For years, when buyers talked about the things they wanted in a new home, the list was fairly predictable.
A bigger kitchen. More storage. An extra living area. Maybe a double garage and enough bench space to finally keep the air fryer off the dining table.
But there’s another consideration moving much higher up the list.
How much is the home actually going to cost to run?
With household expenses still front of mind, buyers are looking more closely at solar, insulation, efficient heating and cooling, batteries and the way a home performs throughout the year.
And increasingly, these aren’t being viewed simply as environmental upgrades.
They’re becoming part of the financial conversation too.
New research from PropTrack and Origin shows just how much that thinking is changing, so this week we’re looking at why energy efficiency is becoming a bigger part of the property decision — particularly for buyers building a new home.
The Cost Of A Home Doesn’t Stop At Handover
The latest Australian Home Energy Report found four in five Australians already have at least one energy-efficient feature in their home, with insulation, efficient lighting and solar among the most common.
But what buyers are planning next is perhaps even more interesting.
Almost seven in ten Australians — 69% — plan to invest in energy-efficiency improvements over the next five years, with the average intended spend rising to around $8,340. Here in Victoria, 70% of households are planning improvements, with an average intended spend of approximately $8,350.
That tells us people are increasingly thinking beyond the initial purchase or build price.
Because once the keys are handed over, the mortgage is only one part of the household budget.
There’s heating and cooling, electricity, gas, maintenance, insurance, rates and all the other costs that come with owning a home. So it makes sense that buyers are starting to consider how the design and features of a property might affect those costs over the longer term.
For people building new, there’s another advantage.
Many of these decisions can be considered from the beginning rather than retrofitted later. Insulation, orientation, glazing, heating and cooling, solar infrastructure and electrical requirements can all form part of the broader conversation around what the home needs to deliver.
And that doesn’t mean every buyer needs every feature available.
Like most things in property, it comes down to priorities, budget and what makes sense for the person actually living there.
A Quick Look At What Buyers Are Thinking About
 Solar Reducing reliance on grid electricity and helping manage ongoing energy costs. |  Insulation Helping homes maintain a more comfortable temperature throughout the year. |
 Heating & Cooling More efficient systems can become an important part of both comfort and running costs. |  Battery Storage Giving households another way to make use of energy generated at home. |
 Future-Ready Homes Thinking ahead to things like electrification, EV charging and changing energy needs. |
From a finance perspective, the bigger message is fairly simple.
Affordability isn’t only about what a home costs to buy.
It’s about what it costs to comfortably own and live in as well.
When buyers are working through a new-home budget, understanding borrowing capacity, repayments, upgrades and the overall project cost can help them decide where their money is best spent.
Sometimes that might mean a bigger kitchen.
Sometimes it might mean better insulation.
And sometimes the feature that doesn’t get the biggest reaction in the display home ends up being the one the homeowner appreciates every month when the energy bill arrives.
For buyers, builders and finance professionals alike, it’s another reminder that the best home decisions usually come from looking beyond the upfront price and thinking about how the property will work for years to come.
Thanks again for your continued support and partnership. We’re proud to work alongside you in helping clients understand the bigger picture and make informed decisions about their next home.
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