Housing and sustainability: Bridging the gap between technical solutions and householder behaviour

Abstract

There are many technical innovations for reducing water and energy use in residential housing, predominantly for new homes, but also for existing housing stock (administered through renovations). Alongside this, householders can reduce energy and water use by changing their behaviour. Although Australian Bureau of Statistics data shows Australians are becoming more aware of water and energy use, overall demand is not decreasing. This is partly due to an increase in the number and size of homes, and growing numbers of single-person households. In light of this, and combined with the fact that Australia's population will continue to grow, the environmental performance of housing is becoming critical. Despite some technologies being readily available and the existence of government subsidies, uptake and usage of energy and water saving technologies is not widespread. Due to the prominence of climate change in the collective consciousness and the growing awareness of the potential financial impacts on households and communities (e.g. food and fuel costs), there is an expectation that people will change their behaviour. Technological solutions do not automatically or generally lead to reductions in energy use, nor is behaviour change inevitable - even with growing awareness