Susan Templeman MP supports Passivhaus in Parliament
Sue Templeman MP supports the benefits of Passivhaus and recognises APA member Blue Eco Homes in Parliament
13, February 2023
Sue Templeman MP, extended her support to Passivhaus whilst recognising the work of APA Members Blue Eco Homes in Parliament on February 13, 2023.
In her speech, she recognised how the decade-long lack of action has impacted Australia’s global standing in energy efficiency and climate impact highlighting concerning outcomes such as Australia ranking behind third-world economies for energy efficiency.
As an individual who has been impacted by climate change through the bushfires, she has personal experience as to why action matters, and how building back better has provided benefits that extend beyond her initial expectation.
Her speech outlines the environmental and health benefits of Passivhaus and our opportunity to do better while recognising the work of our members Blue Eco Homes.
“It is there has been a decade of a lack of action on these matters.”
“Well, right now we're ranked at the bottom of the list for energy efficiency when it comes to the housing of the top 25 countries for overall energy consumption. Australia ranks 18th for efficiency or the amount of unnecessary wasted energy lagging behind economies like Mexico, Turkey, India and Indonesia.”
“When my house burnt down in a bushfire in 2013, the rebuilding we were able to do some things that we weren't able to do when we first built that house in 1990. And I've seen the benefits of having thicker windows now. Mine weren't actually a choice. Mine were mandated under the bushfire building codes, but the skyscraper windows that I have to create a much more energy-efficient environment for us. So I've lived those benefits.”
“I'm not going to recommend that as a pathway for other people to enjoy greater energy efficiency by any means but it certainly means that I would like to see that open to a whole lot of people to do retrofitting,or more to the point, when we're building places to be able to build things that are more efficient.”
“One of my local community builders, Blue Eco Homes has in fact been leading the country in building passive homes which have improved fresh air. They're great for people with health problems, including asthma. There they have carbon zero status. They have a reduced carbon footprint because they're using less energy, they're using sustainable materials, they're doing waste management on-site energy efficiency, efficient appliances and water efficient tap care, and Joe and Merylese have been recognised across the country for the work that they are doing.”
