New homebuyers and the challenges of navigating sustainability and energy efficiency with Australian volume builders

摘要

The energy efficiency performance of new housing construction in Australia lags behind the developed world; with builders blaming homebuyers for their lack of interest and willingness-to-pay. This research investigates homebuyers' experience of building a new home to explore the barriers to implementation building a new home. Contrary to builders' perceptions and recent reports, the research found homebuyers want increased sustainability and energy efficiency; yet are not able to effectively achieve this due to lack of communication with the builder, poor information and limited options available. This study demonstrates that latent demand exists and volume builders should reconsider their communication and engagement with consumers.