Monash Sustainable Development Institute is working with CSIRO and five other universities to uncover how to overcome the barriers standing in the way of home energy upgrade programs.
At the 2024 All Energy Conference, Monash University’s BehaviourWorks Australia director and leading behaviour change expert, Liam Smith, said that energy efficient upgrades need to work in practice, for real people with real lives.
“When encouraging Australians to upgrade their household energy, we need to meet them where they are.
“Not all of us have the same income, technical understanding, or supporting infrastructure for energy upgrades so a one-size-fits-all approach won’t work. The role of the climate where a person lives is also a key factor,” Dr Smith said.
“Recognising and addressing the systemic, social and behavioural factors that influence how people actually engage with energy upgrades in their homes is critical.”
Dr Smith said the Monash-led Energy Upgrades for Australian Homes program will harness real-world insights from at least six place-based pilot projects conducted in diverse climate zones, building types and resident types across Australia.
“We will use this data to develop place-based strategies that will enable upgrades in 1 million existing Australian homes by 2030.”
