Research shows airtightness has a greater impact on a home’s energy use than any other single factor. If you want a home that performs well year-round, start with airtightness.
According to ENERGY STAR®, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s trusted energy efficiency program, air leakage can account for 25–40% of the energy used for heating and cooling in a typical home. Air leakage doesn’t just waste energy—it also reduces indoor comfort, allows in moisture, dust, and pollutants, and increases the risk of mould and structural damage.
Australian homes can be made climate-ready, reducing bills and emissions – a new report shows how.
Millions of homes were built before Australia introduced housing energy efficiency standards in 2003. They’re leaky. Gaps around windows, doors and between building materials allow air to move in and out. So people tend to compensate, with more heating and cooling. It’s costly and damaging for the environment.
Using a national sample of 102,000 Australian homes across all 69 climate zones, we identified the most common housing types. Then we worked out how to make them “climate ready” and what benefits would flow.
Airtightness enhances a building’s energy efficiency by minimising the exchange of indoor and outdoor air through unintended gaps and cracks.
By controlling air leakage, buildings can better maintain consistent indoor temperatures, reducing the energy required for heating and cooling.
Less air leakage will enhance a ventilation systems effectiveness, as it allows for greater control over what air is moved, where it goes, and when that happens. Effective ventilation in an airtight building means inhabitants can breathe cleaner air and live warmer, healthier lives.
