RP3016: 2016 Final Report & Associated Working Papers

This report and eight associated working papers are a deliverable for the Project RP3016: ‘Enhancing the market for low-carbon homes at point of sale and lease’ funded by the CRC for Low Carbon Living. This project is publicly known as the EnergyFit Homes Project: empowering consumers to recognise and value homes with better health, comfort and sustainability benefits and lower running costs.

The EnergyFit Homes Project seeks to develop a pathway for enhancing the market for energy efficient homes at point of sale and lease. The project takes a consumer-facing, end-user perspective to understand the most effective content, format, source and delivery of tools and other resources to engage the new and existing homebuyer and lessee market and drive a new value proposition in residential real estate. Using this information, the project will develop an Australian framework for a best practice voluntary rating system to measure and communicate energy efficient home performance at the point of sale and lease, and develop the business case and plan for implementation.

This report sets out the recommended implementation pathway and cost benefit analysis for a national voluntary disclosure system to measure, benchmark and effectively communicate information on the energy performance of existing homes, especially at the time of sale or lease. It draws on the eight earlier research streams from the project undertaken by CSIRO and Common Capital.