20 February 2026

The Australian Sustainable Built Environment Council (ASBEC) welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry into Renewable and Affordable Energy for Apartments.

ASBEC strongly supports the Inquiry’s focus on improving access to renewable and affordable energy for people living in apartments and multi-unit dwellings. Achieving this outcome, however, requires an integrated approach that addresses not only access to renewable generation, but also the underlying energy performance of apartment buildings themselves. Delivering renewable and affordable energy for apartments requires a whole-of-system approach that reduces energy demand, improves building performance and expands access to shared renewable infrastructure.

ASBEC urges the Committee to recognise that thermal efficiency is the most reliable and equitable foundation for energy affordability, and that policy settings should prioritise high-impact, whole-of-building solutions over fragmented or low-yield interventions.

Read the full submission here