Australians could cut power bills by 90% if they made their homes more energy efficient, report finds

It took me a year to get a room sized crack in the roof fixed (and 2 months with zero roof in the living room). I can't imagine preventive or improvements to where I rent.

What is really needed is housing reform and the end of investments on properties. Homes need to be for living, not earning.

Just another example of the externalities of capitalism. Because housing is focused on maximizing profits for the few, instead of housing quality and security for the population, the already extorted renters spend 10x more on energy, which also means dramatically more spend and e-waste for bespoke/temporary appliances, and the greenhouse gas emissions required for all of it.

Assertion misses the point: Most Australians whose homes need to be made more energy efficient, are renting

I think the 66% still out number the 30% when it comes to needing to be made more energy efficient, most people even who own their own homes don't have solar batteries, induction cooktops, heat pump hot water etc

As of recent data, approximately 66% of Australian households own their homes, either outright or with a mortgage

The rental market has seen an increase, with about 30.6% of households living in rental properties as of the latest census data2

From the report:

Despite the financial attractiveness of household energy upgrades, many households including renters or those on low incomes have no ability to undertake upgrades. Furthermore, even consumers who can invest in household energy upgrades are subject to “bounded rationality” – a barrier that is often overlooked by energy efficiency policies.

Increasing minimum energy performance standards to encourage a shift from gas or inefficient electric appliances to efficient electric alternatives is a compelling solution. New legislation to phase out gas hot water systems in Victoria presents one example of an approach to achieve this, and there is an opportunity to reinvigorate the federal Equipment Energy Efficiency programme.

In the near term, financial incentives play a critical role to reduce the upfront cost hurdle for consumers and scale up the industry capacity to deliver upgrades. However, the current approach to incentives is piecemeal.

Victoria and New South Wales have implemented broad-based incentives for household energy upgrades, but there is a case for more comprehensive national versions of these schemes to be rolled out, which could be complemented with specific state government schemes where they would bring further benefits.

Pricing reform is not the sole solution, but it is nonetheless critical to ensure consumers have access to fair electricity plans that reward their contributions to the grid, without imposing unrealistic expectations on consumers to become energy traders.