Curtain call: basic energy upgrades may save households

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Australian homes could save over $1500 on their energy bills with a few simple home renovations – and potentially twice that amount by putting money into renewable energy technology.

But the potential savings worth more than $23.6 billion nationwide identified in the study are unlikely to be unlocked without financial support from the Federal Government.

A group called Renew Australia for All, made up of 65 environment groups, unions and community organisations, released its findings on Wednesday. They used analysis from Springmount Advisory to crunch the numbers on energy bills.

Their call to action comes just a day after federal Energy Minister Chris Bowen gave the green light for the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) to get cracking on solar projects, including investments in household solar panels and batteries.

While Australia tops the world in house solar panel installations, stats show seven million homes are still without solar panels, and 10.7 million homes don't have battery storage.

Sixty per cent of Australian homes also failed to meet the seven-star minimum standard for energy efficiency, achieving instead three stars or fewer.

Putting more money into renewable energy for Aussie homes will mean households can save a fair chunk of cash on their power bills, according to Smart Energy Council CEO John Grimes, and governments should be making it a higher priority.

"What we need to do is make homes more energy-efficient, and give people access to solar panels and batteries so they can keep their power bills down," he said.

This should be an easy decision for governments navigating a cost-of-living crisis.

The investigation, based on data from the CSIRO and Climateworks Centre, found average Aussie households could save about $1,579 a year on their power bills with basic home energy-saving upgrades, such as replacing gas hot water systems with electric ones, putting up thick curtains, or installing roller shutters.

Investing in solar panels and battery systems could save around $3039 per year on average and doing both upgrades nationwide could save up to $23.6 billion per year.

The Renew Australia group is calling for a "critical $5 billion investment" by the federal government to unlock some of the potential cost savings.

Financial subsidies would be particularly vital for renters and financially disadvantaged households, Uniting NSW advocacy head Alice Salomon said, as they were already struggling with difficult decisions over energy bills.

"It's just not fair that many people are having to make really tough choices every day about keeping their homes safe and habitable ... or putting food on the table for their family," she said.

All Australians, irrespective of where they reside, whether they're renting or have ownership of their property, or regardless of their socio-economic status, should reap the benefits of the energy transition.

Over four million Aussie homes have already got solar power systems set up, providing a whopping 25 gigawatts of energy capacity.

The call for more investment in household power comes after Mr Bowen instructed ARENA to consider funding solar panels and battery installation projects after striking a deal with crossbench independents in exchange for their support of Labor's Future Made in Australia legislation.

The agency has been asked to assess funding for initiatives in every state and territory, with trials based on the North Wollongong community electrification test project.