About Sustainability Victoria

Sustainability Victoria's statutory objective is to facilitate and promote environmental sustainability in the use of resources. Established under the Sustainability Victoria Act 2005, SV is a statutory authority with a board appointed by the Minister for Environment and Climate Change.

Toby, thanks for joining us on The Blog Spot, could you tell us a little bit more about what the Healthy Homes program is?

We know from research in New Zealand that the average temperature inside houses can be down around 12 or 13 degrees. And we know that being too cold for three to four months over winter can be harmful to your health. So these are really important public health questions. People don't usually think of it like that. They think about renovating or upgrading their house as an energy efficiency, cost saving measure. But the way we like to think of a home upgrade is as a health measure, and in Healthy Homes our most important outcomes are health outcomes.

We're targeting vulnerable householders and doing a pretty straight forward package of interventions like better insulation, draught stopping and window covering.

Healthy Homes is a first in Australia. At one level, it can be seen simply as a government program. We're upgrading 1000 houses, with eligibility criteria around low income and chronic health needs. We're targeting vulnerable householders and doing a pretty straightforward package of interventions like better insulation, efficient heating, draught stopping and window covering.

You use less energy, you pay less in your bills and there's fewer greenhouse gas emissions. It's the ultimate package hitting several targets.

It can cost up to $3,500 per household, so it's not costing the earth and it makes households more thermally efficient and comfortable. You use less energy, you pay less in your bills and there's fewer greenhouse gas emissions. It's the ultimate package hitting several targets.

How can making your home energy efficient impact your health?

The interesting thing about the way we're doing our 1000 household upgrades is that we take 500 of them and upgrade the houses before winter, and they're the intervention group. For the other 500, we wait until after winter to upgrade their houses. Everyone gets the upgrade, but we have a winter period in between where we can compare how well the houses are performing.

We're hoping that when we get to the end of Healthy Homes, we can show that a simple, inexpensive intervention leads to better health outcomes. 

For the upgraded houses, we’re predicting warmer temperatures and healthier and happier people paying less in energy bills compared to the householders in the control group. We're hoping that when we get to the end of Healthy Homes, we can show that a simple, inexpensive intervention leads to better health outcomes. 

We need evidence on which to base our decisions and government policies, and a randomised controlled trial is the most reliable form of evidence.

We're aiming for the research gold standard. We need evidence on which to base our decisions and government policies, and a randomized controlled trial is the most reliable form of evidence. Once we have the evidence, we'll be able to make an informed argument about increasing Australian housing standards. When people think about their house, they should be thinking about their health right alongside.

What is the recommended temperature inside our homes during the day? And what does this mean for those experiencing vulnerability, especially during COVID-19?

After summarising all the research evidence, the World Health Organisation concluded that 18 degrees was a reasonable minimum indoor temperature to protect health in cold seasons. With regards to vulnerable people and COVID-19, this is relevant on a couple of fronts. Probably the most obvious being that when we're in lockdown, we're being told to stay at home. People are spending much more time at home than they normally do. So instead of having a warm work environment or a public library to visit, people are at home all day, every day and really experiencing the cold coming into winter.

There's plenty of people out there living in poor housing stock with not necessarily the means to upgrade it. So that's really what we're trying to help with.

There's plenty of people out there living in poor housing stock with not necessarily the means to upgrade it. So that's really what we're trying to help with. We're starting with the most vulnerable as it's going to particularly benefit them at this time when older people with chronic health needs are spending so much time at home.

Along the way we've had some great feedback from people who have had their houses upgraded and say things like 'I don't need to drag the portable electric heater into my room at night any more for those cold nights that really exacerbate my illness'

Along the way we've been having some great feedback from people who have had their houses upgraded and say things like 'I don't need to drag the portable electric heater into my room at night any more for those cold nights that really exacerbate my illness’. The idea is that we impact the lives of these vulnerable people in a really positive way.

How is New Zealand the benchmark for Healthy Homes in Australia?

When it comes to housing and health, the best model for Australia is New Zealand. In New Zealand the focus is not just on homeowners, but renters too. There are new rental standards in New Zealand for landlords that say your rental property has to reach a sufficient level of warmth and efficiency. It’s not just a cost-imposing layer of regulation, though. We know that the cost benefit totally works, with New Zealand research showing that every $1 spent on home upgrades can save up to $4 in health costs. With benefits not just to physical health, but also mental health and overall quality of life.

Resource links

• Effects of improved home heating on asthma in community dwelling children: randomised controlled trial click here
• Effect of insulating existing homes on health inequality: cluster randomised study in the community click here
• WHO 2018 guidelines on health and housing click here