consumption through energy efficiency, the easier and cheaper the transition will be. The stakeholders and policy experts I have met know this reality and now it’s time for the politicians to get on board.”

Joyce reminded the conference that beyond achieving lower greenhouse gas emissions, renovations to improve the energy performance of homes is “pure common sense”.

“Energy renovations of homes boost property value, reduce energy costs, and improve health and quality of life, particularly for the most vulnerable.”

Joyce outlined several lessons from the European experience in designing renovation programs that Australia could consider to ensure success, including:

• ensuring that programs are there for the medium to long term and not subject to annual budget cycles;
• that only certified installers can be used by beneficiaries of government incentives, to protect consumers; and
• accompanying programs with independent expert advice to demystify and streamline the process for building owners.
   

To back up this last point, he highlighted that a network of 68 ‘one-stop shops’ have been established in Portugal, helping homeowners there to access the support they need to upgrade their homes in a climate similar to many parts of Australia.

At the summit, Energy Efficiency Council CEO Luke Menzel launched the Efficient, Electric Homes: Market Acceleration Plan which outlines how the industry, government and community can work together to accelerate deployment, build trust and grow the market for the products and services that will deliver efficient, electric homes.

Menzel said Joyce’s keynote brought to the forefront the importance of having a coordinated national approach.

“If we want every Australian to live in a healthy and comfortable home, we need to rapidly scale the market for efficient, electric homes not just in pockets but across the country. The next five years are critical, and the Homes Market Acceleration Plan gives Australia the roadmap to move faster, build capability and lift every household into the clean energy future together,” he said.

Image credit: iStock.com/sommart