Social housing tenants in Greater Sydney are sweating through summers that would buckle most buildings. A new study says the core problem is straightforward: NSW has no standalone thermal safety standard for social housing.
Researchers from Western Sydney University tracked indoor temperatures across social housing properties in the city and found tenants experienced conditions above 29°C for 70 days in a single summer. Some properties recorded above 35°C for up to 32 days. The study, published in Urban Climate and reported by the ABC, warns those figures will worsen sharply, tenants in Western Sydney could face 148 days above 29°C by 2060, as the region heats faster than the rest of the city.
Professor Sebastian Pfautsch, who led the research, pointed to a familiar combination: single glazing, large window areas, minimal insulation, and tenants who can’t afford to run air-conditioning even when it’s installed. “Even if you have air-conditioning, you can’t afford to switch it on because you can’t afford the electricity bill,” Professor Pfautsch said. He described thermally safe housing as a basic human right, and argued new social and affordable housing must move away from aluminium frames, single glazing, and inadequate insulation.
The human cost isn’t abstract. South Windsor tenant Mark Hartley told the ABC his fibro home, built roughly 80 years ago without insulation or cross-ventilation, hit 42°C indoors last summer and held above 35°C for 11 hours. His electricity bill jumped to $500 a quarter when he ran an air-conditioner, a significant hit on a Centrelink payment. His front room gets so hot it has destroyed two TVs. Richmond resident Lynne Dunn, an age pensioner in a similarly uninsulated fibro home, said she’d rather skip meals than go without cooling.
A Homes NSW spokesperson confirmed there’s no standalone thermal safety standard for social housing in the state. New construction must meet the National Construction Code and the NSW Sustainable Buildings SEPP, last updated in late 2023, which requires fans in all living areas and bedrooms and mandates solar cells to offset air-conditioning costs in new builds. The spokesperson said the Social Housing Energy Performance Initiative (SHEPI) had upgraded energy efficiency at more than 11,000 properties since 2024. NSW Housing Minister Rose Jackson acknowledged that not all ageing stock can be effectively retrofitted, pointing to renewal projects at Waterloo Estate and Telopea as the path forward. Community housing provider Link Wentworth said it completed $1.3 million in energy upgrades through a NSW government grant in 2025, but warned that major upgrade programs consistently require additional government funding because rental income is kept intentionally low.
For insulation contractors, HVAC installers, and energy-upgrade crews, that points to a pipeline of government-backed retrofit work already running and likely to grow. The research makes the case for lifting the thermal standard across all NSW social housing, not just new builds, which would pull more properties into the upgrade queue.
Frequently asked questions
Does NSW have a thermal safety standard for social housing?
No. A Homes NSW spokesperson confirmed there is no standalone thermal safety standard for social housing in NSW. New construction must meet the National Construction Code and the NSW Sustainable Buildings SEPP, but existing stock is not covered by a dedicated standard.
What upgrades has NSW done to improve social housing energy performance?
The Social Housing Energy Performance Initiative (SHEPI) has upgraded energy efficiency at more than 11,000 properties since 2024. Community housing provider Link Wentworth also completed $1.3 million in energy upgrades through a NSW government grant in 2025.
How hot could Western Sydney social housing get by 2060?
The Western Sydney University study projects tenants could face 148 days above 29°C indoors by 2060, as Western Sydney heats faster than the rest of the city.
Sourced from ABC News, Western Sydney University, Homes NSW. Original article.
