Mission Zero: Ideas for Renters and Apartment Owners

All across North Sydney, households and businesses have been working hard to bring our carbon emissions down. But the process of transitioning towards Net Zero tends to be more of a challenge for renters and/or those who living in apartments.

To help, the Powering to Net Zero team has pulled together the below information about “low hanging fruit” for renters and apartment-owners to get your emissions down.

1. Consider switching energy providers.

The single biggest thing renters and apartment dwellers can do to get their energy emissions down is purchase 100% GreenPower via a reputable electricity retailer.

As a government administered scheme, this switch ensures all the power you use is backed by an equivalent amount of renewable generation, which helps kickstart new investment in solar and wind farms. Unfortunately, unlike rooftop solar, which pays for itself in five or so years, GreenPower will make your electricity bill increase. For this reason, this may not be an option for many given the current cost-of-living crisis but it really is the best place to start if you can afford it.

2. Electrify Transport

Without a shadow of doubt the easiest way to decarbonize your transport footprint is to use active transport – that is, if you can, walk there. But if you do need a private vehicle, and spend most of your time in our urban electorate, consider an eBike. While once cost and weight may have been barriers to purchasing these products, the explosion of the marketplace globally means there are plenty of options out there now.

Alternatively, if you do need a car, consider and test drive an EV. Prices of new EVs have been dropping rapidly as the technology improves, and as of September 2024 there were at least 4 models with drive away prices under $40,000. There are also a growing range of quality EVs on the second hand market. With 8 year / 160,000km EV battery warranties now the norm, and longer real-world longevity being realised, a costly battery replacement is becoming an increasingly unlikely contingency for second-hand EV owners.   

While charging can be harder for people in apartments or those without off-street parking, the NSW Government is currently supporting Ausgrid and councils to roll out about 120 curbside chargers in our Electorate. They are also still free to use at many carparks.

For apartments, there are great incentives from North Sydney Council (a rebate of 25% up to $5,000 off the cost of charging) and Lane Cove Council (25% up to $500 for chargers for individual units; and 25% up to $4,000 for common area EV charging).

3. Be okay with adopting life in the slow (charging) lane

One of the things we hear from EV owners – and my personal experience – is that, unless you’re heading out of town or have a particularly long commute, if you can charge at or near your home it doesn’t necessarily matter how long it takes. EV’s are generally supplied with a mobile charger that connects via a normal three pin plug, which can add charge at about 10-12km per hour. That’s a long time if you’re charging from empty, but fine if you’re topping up overnight after a normal daily commute (though it’s preferable to start charging later in the evening to avoid the peak electricity demand period).

Of course, the power bill will add up over time (even though it will be a lot less than petrol or diesel), so do check with whoever is paying for it.

The Powering to Net Zero team has come across several innovative solutions coming to market that allow owners’ corporations to charge for power used from regular outlets connected to the common area electricity meter via an app – that might be all you need in an apartment carpark until more residents start getting EVs. And provided you use the charger supplied with the vehicle (or use a faster charger installed by a registered electrician), the fire risk is extremely low.

4. Work with the simple majority

A few years ago, the NSW Government changed strata legislation to reduce the owners’ corporation majority needed for “sustainability” upgrades from the usual 75%+ to a simple majority. This covers changes like solar, EV charging, efficiency improvements, recycling initiatives, and so on. Check your council’s website for potential assistance and rebates to implement such upgrades in apartment buildings.

5. Get handy and DIY draught sealing and improve insulation

Even renters can improve their comfort and energy efficiency by spending an afternoon with a roll of draught seal tape bought from a hardware store, and perhaps a tube of sealant to block gaps under skirting boards, etc. Door snakes are handy for poorly fitted doors. Adding thermal backing to existing curtains can also make a difference – you can potentially simply attach this with safety pins. We’ve even heard of some people who have thermally insulated their windows using a sheet of bubble wrap!

Renters will also be pleased to hear that mandatory disclosure of energy performance is coming, with NSW expected to be one of the first states to take it up.

6. Embrace the power of induction cooking

Even if your rental or apartment has a gas cooktop, you can still avoid harmful indoor air pollution associated with gas usage – and improve energy efficiency – by switching to a portable induction cooker.

Single pot induction cooktops are widely available and can sometimes be found on special for under $100 from outlets such as Aldi and IKEA.

You can also try one from a growing number of “Libraries of Things.”

Simply put a board on top of your existing gas hob and place one or two induction cooktops on it as shown in the image below. They plug into a normal three-pin socket.

Image source: https://renew.org.au/renew-magazine/buyers-guides/induction-cooktop-guide/

As well as being very efficient, induction cooking is at least as fast and precise as gas, while protecting your family’s health and they are a lot easier to clean. Ultimately it only heats the pot and food, not the room or surrounding surfaces, so it’s safer (and more pleasant in summer). You don’t need specialist cookware, but the base of your pot or pan needs to be made from a metal that a magnet attaches to: ceramic and aluminium cookware will not work.

With over 40% of everyone living in our electorate of North Sydney living in rentals it’s changes like the ones above that ensure we are all taking the right steps towards reducing our emissions, while also improving our health and saving money.