ACT govt proposes insulation standards to help make Canberra rental homes more energy efficient

They covered the windows in bubble wrap, put heaters in each room, installed their own curtains and opened the doors to the kitchen when the oven was on.

But it still dropped to eight degrees inside their double-brick rental, while their energy bill totaled roughly $1400 over six months.

That situation may be about to change as the ACT government looks to make Canberra homes more comfortable and energy efficient under a proposal to enforce minimum standards for ceiling insulation in rental properties.

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It's the first step in the government's plan to introduce minimum energy efficiency standards for rental homes, which was announced in 2019.

The performance of insulation in Australian homes is rated by an R value - the higher the R value, the more effective the insulation. Under the proposed standards, rental homes with less than R2 ceiling insulation would be required to install or upgrade to a minimum of R5.

The regulations would be phased in over a time frame of between two and five years, and would apply to social housing properties as well as the private rental market.

Research conducted in 2019 by rental advocacy group Better Renting found approximately 43 per cent of Canberra rental properties had an energy efficiency rating of zero.

"These properties very likely don't have ceiling insulation and have basically nothing that protects you from the outdoor elements," said Better Renting founder Joel Dignam.

Mr Dignam welcomed the new standards but said additional measures such as draught proofing or curtaining, which were also considered by the ACT government, would be required for maximum effectiveness.

"Insulation is great at stopping heat going out through the roof, it's not going to do much to stop heat going out through windows or cracks. So there will need to be action there as well," he said.

Requirements for energy efficient heating appliances were also considered for the initial program but have not been implemented.

"There's a lot of people out there trying to stay warm, just running plug-in wall heaters, radiators," Mr Dignam said.

"There are tremendous benefits from actually giving people a much more efficient appliance and that can can make a big improvement to being able to stay in a healthy home."

It is estimated around 60 per cent of rental properties, particularly those built after 1997, would already be compliant with the proposed standard. Other properties, such as lower floor apartment or dwellings where insulation cannot be installed due to physical constraints or very high cost, would be exempt.

The cost of the upgrade would likely be placed on renters, however the ACT government's modelling found "even if rents were raised due to the cost of upgrading insulation, tenants would still benefit overall from reduced energy costs".

The government will support the roll-out of the new standards through the Vulnerable Household Energy Support Scheme, while support will also be provided for private landlords who provide housing to vulnerable and low-income households.

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Ms McConnell said the requirements would help renters who feel like they can't speak up for fear of being kicked out of their home.

"When we moved in, we were told quite explicitly that there was no heating and that there was issues with the building ... but that no repairs, except for urgent repairs, would be done," she said.

Ms McConnell said there is concerns from renters about "retaliatory evictions" or not receiving a reference if their landlord considered them difficult for requesting better heating or cooling.

ACT Greens leader and Minister Energy and Emissions Reduction Shane Rattenbury announced community consultation for the scheme is now open.

"We now want to further involve the community, particularly renters and rental providers, in charting the pathway to getting this new insulation standard in place," he said in a statement.

"We want feedback on a range of different issues, including on the timeline for phasing in this new regulation, and how the government can help with the transition and any safety assurances along the way."

Following the consultation process, the regulation is expected to come into effect in mid-2022.

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