The Andrews Labor Government has finished a trial of Australia’s first home energy efficiency rating tool, which has been specifically designed to help Victorians save on their power bills.
The Residential Efficiency Scorecard has been tested in 45 homes in Melbourne’s northern suburbs during a three month trial, which began in January.
The Scorecard is a cloud-based web app used on a tablet, such as an iPad, which gives households a star rating out of ten for their home’s energy costs. The higher the star rating, the more energy efficient a home is and the lower the energy costs.
Expert assessors use the Scorecard to enter information about the fixed features of a home such as heaters, air conditioners, hot water systems, wall and floor materials, insulation, windows and solar power systems. They can then generate an overall energy efficiency star rating and certificate on the spot.
The certificate breaks down how much energy is being used on heating, cooling, lighting, hot water, pools and spas – as well as what proportion of energy is renewable if a home has solar panels.
It includes a hot weather efficiency score that rates whether the home will stay comfortable during hot weather. It also provides specific advice for the householder on how they could change their home to make it more energy efficient to help save on energy bills.
Many of these upgrades, such as high efficiency heating or seals for doors and windows, are covered by the Victorian Energy Efficiency Target scheme, which allows householders to buy them at a discounted price.
Results from the three month trial found:
- The average energy efficiency rating of Melbourne homes in the trial was 3 stars out of a 10 star rating
- Heating was the largest cost for most homes (78 per cent) followed by hot water (22 per cent)
- The majority of homes were assessed to be uncomfortable in hot weather (85 per cent)
- The majority of householders could save money by improving the efficiency of their heating and sealing up gaps (65 per cent)
- More than half of householders could be more comfortable in summer if they installed external blinds and sealed up gaps and cracks (55 per cent)
The Scorecard will be officially launched later this year.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Energy and Resources Lily D’Ambrosio
“The Residential Efficiency Scorecard gives householders an easy way to understand how energy efficient their home is and where they can make improvements to help save on energy costs.”
“The Scorecard is the first of its kind in Australia, which we’ve developed as a way to help Victorian households save on their energy costs.”
Reviewed 19 August 2020