Skip navigation
  1. Home
  2. Our Work
  3. Save Lives with Solar

Save Lives with Solar

Healthy Futures are campaigning to help protect people from extreme temperatures whilst working towards a safe climate. Across Australia, we are calling on the federal government to fund rooftop solar on social housing.

The problem

Without adequate protection, heat-related illnesses kill thousands of Australians every year. Extreme heat can trigger heart attacks, kidney failure, strokes and increase the risk of dehydration and other health impacts. Older people, children, people with pre-existing health conditions and people unable to afford air conditioning are most vulnerable.

Many social housing dwellings are poor quality and prone to temperature extremes, which are too expensive for residents to remedy. The facts:

  • Roughly one-third of heat-related deaths can be attributed to climate change.
  • Many social housing dwellings are poor quality and prone to temperature extremes.
  • A 2023 survey of people on low incomes by the Australian Council of Social Services found that 94.5% avoided using air conditioning because it is too expensive.

The solution

Adequate installation of solar panels, renewable-powered reverse cycle air conditioning and other retrofits to improve energy efficiency and thermal performance. These measures will not only protect people from extreme temperatures and drive down costs of living; they will also mitigate climate change and its health impacts in the long term by reducing dependence on fossil fuel-based electricity.

What are we doing?

As healthcare workers and community members, our collective voices have an impact, and together we can request the Australian government protect people in social housing from the increasing health impacts of climate change. We’re asking the government to commit to:

  • Rooftop solar on at least 30% of Australian social housing by the end of 2026,
  • Access to affordable renewable electricity for social housing where rooftop solar is impractical, e.g. via power purchasing agreements and/or battery storage
  • Installation of reverse cycle air conditioning and implement other energy efficient retrofits to achieve safe temperatures in all social housing

What can you do?

  1. Please sign our open letter calling on the federal government for a budget commitment to install solar panels and air conditioning, and implement other retrofits to achieve safe temperatures in social housing.
  2. Help us build awareness and share our work with colleagues and friends.
  3. If you're part of an organisation that could support this campaign, please ask your organisation to email [email protected] and we will add your logo to the open letter.
  4. Share our campaign using our social media tiles.
  5. Join us for our next supporters meeting on February 21st to hear about our campaigns and connect with like-minded people. RSVP here.

Please get in touch with our campaigner Ursula at [email protected] if you'd like to be involved in another way.

Key organisational signatories:

  

    

     

          

         

 

      

 

  

           

 

     
        
  

    


 

 

 

 

renewable energy clean air Climate Change victoria

300 Signatures

281 Signatures

Will you sign?

To: the Hon Chris Bowen, Federal Minister for Climate Change & Energy

Cc: the Hon Jenny McAllister, Federal Assistant Minister for Climate Change & Energy

& the Hon Mark Butler, Federal Minister for Health & Aged Care

& the Hon Jim Chalmers, Federal Treasurer

& the Hon Julie Collins, Federal Minister for Housing

& the Hon Amanda Rishworth, Federal Minister for Families and Social Services

 

Dear Minister Bowen, 

As healthcare workers and community members, we request that the Australian government protect  people in social housing from the increasing health impacts of climate change by ensuring that their homes are kept at safe temperatures through building retrofits and affordable, renewable-powered air conditioning.

Heat-related illnesses kill thousands of Australians every year (1) and roughly one-third of these deaths can be attributed to climate change (2,3). Heatwaves increase the risk of dehydration, kidney failure, heart attacks and strokes. Older people, children, people with pre-existing health conditions and people unable to afford air conditioning are most vulnerable.

Currently, many social housing dwellings are poor quality and prone to temperature extremes (4-6). A 2023 survey of people on low incomes by the Australian Council of Social Services found that 94.5% avoided using air conditioning because it is too expensive (7). Solar panels can significantly reduce air conditioning costs, and while 30% of Australian homes now have rooftop solar, rooftop solar coverage on social housing in New South Wales, for example, is only 7% (8).

Energy efficiency retrofits and renewable-powered air conditioning will not only protect people from extreme temperatures and drive down costs of living; they will also mitigate climate change and its health impacts in the long term by reducing dependence on polluting fossil fuel-based electricity.

We therefore request that as part of the next federal budget you commit funding to:

  • Roll out rooftop solar on at least 30% of Australian social housing, to be completed by the end of 2026

  • Ensure access to affordable renewable electricity for social housing where rooftop solar is impractical, e.g. via power purchasing agreements and/or battery storage

  • Install reverse cycle air conditioning and implement other energy efficient retrofits to achieve safe temperatures in all social housing


Sincerely,


________


References:

