A Melbourne-based Canadian woman has exposed the huge problem with Australian houses.
Alexandra Tuohey was stunned to discover just how cold Australian houses can be after moving into a sharehouse.
‘The most messed up part about living in Australia is that people genuinely say to me “Oh, you’re Canadian, so you shouldn’t be able to feel the cold,”‘ Ms Tuohey said on a video posted to social media.
‘But I can confidently tell you that the coldest that I have ever been is living in a Melbourne share house in the middle of July.
‘And lying in my own bed trying to fall asleep, being able to see my own breath, while only being able to warm myself with a tiny space heater and an electric blanket.
‘I don’t know why everyone in Australia was like “Let’s not insulate our houses, let’s all put on a Kathmandu jacket and call it a day”.’
She claimed: ‘Aussies, especially older ones, are so dead against heating and clothes dryers, it’s so unhinged.’
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John Pabon, an American sustainability consultant who also lives in Melbourne, agreed.
‘When Australians complain about their houses being cold during the winter, they’re not just having a whinge, it’s scientifically proven,’ he said.
‘The World Health Organisation consistently ranks Australian homes as some of the coldest in the world.
‘They have a metric that says for a house to be considered not cold it has to be above 18 degrees inside. Well, Aussie houses, they totally miss the mark.’
Mr Pabon said a recent report showed that 81 per cent of houses across Australia do not meet the WHO minimum standard.
Tasmania ranked the lowest at 11 degrees average temperature inside during winter. In Victoria, where both he and Ms Tuohey live, more that a quarter of houses missed the 18 degrees mark.
‘This has massive implications on physical health, on mental health, (it) increases the amount of mold that can occur in a house when things are this cold,’ he said.
‘Especially for people that are renting, that don’t own their own homes, it’s a massive issue.’
Many agreed with the Canadian’s comments, with one writing that ‘Australian housing standards is terrible.
‘I spoke to a Canadian who moved in to a brand new house and he said he could still feel the drafty wind through the house without any windows open.’
Another said: ‘I’m Canadian as well and I live in Somerset, Tasmania.
‘We recently redid our floors and I was absolutely shook by the fact that there was nothing between the floor and outside! Nothing!’