- realestate.com.au receives about 12 million monthly users
- 48% of users said the energy ratings of homes were extremely important
- Outside of the ACT, the majority of listings don't declare energy ratings
Earlier this month, the REA Group released its REA Insights Energy Efficiency Housing Report, which examines the supply and demand of energy-efficient ratings in homes across the country.
The report uses data from those who visit realestate.com.au – according to Nielsen Digital Content Ratings, on average, the site receives 12 million users per month.
Using this data, the REA Group can identify trends in sustainable and energy-efficient housing which subsequently can be used by consumers and the broader industry to make better-informed property decisions.
REA Group’s Director of Economic Research, Cameron Kusher, said the data shows the importance of energy efficiency among consumers has increased significantly despite most listings not referring to sustainable elements of a property.
In fact, only 15% of Victorian listings have a Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme star rating – which is second to the ACT, where it is virtually mandatory to disclose the star rating to prospective home buyers.
“Despite clear consumer demand for energy-efficient homes, only a small percentage of listings on realestate.com.au advertised sustainable features,” said Mr Kusher.
“Only seven per cent of listings in New South Wales, Australia’s most populous state, contained one or more energy-efficient key words.”
Cameron Kusher, REA Group
“Most suburbs in which energy efficiency features are being declared are in new housing areas. This is most likely due to the fact that these homes have been built to the minimum energy efficiency requirements, whereas older existing homes have not. “
In the April Resdiential Consumer Omnibus Survey, also conducted by the Group, 74% of respondents specified energy rating as important, of which 48% said it was “extremely” important.
The primary reason consumers care about the rating is reducing energy bills, followed by households wishing to be more environmentally conscious.
Solar seems to be the word – 92% of energy-efficient keyword searches on realestate.com.au are for solar – and additionally, this is the most common feature in listings descriptions on the website.
“This report highlights the untapped opportunity for vendors, landlords and builders to consider sustainable and energy efficient features when building, renovating, and advertising to prospective house hunters who are clearly placing importance on these aspects.”
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Source: Nielsen Digital Content Ratings (Monthly Tagged), Jul 20 – Dec 20 (average), P2+, Digital (C/M), text, realestate.com.au, Unique Audience