  1. Zhao, Q, Guo, Y, Ye, T, Gasparrini, A, Tong, S, Overcenco, A, Urban, A, Schneider, A, Entezari, A, Vicedo-Cabrera, AM, Zanobetti, A, Analitis, A, Zeka, A, Tobias, A, Nunes, B, Alahmad, B, Armstrong, B, Forsberg, B, Pan, S, Íñiguez, C, Ameling, C, De La Cruz Valencia, C, Åström, C, Houthuijs, D, Van Dung, D, Royé, D, Indermitte, E, Lavigne, E, Mayvaneh, F, Acquaotta, F, de’Donato, F, Di Ruscio, F, Sera, F, Carrasco-Escobar, G, Kan, H, Orru, H, Kim, H, Holobaca, I, Kyselý, J, Madureira, J, Schwartz, J, Jaakkola, JJK, Katsouyanni, K, Hurtado Diaz, M, Ragettli, MS, Hashizume, M, Pascal, M, de Sousa Zanotti Stagliorio Coélho, M, Valdés Ortega, N, Ryti, N, Scovronick, N, Michelozzi, P, Matus Correa, P, Goodman, P, Hilario Nascimento Saldiva, P, Abrutzky, R, Osorio, S, Rao, S, Fratianni, S, Ngoc Dang, T, Colistro, V, Huber, V, Lee, W, Seposo, X, Honda, Y, Leon Guo, Y, Bell, ML & Li, S 2021, ‘Global, regional, and national burden of mortality associated with non-optimal ambient temperatures from 2000 to 2019: a three-stage modelling study’, The Lancet, vol. 386, no. 9991, pp369-375, accessed 9 January 2024 at https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/article/PIIS2542-5196(21)00081-4/fulltext

  2. Hannam, P 2021, June 1, ‘Climate change blamed for more than a third of heat-related deaths’, The Sydney Morning Herald, accessed 9 January 2024 at https://www.smh.com.au/environment/climate-change/climate-change-blamed-for-more-than-a-third-of-heat-related-deaths-20210531-p57wpy.html

  3. Vicedo-Cabrera, AM, Scovronick, N, Sera, F, Royé, D, Schneider, R, Tobias, A, Astrom, C, Guo, Y, Honda, Y, Hondula, DM, Abrutzky, R, Tong, S, de Sousa Zanotti Stagliorio Coelho, M, Nascimento Saldiva, PH, Lavigne, E, Matus Correa, P, Valdes Ortega, N, Kan, H, Osorio, S, Kyselý, J, Urban, A, Orru, H, Indermitte, E, Jaakkola, JJK, Ryti, N, Pascal, M, Schneider, A, Katsouyanni, K, Samoli, E, Mayvaneh, F, Entezari, A, Goodman, P, Zeka, A, Michelozzi, P, de’Donato, F, Hashizume, M, Alahmad, B, Hurtado Diaz, M, De La Cruz Valencia, C, Overcenco, A, Houthuijs, D, Ameling, C, Rao, S, Di Ruscio, F, Carrasco-Escobar, G, Seposo, X, Silva, S, Madureira, J, Holobaca, IH, Fratianni, S, Acquaotta, F, Kim, H, Lee, W, Iniguez, C, Forsberg, B, Ragettli, MS, Guo, YLL, Chen, BY, Li, S, Armstrong, B, Aleman, A, Zanobetti, A, Schwartz, J, Dang, TN, Dung, DV, Gillett, N, Haines, A, Mengel, M, Huber V & Gasparrini, A 2021, ‘The burden of heat-related mortality attributable to recent human-induced climate change’, Nature Climate Change, vol 11, pp492-500, accessed 9 January 2024 at  https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-021-01058-x

  4. Haddad, S, Paolini, R, Synnefa A, De Torres, L, Prasad, D & Santamouris M 2022, ‘Integrated assessment of the extreme climatic conditions, thermal performance, vulnerability, and well-being in low-income housing in the subtropical climate of Australia’, Energy and Buildings, vol. 272, 112349, accessed 9 January 2024 at https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0378778822005205?via%3Dihub

  5. Lander, J, Breth-Petersen, M, Moait, R, Forbes, C, Stephens, L & Dickson, M 2019. Extreme heat driven by the climate emergency: impacts on the health and wellbeing of public housing tenants in Mildura, Victoria, accessed 9 January 2024 at https://www.malleefamilycare.org.au/MFCSite/media/PDFDocuments/PublicHousing/2019/MalleeFamilyCare_PublicHousing_Report_2019.pdf

  6. Kimberly community legal services 2022, ‘Stuck in the heat: lived experiences of public housing tenants in the Kimberley’, accessed 9 January 2024 via https://www.shelterwa.org.au/stuck-in-the-heat/

  7. Australian Council of Social Services 2023, ‘ACOSS 2023 Heat Survey: how hotter days affect people on lowest incomes first, worst and and hardest’, accessed 9 January 2024 at https://www.acoss.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Heat-Survey-Report_20230228.pdf

  8. NSW Department of Planning and Environment 2023, ‘NSW Land and Housing Corporation Environmental Sustainability Strategy 2024–2026’, accessed 9 January 2024 at  https://www.dpie.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/576436/environmental-sustainability-strategy-2024-2026.pdf
Read More