HEAL Home reimagines healthier, lower‑energy housing

Homes play a pivotal role in household health and wellbeing, particularly as cost-of-living pressures rise.

However, much of Australia’s current housing swings between too cold or too hot, with coolth and warmth leaking through gaps and uninsulated walls. This leaves people paying more in household bills for less comfortable, less healthy homes – all while driving up carbon emissions.

The solutions to upgrading homes are known, tried and tested, yet remain underused. Australia’s homes represent a major opportunity to improve climate, health and cost-of-living outcomes.

Climateworks Centre’s HEAL Homes will bring partners together to show how better homes can deliver triple benefits: lower emissions, lower bills and improved wellbeing. The project will support communities at a critical moment for household budgets, housing affordability, and emissions reduction.

Why Australian homes need urgent attention

Climateworks’ existing research shows most Australian homes are energy inefficient.

Many homes are poorly insulated, leaving people vulnerable during extreme heat days and cold nights.

A significant share of families are still using gas indoors, exposing them to harmful pollutants known to worsen lung disease, including asthma. In fact, we know around 70 per cent of homes are not energy efficient, and over half of homes are still on gas for at least one appliance, for example cooking or heating.

Homes fundamentally shape people’s health and quality of life, influencing temperature, air quality, comfort and stress levels.

These health impacts are not evenly distributed, with low-income and vulnerable households more likely to experience energy hardship and related health risks.

Homes also shape financial security. Australia’s existing homes are long-lived assets, and upgrading them now can deliver bill savings from day one, and lasting health benefits.

People, families and communities can live in homes that are safer, healthier, and more affordable to run for generations to come.

How HEAL Homes can improve the liveability of Australian homes

The HEAL – Healthy, Efficient, Affordable Living – Homes project will show how upgrading homes can improve people’s everyday living conditions, health, wellbeing and financial security while also reducing carbon emissions.

Working with trusted researchers at the Australian Unity Wellbeing Index (AUWI), HEAL Homes focuses on real-world delivery with a community-centred approach.

It brings together partners across sectors to test what works, for whom and at what cost, building an evidence base for scalable solutions.

Strong wellbeing measurement and evaluation are central to the approach, showing how climate-focused upgrades can deliver meaningful, measurable improvements in healthy living conditions.

The AUWI Survey has been jointly developed by Australian Unity and Deakin University. It incorporates a unique combination of indicators of personal and national wellbeing that measure and monitor subjective wellbeing of Australian adults across the nation.

Collected annually since 2001, AUWI data enables researchers to track Australians’ wellbeing over time, with new insights expected in late 2026.

By linking health, climate and energy data, HEAL Homes provides the vital evidence needed to transform Australian housing.

This could drive upgrades that cut emissions while delivering long-term cost and health benefits for everyone – especially those most affected by the stresses of energy bill shocks, sleepless nights, uncomfortable days, and indoor air pollution.

Better homes are the foundation of healthier communities

Almost three-quarters of Australia’s homes are not yet equipped to meet future climate and energy challenges.

Upgrading existing homes, at scale, could help reduce energy costs, and improve health.

As well as reducing emissions, energy-efficient, all-electric homes are now seen as essential infrastructure that lowers living costs for everyone and ensures no communities are left behind.

Improving home performance is not only a climate opportunity but an important contributor to stronger, more healthier communities.

HEAL Homes builds on the momentum of Climatework’s influential Renovation Pathway work, which has informed the direction of the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water and the Climate Change Authority.

This work has consistently shown existing home upgrades can deliver substantial energy bill savings and emission reductions at scale.

Join us in shaping the future of Australian housing

Many Australian homes could benefit from upgrades, yet proven solutions remain underutilised.

HEAL Homes will build the evidence base for scaling home upgrades, demonstrating how climate, housing, and wellbeing objectives can be pursued together.

Climateworks is calling on changemakers across government, industry and community organisations to help shape the next phase of Australian housing.

With rising energy costs and growing policy focus on housing and emissions, this is a critical window to prove how better homes build healthier, more resilient communities across Australia.