ICLEI Oceania joined a group of Local government Councils and other local government organisations from across Australia in a joint statement that calls upon Building Ministers from around the country to approve the first increase in energy efficiency standards for new homes in over 12 years.

In a recent article Dr Portia Odell, Director of the Cities Power Partnership pointed out that, “Australia is now ranked 18 out of 25 of the world’s top energy users when it comes to energy performance, sitting behind Spain, France, the UK, Germany, China, Poland and Mexico on energy efficiency building standards.” Director of ICLEI Oceania, Steve Gawler said, “It is critical to address demand management as well as supply, and this makes it essential to utilize more renewable energy and energy-efficient technologies.”

Countries that have focussed on improving energy efficiency over the last few decades are now enjoying lower consumer costs, lower fuel imports, and lower emissions. It is clear that improving energy efficiency can shrink the dependence on fuel imports, diminish energy price volatility and advance climate change mitigation efforts while simultaneously improving the health and cost savings of households everywhere. Better performing homes mean lower energy bills, healthy, resilient and safe homes for Australians and an easy and low-cost way to meet Australia’s commitment to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.

We need to be designing the policy environment that enables this future outcome immediately and local governments play a vital role in this transformation.