Sustainable Homes

Whether you own your home or rent, there are ways to make your home more sustainable, lower your energy costs, and help reduce the effects of climate change at a local level.

As a result of climate change, Adelaide is experiencing more extreme weather events including longer, hotter and more frequent heatwaves with less annual rainfall and more intense storm events.

Our homes are built to last for many years and are often our most valuable asset, however, sometimes they’re not sustainably designed to respond to climate or to be comfortable to live in without expensive heating and cooling running costs.

Increasing the climate resilience of your home can help keep your home comfortable and efficient for longer, and may be more cost-effective to live in. Additional benefits can include increased property value and decreased insurance premiums and repair costs as the house is designed to withstand climate impacts.

Regardless of your building or your budget, there are many things you do to ensure your home is comfortable and well adapted to climate change impacts.

The City of Unley is a proud partner of Resilient East and has been working collaboratively with partners across eastern Adelaide to create a series of resources, tips and events for our Climate Ready Homes Project to support residents to:

• keep homes cool in extreme heat, and warm in winter, whilst keeping costs down;
• adapt existing homes to suit a changing climate – refurbish, renovate, and seasonal preparation;
• be smart about energy and water use to reduce costs;
• utilise garden space and choice of outdoor materials;
• design for sustainability; and
• live lightly with low impact on the environment and better outcomes for your health and wellbeing.