Local stories

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  Case study Owner-occupier Stonnington

  Alexandra makes simple changes based on a home energy assessment

  "It gave me a clear list of various upgrades and how they will affect my home's energy star rating. Some I can do immediately and some to work towards in time."

  Alexandra recently moved into her renovated 1930s art deco attached home in Prahran, along with her partner and their dog. As she had just moved in, she didn’t yet have a clear picture of what her energy use would look like, but she wanted to better understand how efficient her new home was and what improvements might be worth making over time to improve her comfort and reduce energy bills.

  Alexandra organised a home energy assessment through the Council Home Energy Program. “I thought it would be great to have a baseline and to get an idea of how to prioritise any improvements,” she said.

  The assessment was carried out by Cal from Ephe and took about an hour. Alexandra said, “Cal from Ephe was great, he explained everything very clearly and then went around measuring and looking into materials, sizes and equipment.”

  One of the biggest surprises for Alexandra was that her new home was already quite efficient. She had expected that bigger-ticket items like solar panels, batteries or double glazing might be the top priorities recommended after the assessment, but instead found that there were other, lower-cost upgrades that could make a big difference to her comfort and energy bills. “Some I can do immediately and some to work towards in time,” she said.

  Alexandra now plans to start with the recommendations from her assessment, beginning with improving the insulation in her roof. She also learned that there are plenty of simple changes that can help, such as switching to certain types of blinds, and adding weather-stripping to doors and windows.

  Alexandra found a lot of value in the process and has already recommended a home energy assessment to others, especially while there are rebates available in Stonnington.

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  Case study Owner-occupier Boroondara Video

  Jack learns how to improve the comfort of his new home with a home energy assessment

  "I had a bit of knowledge but not nearly enough to identify the things that would make the biggest impact to this specific house."

  Home energy assessment provides pathway to home comfort.

  Jack, a new homeowner in Boroondara, took an evidence-based approach to identifying the best place to start in improving his home’s year-round comfort.

  Jack moved into his new home over summer and noticed the house reaching uncomfortably high temperatures on warmer days. Then, when winter hit, Jack could see his breath in front of his face in the mornings and knew that it was time to make some changes.

  Jack decided to start with a home energy assessment through the Council Home Energy Program to get a better understanding of how his new home was performing.

  A qualified energy assessor, Cal, came to Jack’s home to assess the efficiency of his fixed appliances, examine the effectiveness of his insulation, identify places where draughts could be entering, and answer any questions that Jack had along the way.

  “The process for the Home Energy Assessment was really simple and very educational,” Jack said. “It considers a lot of things that I just hadn't thought of or checked really, like gaps between the doors.”
  Originally expecting Cal to recommend that he get solar or switch to new efficient appliances, Jack was surprised to hear that the top priorities for his home were draught-proofing and insulation, things that he hadn’t initially considered to be high priorities.

  “I had a bit of knowledge but not nearly enough to identify the things that would make the biggest impact to this specific house, and every house is going to be different,” Jack said. “Initially I thought solar was just the answer and I quickly learned that that wasn't going to be the case for us.”

  Jack decided to tackle the draught-proofing first, using a Council Home Energy Program supplier to take on the job. He had door seals and window seals added to his home to prevent unwanted draughts and heat transfer, and was also shown how he could seal up wall vents that were no longer required with a caulk gun.

  Now, a couple of months later, Jack is already enjoying the benefits of his newly draught-proof home.

  “I'd absolutely go back through the program again…it's been very easy.”

  Watch the video
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  Case study Owner-occupier Knox Video

  Rohan learns about his home with a home energy assessment

  "We've now got a bit of a to-do list to make our home more energy efficient and comfortable."

  Rohan has been living in his 1970s home in Knox for around five years, and was interested in finding out what improvements he could take on to make his home more comfortable and energy efficient. He had already made some changes including adding solar and external shading, but wasn't sure what to do next.

  He booked in a home energy assessment through the Council Home Energy Program and within a week of enquiring, Jarrod, a qualified home energy assessor from Enfort, was assessing Rohan's house to determine how he could best improve its energy efficiency. Jarrod looked at all of Rohan's windows and doors, inspected the roof and under the house to assess the ceiling and underfloor insulation, looked at all of the fixed appliances, and answered Rohan's questions along the way.

  Jarrod recorded measurements from Rohan's home and used these to present Rohan with a preliminary energy efficiency rating and an idea of which areas of the house Rohan could focus on to improve energy efficiency.

  "There was no part of a sales pitch in it at all. It was really just an 'educate and inform' process. It was really thorough."

  Within a few days, Rohan received a comprehensive 14-page report via email that described where his home was at and what could be done to improve it.

  "We've now got a bit of a to-do list to make our home more energy efficient and comfortable."

  Using the information in his home energy assessment, Rohan has decided to make some changes to his home, including replacing his hot water system with an efficient electric heat pump.

  When we asked Rohan what he would say to somebody considering a home energy assessment, he said that he'd love people to know that "It's worthwhile. You're getting a bit of a baseline assessment of where you are and it's all up from there." He encouraged people to "go ahead and do it!"

  Watch the video