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TIL that 80% of Australian homes are colder than is recommended by the WHO safety standards for indoor air temperature.

Australian rental homes colder and more damp than WHO safety standards

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/aug/16/australian-rental-homes-colder-and-more-damp-than-who-safety-standards

Rentals in NSW, Victoria, Tasmania and ACT dropped below 18C more than 80% of the time, report finds

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/1232260

Rentals in NSW, Victoria, Tasmania and ACT dropped below 18C more than 80% of the time, report finds

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zen_symian

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could the issue be that homes are built with lighter materials?

I'm from Europe, and we get really cold winters. My apartment never drops below 17°C even without heating on. Even individual homes, I know are insulated so it never is too cold.

Deceptichum

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The issue is this.

Old houses predate modern AC. So they’re designed to be leaky and let hot air out for summer reasons.

New houses only care about profits over people and are made from cardboard and glue by shitty developers and lazy tradies.

We don’t double glaze, we don’t seal up drafts, we barely fucking insulate and that was a national scandal trying to get the country to do so.

RustyRaven

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They are also built with the expectation that heating is cheap - just whack in a gas ducted heating unit and run it 24/7 over winter! For a long time it was cheaper to use more energy to heat the house than to pay for the materials to make it more efficient.

HeartyBeast

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I think you over estimate the thinking. Old houses are leaky because they are leaky. You could always open a window for ventilation in summer.