Sustainable social housing retrofit? Circular economy and tenant trade-offs
While new laws came into effect requiring all new housing to have a 7-star energy efficiency rating, our nation’s ageing social housing stock remains among the least energy efficient of all homes in Australia, contributing to significant carbon emissions.
Many social housing providers have retrofitting projects that aim to improve energy efficiency and physical and mental health outcomes for the occupants of these homes, however new Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI) research reveals a disconnect between the focus of these projects and the upgrades residents would prefer.
The research, ‘Sustainable social housing retrofit? Circular economy and tenant trade-offs’, undertaken for AHURI by researchers from the University of Adelaide and RMIT University examines the difference between the preferences of tenants and the broader requirements of the social housing providers, such as their legal obligations, budget limitations and desire to improve sustainability.
Key Points
- Retrofit is often used as a strategy to improve dwelling performance but often not linked to minimum quality and dwelling condition considerations.
- There is limited understanding of what tenant households prioritise for quality, condition and performance—and tenants’ retrofit preferences are different to the priorities of housing providers.
- Recipients of retrofit programs prioritise liveability and affordability over energy efficiency and circular economy (CE) considerations.
- Social housing providers face challenges to balance their business obligations with their social obligation to help their residents.
- Retrofit program.
The Report
Sustainable social housing retrofit? Circular economy and tenant trade-offs is available to be read.
