Phillipa Watson “Getting Bill-Smart: Outcomes of an energy efficiency project for low income...
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Transcript of Phillipa Watson “Getting Bill-Smart: Outcomes of an energy efficiency project for low income...
Outcomes of an energy efficiency project for low-income householders in Tasmania
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Presenter:
Dr Phillipa Watson
Research Fellow
Housing and Community
Research Unit
Social Sciences
Collaborating
researchers:
Dr Michelle Gabriel (UTAS)
Dr Millie Rooney (UTAS)
Dr Steve Watson (RED
Sustainability Consultants)
Anton Vikstrom (Sust. Living Tas)
FACULTY OF ARTS - HOUSING AND COMMUNITY RESEARCH UNIT 2
Tassie housing stock lets householders down
Ref: Google street view images from Greater Hobart houses
(downloaded 21/6/16)
‘Its like living in a field’
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LIEEP
Australian government grasped the difficulty
But how best to approach it?
Low Income Energy Efficiency Program
(2013-2016)
Supported 20 projects around Australia
Each was novel and testing a new approach
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20 projects
around
Australia
The GBS Consortia
FACULTY OF ARTS - HOUSING AND COMMUNITY RESEARCH UNIT 6
GBS aims
To reduce home energy use
To increase comfort
To understand the real effects
of different support approaches
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Direct approach
In-home education
Home energy assessment
Home upgrades
Tried and true
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Ref: Sustainable Living Tasmania Stay Warm Booklet
Community capacity building
Community engagement officer
Energy champions
Community events and activities
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Community capacity building
Sharing knowledge
Strengthening the capacity
of a community
Drawing on local expertise
in Champions
Bulk (n=500)
Billing data
Resident survey
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Detail (n=51)
Billing data
Resident survey
House condition observations
Temperature, humidity and
energy use sensors
Resident interviews
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Timeline
Key Findings
Energy and comfort changes households achieved
How our understanding of householders improved
Critical influences and trade-offs defining change
How findings inform future programs
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Changes households achieved
The direct home visit approach (upgrades and education) worked.
Capacity building alone did not work.
Home visit plus capacity building as a mix worked the best.
Around 65% of households decreased energy use between 2013 and 2015.
Home upgrade visits group had a 1.4 kWh/day average energy saving with payback of
10.3 years.
Home upgrade visits and community capacity building combined made 2.8 kWh/day
average energy savings with payback of 9.7 years.
All approaches saw an increase in time spent in ‘comfort zone’ – but this was
complicated by many factors.
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Saw changes in:
Energy use
Comfort
Thermal resistance of house
Everyday life influences
Heater use and change
Heater efficiency
Confidence in energy and comfort knowledge
Community connections
Health and wellbeing
Detail cases showed us there were many different influences affecting energy use.
This in-depth study provided us with nuanced understanding and explained why bulk
outcomes were what they were.
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How our understanding of householders improved
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Critical influences and trade-offs
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Energy versus cost, comfort and health
Mould/damp versus draughts (drying out)
Micro-politics in the home
Lifestyles
Radiant heat versus hot air
Moving versus staying-put
Hard wired versus plug-in heating
Ownership vs rent
Community networks and connections
Personal skills and priorities
If households saved energy
they often then used that
saved energy for some other
need.
If a household had a
comparatively higher energy
use before, even if they had
some reduction, they would
still have a comparatively
higher energy use after (and
vice versa).
Energy versus comfort
With houses not holding heat well…
So in many houses we saw heater energy use
having to increase to increase comfort.
Or, we saw people who saved heating energy
also reduced comfort at same time.
Heater types – heat pumps vs resistant vs
wood fire.
Heating thresholds affected by health and
mobility levels.
Affordability and uncomfortable housing.
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Other trade offs
(detail study data)
Overall
Future programs can mix in-home energy upgrade visits with modified
community capacity building activities.
Champions gave the project connection in the community and brought
important understanding of the community to the project design.
Housing is poor quality which makes change difficult.
We consistently measured low indoor temperatures.
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Goverment currently reviewing findings of
all 20 projects.
All 20 projects underlined that
organisational support is needed to
encourage energy related change in low
income communities (this will not happen
spontaneously or with unsupported
volunteers in the community).
Group of Energy Efficient Researchers
(GEER) has emerged from projects and
the group supports collaborative work.
GEER conference in February at
University of Woolongong.
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How findings inform future programs
Will advocate further for:
Improvement of thermal performance of existing houses.
Development of a long term energy efficiency program based on
findings.
Refinement of the community engagement within a long term energy
efficiency program.
Integration of health priorities with energy efficiency aims through all
policy initiatives.
Thank you!
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