Keeping warm in winter is something many of us take for granted. However, for the eight million Australians who live in rented accommodation, it’s frequently out of their control.
Australian housing is generally inefficient, which means our homes leak heat in winter and cool air in summer, resulting in increased energy bills, added climate pollution and greater strain on the grid. Inefficient homes also cause harm – there is a growing and significant evidence base that a home’s thermal efficiency is a critical influence on physical and mental health. ECA’s Power Shift research underlined the critical relationship between housing, energy and residents’ health and wellbeing.
Supported by Energy Consumers Australia, Renter Researchers is a citizen-led science advocacy project designed to empower renters to use their own experiences to advocate for minimum energy efficient standards for rental properties. Led by community organisation Better Renting, participants tracked the indoor temperatures of their homes during the winter months and provided feedback on how the cold affected them and their health.
Better Renting is helping to give a voice to renters by strengthening the network of organisations working on issues related to housing, energy, and health. Better Renting has also been the recipient of an Energy Consumers Australia grant to advocate for minimum energy efficiency requirements for rental properties across the country. This has led to the establishment of a national coalition, Healthy Homes for Renters, which comprises more than 100 organisations united in their aim for minimum standards in all jurisdictions. Already, Victoria has moved by mandating insulation, draught sealing and energy efficient appliances, while the ACT has mandated insulation. Renter Researchers is an empowering and innovative knowledge-building exercise and comes off the back of a successful summer research project.
