A new report by the Cooperative Research Centre for Low Carbon Living (CRCLCL) calls for a review of Australia’s energy efficiency policy.
The report claims this slowness to adopt new and efficient energy regulations to help combat the state of the Australian energy market has resulted in wasted expenditure as well as unnecessary CO2 being created.
The report also calls for immediate short term change in the form of updating the current regulations and long term being able to change what is currently being done, radicalizing the industry.
Energy efficiency policy research
The CRCLCL conducted its research by looking at Australian as well as global best practice and policy to compare between the two.
Once that was completed the organization looked at what are the best ways to optimize our current energy systems as well as what some of the potential barriers are.
In its findings the organization found that Australia was wary of adopting overseas policy models and policy review and updating were only discretionary .
Recommendations
In the short term the plan calls for the updating of energy efficiency policies and regulations in consultation with states, territories, local government, industry and the community. In addition to this designing and implementing the longer-term processes of market transformation that will enable a rapid transition to the low- and zero-carbon built environment of the future.
According to Philip Harrington who prepared the report, saying in a media release,
“One key reason we are falling behind is that we have not updated regulatory measures, such as minimum energy performance standards (MEPS) for buildings, since 2009, and they are not currently scheduled to be updated until 2019 or 2022.”
“Similarly, product and appliance standards have been largely frozen for many years, due to government-imposed processes such as regulatory offsets. The interests of consumers in high and cost effective standards is not being put to the fore.”
By implementing such methods it is hoped it will help us towards ambitious energy saving targets, energy saving schemes in the states as well a long-term trajectory to net zero emissions for all buildings. In addition to this institutional reforms to create an expert and independent body to undertake building research and policy analysis.
