SUSTAINABLE HOUSING ROADSHOW

Deputy Premier and Minister for Infrastructure and Planning Paul Lucas will be in Cairns tonight discussing the new sustainability measures in the State Government’s Improving Sustainable Housing in Queensland.

If every household in Cairns replaced just one traditional incandescent light bulb with a compact fluorescent light, greenhouse gas emissions would be cut by 11,700 tonnes a year – equal to taking 13,000 cars off the road.

“Little changes can make a difference – hopefully this forum will open people’s eyes to the fact they can have a positive impact on the environment by making small changes,” Mr Lucas said.

Inefficient housing design and outdated building codes are also costing Queenslanders money in energy costs and taking a toll on the environment.

“A key element of the future of sustainable housing in Queensland is our past.

“A hundred years ago the old ‘timber and tin’ Queenslanders were designed and built for our warm weather. Home designs that work in the cooler southern states are often simply not suitable to our warmer climate and way of life”, Mr Lucas said.

Queensland has four different climate zones and we must tailor our housing types to suit the regional characteristics.

“Houses in the tropical far north should not be the same as those found in sub-tropical and coastal regions, the hot and arid western region or the warm, temperate Darling Downs.

“It’s important new homes are designed with the corresponding climate in mind and promote better indoor–outdoor connections like decks and verandahs.”

Between 2000 and 2007 there were almost 6,276 private dwellings approved for the Cairns area. Under the proposed measures there will be a requirement that all new homes built from 2009 meet a five-star energy efficiency rating.

“While this measure applies only to new houses, there are many practical things people can do to improve the sustainability of existing homes too which can provide savings,” Mr Lucas said.

“The single-most-effective measure will be the phasing out, from 2010, of electric hot water systems in existing homes in gas-reticulated areas at the time of replacement.”

Almost a quarter of Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions are generated by the energy requirements of the building sector, mainly housing.

The new measures being proposed would reduce Queensland’s emissions by over 3.6 million tonnes by 2020 (equivalent to taking over 720,000 cars off the road); and save 550 million litres of water over 10 years (or 220 Olympic-sized swimming pools).

There will be a display in the Cairns Central Shopping Centre from 4pm– 8pm tomorrow evening.

For more information, visit www.dip.qld.gov.au

Media inquiries: Matt Klar 0437 435 223