Low Carbon Living CRC

Climate change is a key challenge of our time. Urgent action must be taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in order to avoid likely dangerous effects of climate change.

Most of the potential low cost greenhouse gas emissions (carbon) saving opportunities are known to be in the built environment.  However, past experience suggests that market failure/ barriers will prevent uptake of these opportunities (even with a price on carbon).

The aim of the CRC is to provide government and industry with social, technological and policy tools to overcome identified market barriers preventing adoption of cost effective low carbon products and services, while maintaining industry competitiveness and improving quality of life.

The CRC assembles, for the first time, the necessary critical mass and diversity of built environment stakeholders to address this complex multidisciplinary task, and provides government and industry with a vehicle for trialling alternative infrastructure and community engagement solutions. The CRC participants include 26 industry organisations, 16 government agencies and 6 research institutions.

Outcomes from the CRC include:

• Reduced built environment carbon emissions by 10MTCO2-e/yr by 2020; and
• Adoption of government policies and industry business models that set Australia on a pathway for future deep carbon reductions.

The CRC includes three programs of research consistent with major industry recommendations:

1. Integrated Building Systems: This program will develop (i) low-carbon-lifecycle building construction components/ materials, and (ii) building-integrated multipurpose solar products. These outputs target next generation construction practice, where step-change emissions cuts are required. New design tools, rating frameworks and Australian Standards will underpin and stimulate the market for low carbon products and services. Design tools and a solar product will be commercialised in partnership with SMEs.
2. Low Carbon Precincts: This program will develop tools that enable the design of, and stimulate the market for, low carbon infrastructure at 'precinct' scale. This will facilitate property developers and local government partners providing low carbon infrastructure at the development planning point of delivery. An emphasis on research education and training in building information modelling (BIM), and extension to a new precinct scale (PIM) platform, will dramatically improve SME design productivity. Health and productivity co-benefits analysis will demonstrate the increased value and stimulate demand for low carbon precincts.
3. Engaged Communities: This program will focus on understanding and influencing behaviour and purchasing decisions. Policy scenario analysis will quantify the effectiveness of alternative options leading to policy adoption by government partners. New low carbon living strategies that mobilize cultural and social capitals will be demonstrated. CRC research findings will be fully road tested in 'living laboratories' to ensure that results are robust, tangible and appealing. Results will be used to develop community education and training resources including for mass media dissemination.