Low income renters struggle with energy costs, says AHURI
Almost half (40%) of renters experience energy hardship, according to new research from the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI).The research found that renters with low income, existing health issues and most concerningly, living in poor conditions, were the most vulnerable and more likely to experience financial hardship with their energy expenses. However, Dr Lyrian Daniel from the University of Adelaide believes that as energy hardship can have many faces, it’s difficult to determine the most effective way to help renters. “One of the big problems is that there is no agreed definition of how the community measures energy hardship,” he said. “It is critical that we’re able to capture and then monitor the different factors that lead people into energy hardship overtime so that effective policy responses that catch people before they experience deep and long-term disadvantage can be developed.” The quality of dwellings is said to be a major concern for renters trying to reduce energy costs, as 18% of public renters and 14% of private renters were unable to stay warm during winter. Tenants also felt limited by the options they have to improve the heating efficiency of their apartment, as many landlords didn’t value making energy efficient upgrades to their investment properties. “One strategy we propose is that landlords could be ‘incentivised’ to improve their houses’ energy efficiency and performance over time” Daniel said. “This could be done through landlords being able to claim tax rebates or other financial assistance so that appliances, such as old, inefficient hot-water services, could be upgraded to more energy efficient models instead of replaced with ‘like-for-like.”
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