RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT PROFESSIONALS ATTITUDES TOWARDS, AND EXPERIENCES OF, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN AUSTRALIA

The energy used by Australian buildings account for around 20% of Australia's greenhouse gas emissions, shared fairly evenly between homes and commercial buildings (DEWHA, 2009). , According to McKinsey and Company (2007) improving energy efficiency of buildings and appliances is the most cost effective way of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. A new National Strategy on Energy Efficiency released by the Council of Australian Governments in July 2009 aims to accelerate energy efficiency measures in buildings. About three-quarters of spending on buildings, over the last five years, have been on dwellings which have a mean asset life of 88 years for brick homes, and 58 years for timber homes. The remaining 27% of spending on buildings has been for non-residential buildings. Commercial and industrial buildings are considered to have a 38-58 year life (DEH & AGO, 2006, p. 23). These figures show the importance of a focus on the residential sector due to the size of the spending and the longer life of these buildings compared to the non-residential sector. This paper outlines the results of research carried out in Australia in 2009. A nation-wide survey was conducted of householders to identify their attitudes towards climate change and the drivers and barriers towards energy efficiency in the home. Part of this involved determining their lifestyle choice in terms of house size and location; the types and usage of electrical appliances selected; the motives behind these choices, and their user behavior as related to energy consumption. The results from this survey will help to identify methods that encourage behavior change and increase the uptake of sustainability practices to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in new and existing residential buildings.