This is the second and final report for the Cooperative Research Centre for Low Carbon Living research project RP3038, Lower income barriers to low carbon living. The first report, Summary of focus group and survey findings, detailed the findings from our focus group discussions with lower income households across four Australian jurisdictions.

The research reported in this summary of findings identifies the financial and non-financial barriers that prevent lower income households from reducing their carbon consumption.This research is designed as a follow-up to the data mining exercise (CRC-LCL RP3001) conducted by Burke and Ralston.

This resource suggests that there are a wide range of financial and non-financial barriers limiting the ability of lower income households to address energy deprivation.

Academic interests into energy poverty have been growing since the 1990s. These have ranged from quantitative measures and qualitative reflections, as well as ones that aimed to provide more nuanced definitions. These studies have, however, typically focused on single jurisdictions or across national borders, with very few examining the issue...

The main objective of this rapid systematic review is to synthesise knowledge from secondary literature employing systematic review and meta-analytic approaches on the mix and effectiveness of policy and program options for improving the energy efficiency of the homes in which low-income households reside.

In the move towards low carbon living, the challenges faced by lower income groups are often overlooked. Recent rises in electricity costs disproportionate to income make this a more critical issue. Based on findings from focus group discussions with 164 lower income households and 18 stakeholders across 4 different climate zones in Australia, this paper reveals the barriers that lower income households face in improving their residential energy efficiency and in achieving low carbon living.

This paper presents preliminary findings of a recent research project on the barriers that lower-income households in four Australian cities – Sydney, Adelaide, Hobart, and Darwin – face in reducing their carbon consumption, and the impact of programs implemented by federal and state governments and support organisations to assist such reductions.

In the global push to lowering our carbon emissions by transitioning to renewable energy production and improving energy efficiency epitomised in the Paris Agreement in 2015, the importance of housing tenure to the adoption of low carbon living, particularly for those on lower incomes, is often not fully appreciated. Lower-income households are more likely to be renters on social benefits, and have limited ability to afford either the normally higher priced energy efficient appliances or access renewables due to the problem of split incentives.

This paper reveals the barriers that lower income households face in improving their residential energy efficiency and in achieving low carbon living. It puts forward policy suggestions on how some current assistance and incentive programs encouraging low carbon living could be adjusted.