1. Energy Efficiency and Equity

2. About Just Change Not for profit organisation
Focused on energy efficiency in rental properties (especially low income renters)
Projects: consent for retrofits, renters survey, property manager training
Just Change is a small non-profit organisation that works to bring energy efficiencies into rental properties, especially for low-income renters. Most of Just Change’s work is done by volunteers with backgrounds in sustainability, business, social science and property management. With funding from the state government and REIV, Just Change has previously installed items like ceiling insulation, draught proofing and showerheads and studied the process of getting consent from landlords.
Sustainability Victoria found that only 7% of rebates related to insulation were used by Landlords.
ABS statistics show that rental properties are less likely to be insulated, tenants are more likely to be reliant on electricity for heating.

3. “It’s very cold at night, we cover our heads with blankets to try to keep warm. The cold has also made it harder to get a new housemate.”
“We’re at the bottom of the market so I never feel like I can make any demands”
“If you make a change to your house, they can evict you. I can’t afford to lose this house.”
High level of tenant fear, try to fly under radar
Very slow and difficult to get consent: commonly 40 phone calls over period of months to get yes or no from landlord
Low level of knowledge by property managers

4. The Research
Research indicates that Property Managers are interested in energy efficiency (REIV PM conference 2010).
• 82% of renters wanted ‘a service that works to get permission from the landlord’ for improvements
• 73% wanted ‘information about how to ask my landlord or property manager to improve my home or give me permission to make improvements’
Not much research done in the rental market as yet.
ATA ran a competition for best ‘Green Landlord’ late 2011 – only 15 Australia wide applied! All applications were from the tenant and landlord – none from their Agents.

5. Green marketing Agency Tenant Landlord
As a property manager you’re juggling the interests of all parties (centre of venn diagram)
Demand increasing for energy efficiency improvements but it’s unlikely that all parties will be pushing for the same thing at the same time. Property Managers are in the great position of being able to encourage energy efficiency as a replacement policy.