Zero Emissions Residential - 2011

The work of the Net Zero Energy Homes initiative is now being carried out by the ASBEC Zero Emissions Residential Task Group, created in early 2010.

On November 15th 2011, the Task Group released the first component of its extensive action plan, in the form of the Defining Zero Emission Buildings - Review and Recommendations Report. With support from Sustainability Victoria, the Task Group commissioned the Institute of Sustainable Futures at UTS to conduct research into the local and international landscape around zero emission and low carbon buildings. The report proposes a comprehensive set of definitions, in support of the development of a common language for use across the built environment sector.

“Acknowledging the lack of clarity in this area, ASBEC’s Zero Emissions Residential Task Group has been working closely with ISF to produce a strong set of recommendations relating to a common language for low-emissions housing,” said Mark Allan, Task Group Chair, representing the Green Building Council of Australia.

Click HERE to download the Defining Zero Emission Buildings - Review and Recommendations report.
Click HERE to download the associated Media Release

For more information on the Zero Emissions Residential Task Group, click HERE to visit the Task Group page

The Second Plank Update Report 2010

This report updates the findings from ASBEC’s The Second Plank Report: Building a Low Carbon Economy with Energy Efficient Buildings.

The update report provides an economic analysis of the potential role the building sector can play in reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) through additional energy efficiency measures. It takes into account the Australian Government’s Renewable Energy Target (RET), policy measures and programs, and forecasts energy efficiency savings under both a Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS) and a non-CPRS scenario.

Download the Second Plank Update 2010 Report here

Cities for the Future: Transport Baseline Report - 2010

The ASBEC Cities for the Future Task Group commissioned the Cities for the Future Report that considered the relationship between GHG emissions, land use and transport. The report is stage one of a long-term project for the Task Group and it was launched at the Green Cities 2010 conference in Melbourne.

To be re-directed to the Cities for the Future Report, click here.

The Second Plank – Building a Low Carbon Economy with Energy Efficient Buildings - 2008

The ASBEC Climate Change Task Group (CCTG) commissioned economic analysis by the Centre for International Economics (CIE) to assist in stimulating discussion about the complementary role that energy efficiency can play in supporting the Australian Government’s Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS).  

The report produced, ‘The Second Plank – Building a Low Carbon Economy with Energy Efficient Buildings’ responds to the fact  that residential and commercial buildings (the building sector) are responsible for almost a quarter (23%) of Australia’s total greenhouse gas emissions. It estimates that the Government’s proposed CPRS will result in the building sector saving eight mega tonnes per annum of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG)– far short of the building sector’s full GHG abatement potential. 

Download full report The second plank – building a low carbon economy with energy efficient buildings pdf file 1.5MB 

Download Summary  ASBEC @ work 2nd plank report

Capitalising on the building sector’s potential to lessen the costs of a broad based GHG emissions cut - 2007

This study commissioned by the ASBEC Climate Change Task Group extended the Australian Business Roundtable on Climate Change (BRCC) analysis to include a more detailed analysis of the significant energy efficiency potential of the building sector.

Key Research Findings:

• The building sector is responsible for 23 per cent of Australia’s total greenhouse gas emissions, and energy use in buildings is rapidly growing.
• Electricity demand in residential and commercial buildings can be halved by 2030, and reduced by more than 70 per cent by 2050 through energy efficiency.
• Energy efficiency alone could deliver savings of 30-35 per cent across the whole building sector including the growth in the overall number of buildings out to 2050.
• Energy savings in the building sector (which accounts for 60 per cent of GDP and 23 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions) could reduce the costs of greenhouse gas abatement across the whole economy by $30 per tonne, or 14 per cent, by 2050.
• By 2050, GDP could be improved by around $38 billion per year if building sector energy efficiency is adopted, compared to previous economy-wide estimates of the 60 % deep cuts scenario.

Australia’s ability to achieve at least 60 per cent deep cuts in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 will be significantly enhanced by transforming buildings to deliver energy savings.

Download Report - Building Sector Potential - Sept13 pdf | 353 kB