• No results found

Customer Interest In, And Understanding Of, Sustainability

Builder Perceptions of Forces Affecting Sustainable Housing

7.1 Perceptions of Customers

7.1.1 Customer Interest In, And Understanding Of, Sustainability

Mixed, but more typically negative, feelings were expressed about the importance of sustainability to housing customers. Many felt that it was an issue of importance, but only to a relatively small percentage of their customers. There was a strong consensus that while the awareness of, and interest in, sustainability had increased slightly amongst customers overall over the previous few years (a trend that was widely anticipated to continue), it was coming off a very low base and there was still not widespread demand.

Overwhelmingly, customers were not seen to be a group that were pushing improvements in sustainability, dismissively summarised by one interviewee as “total disinterest”.

Another asserted:

“….my assessment would be that I don’t think many people would say they won’t buy the house of their dreams because the builder isn’t being sustainable.”

Another interviewee claimed that if customers were asking for it, it was only because the industry was already providing it:

“…in terms of a global green attitude, I don’t think that’s changed a lot in the past ten years. I think it’s changed potentially more in new home building because people are now offering it. So it might have become more of a consideration in the buying process of a new home. But only because it’s being presented. Not

because the customer’s driving…not because the customer’s looking for it.”

This perceived lack of interest was partially attributed to a lack of understanding. It was also expressed by a number of interviewees that the majority of customers simply didn’t understand sustainability, particularly in terms of its practical application with regard to housing design. As one interviewee noted:

“....most people, unless you've done a PhD on sustainable housing, don't really understand all the issues around what it is you're actually buying, they

just…see…oh it’s got two bathrooms and three bedrooms and that's what I want, so I'll buy it.”

Related views presented by other interviewees included:

“…we talk about…the hot water service and window placements, northerly aspects, getting the best benefit out of the northern sun, but…in terms of the average buyer out there…they're just after a house. Location, location, location.

And it’s got four bedrooms and it’s got the right block of land and I like the design and I like the colour.”

and:

“If you talk to [customers] about geographic sustainability, i.e. not building 80 kilometres out of Melbourne, no, they don’t understand that because basically with housing still being relatively affordable they see a block of land, they see a house of 30-40 squares, they add the two costs together, that gives them a number and they feel comfortable with that number. And that’s what they’re driven by in the majority of cases…”

Some firmly felt that their customers specifically wanted features that were contrary to greater sustainability outcomes, such as this comment:

“…they’re actually doubling the size of the home they’re living in [relative to houses built 10-15 years ago]. And they’re worried about their mortgage and they’re worried about their rates and they’re worried about that but they don’t really realise that they’re most likely more than doubling their energy bill and they’re also moving to a home that involves a lot more energy – you know, a lot more heaters and heating and a lot more cooling than what their existing home has none of that.

Or has a limited amount of that. So it’s not really on their radar.”

While another suggested:

“The houses aren’t growing anymore and they haven’t been for the last four or five years…society’s getting wealthier, they’re getting fitted out better but they’re not growing... But consumers do desire big houses.”

Despite this, a number felt that there had been a growing level of awareness of

sustainability in customers over the past few years, helped particularly by factors such as the major drought affecting Australia’s eastern States in the time leading up to the

interviews and resultant water restrictions; coupled with rising energy and petrol prices.

Growing awareness of the then-impending 5 star energy requirements was also flagged as a factor that was making customers think more about energy when they were making housing decisions. Other factors that were raised as contributing to increased awareness included less predictable weather patterns and talk of the greenhouse effect or climate change in the media.

The Cairnlea Ecohome project provided a tangible means of gauging customer interest in sustainability. Company A staff expressed surprise and disappointment about the lack of interest in the sustainability features that had typically been shown by visitors during its period as a display home. This had resulted in a change to the house being open only by appointment. As one interviewee put it:

“…I was just amazed that [the sales staff at the Cairnlea Ecohome] said it would be one in ten, one in twenty that would show really any interest about the green effect of this house. Which really surprised me at the time.”

There had been no sales of the Cairnlea Ecohome design to other customers at the time of the interviews.