Tackling climate change

Climate change resources for community housing providers

CHIA NSW is committed to helping community housing providers prepare for the effects of climate change.

The urgent need to tackle climate change is driving changes to governance, reporting and building standards, which will directly impact community housing providers.

Across community housing, there are significant opportunities to improve the energy performance of homes to realise benefits for residents and the environment.

This page provides climate change-related information and resources for community housing providers, such as actions they can take to measure their climate risk, decarbonise their portfolio and prepare for future regulatory changes.

Resources for community housing providers

Community housing industry climate risk readiness report

This report examines the impacts of climate change on community housing providers and their tenants and recommends actions the industry should take to begin addressing risks. These risks include increased costs to CHPs in terms of maintenance and insurance and impacts on housing affordability from rising energy costs. The report also identifies anticipated changes to policy settings that CHPs need to start preparing for, including higher building standards, minimum standards for existing homes and requirements to disclose the energy efficiency of rental properties.
View the guidelines

Decarbonisation guidelines for community housing in NSW: getting started

These guidelines explain what decarbonisation and net-zero means for the community housing industry, and key principles providers should adopt to deliver best outcomes. It outlines a suggested timeline of actions to support providers to plan for net-zero and embed actions within their organisations. Several case studies outline examples of good practice within the industry.
Read the report

Decarbonising community housing: supplementary guidance

This guide provides advice to CHPs on how they can most cost-effectively decarbonise and direct available funding across their portfolio. It outlines planning and implementation tips, including how CHPs can target business-as-usual activities towards decarbonisation outcomes at no, or marginal, additional costs. This report has been informed by analysis of property data from more than 46,000 CHP-managed homes. It outlines recommendations for common property types.
Use the guide

Decarbonising social housing: delivering on NSW’s climate ambition

This report quantifies the scale of the decarbonisation challenge facing the community housing industry in NSW. It demonstrates the case for significant government investment in energy performance upgrades to existing homes, and sets out recommendations for how this can be delivered.
Read the report

Further Information and Resources

Climate Action Roadmap

An interactive resource designed to help community housing providers understand climate change and identify actions they can take to manage risks.

Register for the roadmap

NSW Climate and Energy Action Website

Provides resources to assist community housing providers to implement energy saving measures for their tenants. Includes project management templates, energy.

View the resources

NSW Government Rebates, Grants and Schemes

Provides information on current rebate and grant schemes to assist with energy performance upgrades.

See the current opportunities

ESG Reporting Standard for Australian Community Housing

Provides a consistent framework for community housing providers to track and report on environmental, social and governance outcomes, including action to tackle climate change.

Register for the resources

Want to find out more?

Contact us