Smart Cooling in the Tropics (SCIT) was a project whose main goals were to create energy savings and improve human thermal comfort in low income households located in Darwin, Australia. The project was funded through the Australian Government’s Low Income Energy Efficiency Program (LIEEP). The attitudes and behaviours of the 476 participants were investigated through a series of surveys.

Here, the authors demonstrate the feasibility of industrial application of low carbon supplementary cementitious materials (i.e. geopolymer concrete) by investigating the durability performance of eight years aged reinforced geopolymer concrete structure exposed to ambient environment.

This study introduces a framework for synthesizing building and transport energy consumption data with the Local Climate Zones (LCZs) classification system. Drawing on preliminary results, we explain how this approach can provide opportunities for standardizing urban carbon accounting.

Numerous mandatory energy efficiency building standards and rating systems have been developed globally. The International Passive House Standard is a voluntary alternative, but there is little data on the performance of houses built to this standard in Australia.

As part of the Integrated Carbon Metrics project, which comprehensively quantifies embodied GHG emissions related to the built environment in Australia, this contribution evaluates construction material replacement scenarios at the economy-wide scale.

The purpose of this paper (parts I and II) is to examine the socio-technical factors that affect urban food production and associated energy, water and waste services. Part I introduced the growing role of prosumers, discussed the context of the human relationship with food and demonstrated how citizens’ choices and actions regarding food consumption and production in urban settings are shaped by the economic, cultural and infrastructure systems in which they live.

The human relationship with food is an under-acknowledged contributor towards climate change and environmental degradation. However, citizens’ choices and actions regarding food consumption and production in urban settings are shaped by the economic, cultural and infrastructure systems in which they live.

The feasibility of solar-powered multi-effect LiBr-H2O absorption chillers is investigated under different climate conditions, and three configurations of solar absorption chillers are proposed with respect to the type of the chiller. In the first configuration, a single-effect absorption chiller is coupled with evacuated tube collectors (ETCs), while parabolic trough collectors (PTCs) are utilized to run double- and triple-effect LiBr-H2O chillers in the second and third configurations, respectively. A simulation model for each configuration is developed in TRNSYS 17 environment.

There is concern that rising electricity prices in Western Australia have a particular impact on the standard of living for those with fixed incomes. One group thought to be particularly affected are senior citizens. This paper describes a trial that assessed the impact of SMS tips and voltage optimisation units (VOU) on the ability of low-income, senior citizen households to conserve energy. Baseline electricity consumption data was collected during 2014, and in 2015 electricity use interventions were conducted in 127 households.

Drawing on evidence from a mixed methods retrofit intervention trial of the homes of low-income, older and frail people in Victoria, Australia, this study explored practices of heating and keeping warm in terms of equity and health. In most homes, heating restrictions led to inadequate indoor temperatures. Adaptation practices increased householder resilience, however, some technical responses presented safety risks. Low-cost retrofits did not eliminate underheating and had little effect on householder practices.

This paper presents a multi-method (interviews, cost-benefit analysis, technical monitoring) longitudinal evaluation of ten social housing dwellings in Horsham (Victoria, Australia), including four low-energy and six control houses.

Recent research has found that low-emission buildings do not necessarily meet their full theoretical energy saving potential and one of the reasons for this discrepancy is related to occupancy. Inside the building, users interact with technologies and are influenced by everyday practice and subsequent behaviour.This research aims to unravel the...