Renovate or Rebuild

Chief Investigators

 Danielle Nilsson (CSIRO)

Purpose of project

‘Renovate or Rebuild’ is a reality TV show that encourages Australians to choose more sustainable building options and showcases more energy efficient homes. The show builds on research undertaken by the Low Carbon Living CRC in partnership with the NSW Government and CSIRO.

This project aims to understand what impact Renovate or Rebuild has on viewer attitudes, preferences, and purchases related to sustainable housing. It aims to understand the effectiveness of consumer engagement campaigns to influence shifts in demand for sustainable homes and the extent to which this show is successful in influencing an increase in desire for sustainable housing features.

Impact of project

Homes produce around 13% of Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions. We will need to construct up to 197,000 homes per year to meets the project housing demand of 41 million people by 2050. This provides a significant opportunity for the Australian residential sector to transition to net-zero emissions. Yet, industry has a perception that there is a small or limited market for sustainable homes. This perception limits investment in energy efficient designs and materials for new homes. Results from this research are expected to lead to changes in the offering of sustainable homes, as well as an increase in demand by consumers.

The project’s primary focus is on understanding the benefits and opportunties of mass marketing for housing sustainability. Modelling predicts that this project will result in 4.4 petajoules (PJ) of electricity savings, $307 million in household electricity savings, and a 1.4 megatone (Mt) reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.

Project partners – industry and research

CSIRO (Lead), NSW DCCEEW