Climate Action Merribek: people in Brunswick, Coburg, Fawkner and Glenroy wanting action on climate change

Call to Prioritise low-income housing energy performance retrofits in Budget2023

May 8, 2023 at 11:52 am John Englart Leave a comment

At Climate Action Merribek we understand the cost of living pressures, but also the climate emergency that means we need to change to renewables and increase energy efficiency. This is of great importance for those on low incomes and those people renting. Climate Action Merribek joined with over 90 other community, business and NGO organisations in a call for the Federal Government to Prioritise low-income housing energy performance retrofits in Budget2023.

“We welcome the Government’s development of an energy performance strategy as an important initiative. An ambitious home retrofit package, prioritising low-income household, as part of the strategy, would play a critical role in the energy transition supporting lower cost and faster energy transition, permanently reduce energy bills, and improve the health, wellbeing and climate resilience of people.”

“Direct government investment in deep retrofits for homes occupied by people on low incomes would build economies of scale and market capacity reducing the costs for all housing retrofits, while reducing poverty and inequality for the most vulnerable in our society.”

Joint Statement on Energy Retrofits in the Upcoming Budget

The statement outlines some basic survey statistics of people on low income:

• About 65% are cutting back on heating and cooling;
• 59% are limiting the use of lights
• almost 60% are going without essentials like food and medication to afford bills.
• This past summer, as many as 62% struggled to keep their home cool,
• 30% requiring medical care due to heat stress.

Here in Victoria we support the State Government introducing Cooling Standards for Renters, a campaign by Sweltering Cities NGO. According to analysis on the VCOSS website, we need to be Adapting to the scorching summers ahead. As Sweltering Cities executive director Emma Bacon said, “This is an urgent issue. We should not be waiting until there is a deadly summer and thousands of deaths before we actually start to take this seriously.”

Even now in Autumn 2023 there are indications that we may have an El Nino in the later part of the year. El Nino conditions increase the likelihood of extreme heat conditions and heatwaves. They may start earlier in the season at the end of 2023, be hotter, and last longer.

Want to get involved in the campaign for cooling standards for renters? Read the Sweltering Cities report: Second renters meeting sets campaign priorities for heatwave safe homes.

The Joint statement to Prioritise low-income housing energy performance retrofits was sent to Assistant Climate Change Minister Jenny McAllister, with copies to The Hon. Jim Chalmers, Treasurer; The Hon. Chris Bowen, Minister Climate and Energy; and The Hon. Julie Collins, Minister for Housing.

More to come…

References:

• Australian Council of Social Service, 8 May 2023, Push to retrofit low-income housing to reduce energy bills https://www.acoss.org.au/media-releases/?media_release=push-to-retrofit-low-income-housing-to-reduce-energy-bills
• VCOSS, 13 January 2023, Adapting to the scorching summers ahead. https://vcoss.org.au/climate-change-environment/2023/01/scorching-summers/
• Agence France-Presse, Wed 3 May 2023, The Guardian, UN warns heat records could be broken as chance of El Niño rises https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/may/03/un-warns-heat-records-could-be-broken-as-chance-of-el-nino-rises
• Sweltering Cities report: Second renters meeting sets campaign priorities for heatwave safe homes.

Entry filed under: Energy efficiency, Just Transition, news, Policy. Tags: Cooling, Cooling standards, energy efficiency, Federal budget, heathealth, Low-income, Renters, Urban Heat.