The Victorian Government’s Department of Human Services has engaged the Beyond Behaviour Change research team to undertake an evaluation of a sustainable housing project in Horsham .

  • Project dates: 2013–2015
  • Grants and funding: Department of Human Services

The focus of the research is on four public housing units built to best practice environmental sustainable design principles. The units are intended to lower utility bills, improve indoor comfort and provide greater resilience to predicted climate change impacts. The evaluation project aims to inform future policy development at the DHS.

The Horsham Catalyst project involves four new two-bedroom homes completed in 2011 in Horsham, a region vulnerable to temperature extremes.The houses feature leading edge residential environmental design, including passive solar design, high insulation achieving an 8.9 star rating, solar panels for electricity, a solar hot water system, double glazing and drought tolerant landscaping.In order to assess costs and benefits, a three year monitoring period of the project’s performance is underway:

  • for the clients – financial, comfort, health and knowledge
  • for the department – upfront cost, maintenance implications
  • for the environment – resource efficiencies and renewable energy.

Key People

Lead researcher

Dr Yolande Strengers

Dr Yolande Strengers

Co-Convener of Beyond Behaviour Change Program

Related Content

News & Blog

Blog

Sustainable housing’s expensive, right? Not when you look at the whole equation

25 August 2016

Sustainable housing can also have important benefits for some of the most vulnerable members of our community, as the report released this week shows.

Media

Green homes offer financial relief for vulnerable families: study

24 August 2016

New research by RMIT urban experts on low-carbon housing in Horsham has found that households could be better off by A$1,000 per year and boost their health and living conditions.