Kids sleeping in beanies: Call for rentals to have higher energy standards

The Tenants Union has lodged a submission with the Inquiry into Energy Prices in Tasmania which hopes to understand what factors are affecting energy prices for households and businesses in the state.

It comes after a year of sky high electricity prices with analysis from the St Vincent de Paul Society saying that Tasmanian households would pay between $235 and $265 more for electricity this year compared to last year.

The Tenants Union's Principal Solicitor Ben Bartl said Tasmania's minimum standards have fallen behind other Australian states.

Victorian rental properties are now required to have energy efficient appliances installed for water supply, electricity or gas, Mr Bartl said.

"And in the Australian Capital Territory all rental properties are required to be installed with ceiling insulation."

"Strengthening energy efficiency minimum standards in all Tasmanian rental properties will put downward pressure on energy costs whilst at the same time improving living standards for renters," Mr Bartl said.

The Tenants Union submission cites a World Health Organisation recommendation for a healthy indoor temperature between 18 and 24 degrees celsius.

However a study from Better Renting showed that Tasmanian participants were living in rental properties below the WHO healthy temperature range for 21 hours of the day.

A Better Renting study carried out in summer found that Tasmanian participants were spending around one third of the time in rentals with temperatures above 25 degrees celsius.

Research from the University of Adelaide and the University of South Australia showed that the internal temperatures of Tasmanian homes were the coldest on average of all temperate Australian states.

The team measured the internal temperatures of 100 Australian homes - 20 of which were in Tasmania. They found the average internal temperature was 15.7 degrees, well below the standard set by the WHO.

The Tenants Union submission said household energy prices have increased by around 22.5 per cent since July 2022 and renters, particularly those with least capacity to pay, live in poor quality housing that is expensive to heat and cool.

"We strongly believe that all rental properties should meet basic energy efficiency standards which minimises the amount of energy required to heat or cool a home," it said.

"Minimum energy standards for rental homes, including insulation, appropriate heating and cooling and energy efficient appliances will ensure that renters across Tasmania benefit from healthier homes and lower power bills."

The submission said that of the states that require window coverings in their minimum standards, Tasmania is the only state "that has expressly excluded window coverings from social housing properties."

Window coverings play an important roles in minimising heat loss, the submission said, and 40 per cent of a homes heating is lost through windows that do not have window coverings.

Beyond Australia, New Zealand requires rental properties to have a certain level of heating capacity and with ceiling and underfloor insulation.

"Similar standards should be adopted in Tasmania which has a broadly similar climate to Victoria, the ACT and New Zealand," the submission said.