Households in newer dwellings were more likely to have the energy and water efficiency elements they needed to reach government building standards, but beyond these measures they were quite similar to households in older dwellings, according to a report the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
Newer dwellings are defined as two years old or less at October 2009.
A greater proportion of households in newer dwellings had solar hot water systems, wall insulation and rainwater tanks plumbed into the dwellings.
Households in older and newer dwellings differed in their reasons for installing insulation.
Nearly half of households in newer dwellings stated their main reason for installing insulation as building regulations and standards, compared to less than one-tenth of households in older dwellings.
A little over one-third of households in newer dwellings stated their main reason for installing insulation was to achieve comfort, compared to over half of households in older dwellings.
A total of 69 per cent of households in newer dwellings had insulation installed in the walls, compared to 30 per cent of households in older dwellings.
Meanwhile, 25 per cent of households in newer dwellings had a rainwater tank plumbed into their dwelling, compared to 12 per cent of households in older dwellings.
A total of 18 per cent of households in newer dwellings had a solar energy system, compared to 3.8 per cent of households in older dwellings.
