Significant opportunity to enhance Tasmania's ‘State of the State’ initiatives
22/Oct/2007
The Insulation Council of Australia and New Zealand (ICANZ) today welcomed Tasmania's response to climate change outlined in the recent 'State of the State Address 2007’ but said there are other important and cost effective initiatives that would assist Tasmanian's respond even more effectively to the impact of climate change.
Dennis D'Arcy, ICANZ President, said that the measures announced by the Premier will help householders deal with rising energy costs.
"The cheapest and most sustainable energy of all is energy that is saved and these initiatives can be substantially enhanced by government policy that assists in making the fabric of Tasmanian homes more energy efficient," Mr D'Arcy said.
The energy efficiency requirements for new homes in Tasmania has fallen behind some other Australian states where there are now mandatory 5 Star energy efficiency requirements, as well as government-funded incentive programs for retrofitting insulation into existing uninsulated homes.
Around 26 per cent of homes in Tasmania remain uninsulated and new homes are built only to a 4 Star level, when the National Building Code is at a 5 Star level.
During the life of a house (around 70-years), uninsulated energy inefficient homes are responsible for substantial energy leakage. They cause unnecessary additional energy production and costs and have a negative impact on the environment, the state’s economy and on the household budget.
Tasmanian's can save on average $255 per year on their heating and cooling bills. At an average cost of around $1200 for glasswool ceiling insulation, the insulation would pay for itself in four to five years and thereafter leave additional money in the family budget.
"With the effect of climate change on rainfall patterns, Tasmania is now faced with becoming a net importer of energy. Any measures to assist householders to save energy will help offset this added state expense,” Mr D’Arcy said.
Recent studies show that insulating all the uninsulated homes in Tasmania with just ceiling insulation would add $29 million in economic growth to Tasmania's Gross State Product (GSP), and provide an economic boost of $91 million to Tasmania's economy through increases in real private consumption.
In addition research by the international consulting firm McKinsey and Co found that almost a quarter of possible emissions reductions would result from measures such as better insulation in buildings that carry no net lifecycle cost.
Research here and overseas has also shown that energy efficient homes are more affordable, particularly for low-income earners and tenants and that homes with good levels of insulation improve the productivity, health and well-being of the occupants, delivering additional savings to burdened health systems.
“Retrofitting ceiling insulation will have a lifetime benefit and is one of the most practical, simplest, cleanest and cheapest measures to combat climate change. By insulating Tasmanian homes against climate change the state could benefit from significant environmental, social and economic gains,” Mr D’Arcy said.
