CSIRO Launches Australian Housing Data Portal to Track Energy Efficiency Progress

CSIRO has launched the Australian Housing Data portal, a comprehensive resource designed to give homeowners, industry stakeholders and policymakers greater insight into Australia's journey towards energy-efficient, low-emission dwellings.

The portal features interactive dashboards that draw primarily from data collected through the Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme's Universal Certificates. The Universal Certificate is the assessment pathway used by the vast majority of new dwellings in Australia to comply with energy efficiency requirements set out in the National Construction Code.

Comprehensive Data Coverage

According to CSIRO, approximately 130,000 certificates are added to the database each year, with the dashboards updated monthly. This provides a current snapshot of Australia's residential building stock and how it's performing in terms of energy efficiency.

The portal allows users to select their state or territory and dwelling type to view average energy rating results over the last 12 months. Data includes average NatHERS star ratings, dominant construction systems used, and internal dwelling areas.

State-by-State Insights

Recent data shows variations in energy efficiency across Australia. Nationally, houses achieve an average rating of 7.0 stars out of 10, whilst apartments average 7.3 stars. Western Australia leads in apartment performance with 8.0 stars, whilst the Northern Territory shows the lowest house ratings at 6.4 stars.

The dashboards display both houses and apartments separately, recognising that different dwelling types have distinct energy performance characteristics and construction methods.

Source: CSIRO Australian Housing Data