Canberrans are among Australia’s greenest residents with the ACT scoring top spot in almost every category in the latest PropTrack Energy Efficient Housing Report exploring energy efficient homes across the nation.
The survey reveals almost two-thirds (65 per cent) of Canberrans view the energy efficiency of a home as ‘extremely important’, beating out all other states and territories.
The ACT also topped the country by having the highest rating of energy efficient new housing stock at 6.9 stars.
Only the ACT reported having a significant proportion (22 per cent) of properties able to meet the economically optimal rating of 7.5 stars or above.
In the past 12 months, the ACT had the most homes listed for sale on realestate.com.au that included at least one energy efficient feature.
Out of all Australian suburbs with the most listings that include a 7.5 or more energy efficiency rating, Forrest ranked number six and Coombs ranked number nine.
The top two reasons ACT property seekers searched for energy efficient homes are to reduce their energy bills (74 per cent) and to contribute to helping the environment (57 per cent). The most searched energy efficient feature by Canberrans is solar power (66 per cent).
PropTrack senior analyst Karen Dellow said, “Since 2013, new apartment developments and stand-alone houses have had to meet a minimum Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) rating of 6.0 as a baseline. In August, state and federal building ministers agreed to update the National Construction Code (NCC) to increase the minimum rating to 7 stars.
- New ACT homes will have seven-star energy rating (26 August)
- Should new homes require a 7-star energy rating? The ACT says yes (23 August)
“As new housing stock is built, the national and state level energy efficiency scores are increasing. Currently, the national rating is 6.2 while the ACT has the highest rating at 6.9.
“The requirement to declare the NatHERS rating in the ACT has had a positive effect on the level of importance buyers and sellers place on energy efficient housing.
“Energy efficiency is on property seekers’ minds, and currently demand is not meeting supply. Whether through a new build or a renovation, the opportunity for developers and homeowners to incorporate energy efficient features into their homes has only grown stronger in this last year.”
The report concludes ACT residents are leading the charge in energy efficiency, with the demand for efficient energy home features going through the roof.
Read more about sustainable homes in Canberra here:
- ACT Ministers open energy efficient home in Ginninderry
- Canberra sustainable homes: Rammed earth house
- Canberra sustainable homes: Kambah’s quirky modular
- Sustainable dream homes: Canberra’s Beach House
- Canberra sustainable home: The Banksia
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