Emma Lynas felt "lucky" and "excited" when she and her partner bought in North Melbourne, but now feels deflated.
"It's just frustrating," she said.
"We scored 1.6 stars out of 10. That's bad."
With that low rating in mind, Ms Lynas borrowed more than she needed for environmental renovations.
But the mother of one was shocked by the prices.
"I had this dream of getting off gas, and now you can get electric hydronic heating," she said.
"Got a local company, and rough quote, it's $30,000. So yeah, we won't be doing that.
"Pretty deflating."
Ms Lynas' two-bedroom townhouse in North Melbourne is one of 1.6 million Victorian houses built before 1990.
On average, Victorian homes built after 1990 rate just 3 stars out of 10 for sustainability.
Danielle King makes a living helping Victorian homes and business reduce their carbon footprint and said the costs can deter many.
"Demand for our services has spiked up over 450 per cent in the last three years," she said.
But Ms King said doing nothing comes with its own cost, and urged people to do what they can.
"We literally do, a lot of us, live in tents," she said.
"It can create not only high energy bills, but health problems."
Low cost changes you can make
The easiest way to reduce emissions and cut bills is to keep the thermostat in what Sustainability Victoria calls the "goldilocks zone".
"18-20 degrees is really comfortable … and every degree higher in winter adds 10 per cent to your energy bill," Sustainability Victoria chief executive Matt Genever said.
Mr Genever said there were options for renters and owners of all budgets.
Draught-proofing — which involves covering gaps and cracks in door frames and windows with a sealant — or even investing in a carpet snake can also make a significant difference.
"It's not very sexy, but it works," Mr Genever said.
"If your windows or doors were leaking water, you'd do something about it. So if they are leaking air, definitely do something."
Ms King said that good quality curtains and drapes keep the heat in during winter, and out in summer.
"Heating and cooling is about 60 per cent of your energy use at home," she said.
Ms King said double glazing windows was not cheap, but an effective way to reduce heating costs.
"There is a price premium," she said.
"It's anywhere from 10 to 15 per cent depending on the product you're choosing, but it's definitely worth it.
"We don't use the heating half the time, even in winter."
Check what government rebates are on offer
With rising energy prices, governments across the country have rolled out rebates and initiatives to ease cost-of-living pressures.
In July, the Victorian government announced a $250 Power Saving Bonus to encourage residents to compare energy providers.
Ms King said existing programs were helping, but would like to see government rebate programs expanded.
"With hot water systems, you can change out an old inefficient gas for an electric hot water system for probably $1,300 upwards," she said.
Mr Genever said it paid to plan and stay up to date with government policies.
"Rebates differ at any given time. Certainly, I encourage Victorians to look on the Solar Victoria website about the types of rebates that might be available," he said.
Although he admitted it was not very practical for the state's millions of renters.
"But have that conversation with the landlord," he said.
"Adding insulation and some of those structural changes, they might need to happen."
New homes are more energy efficient
Victorians with the means to do so can avoid the hassle of tradies, landlords, and renovations by instead buying new.
Sustainability Victoria is spending $2.6 million on a program to showcase 7-star homes and promote energy efficient buildings.
"About 20 per cent of our greenhouse gas emissions come from residential energy use … it is absolutely an environmental consideration," Mr Genever said.
Demonstration homes in Sunbury are fully electric and double glazed, with the only obvious difference to other builds being the flat induction cooktops.
Victoria only has nearly 13,500 verified seven-star homes, which is well behind New South Wales and Queensland.
But Dean Morrison from Arden Homes said 150 have been sold under the program.
"So going from six-star to seven-star, the range is $7,000 to $10,000, which generally is extra double glazing and insulation," he said.
"And to go all electric is around $20,000 to $25,000."
It's estimated seven-star electric homes cost 60 per cent less to run than a home with similar gas appliances.
Ms King said Victorian buyers can achieve a lot by being involved in the design process and insisting on energy efficiency.
"North-facing windows to get the sunlight — things like that go a long way," she said.
Ms Lynas remains committed to change and is trying to find the sunny side.
"Solar on the roof here, it's just a no-brainer, really," she said.
She just wishes it was easier.
"There are some rebates and some interest free loans, but some are means tested, which means a lot of people are ruled out [from accessing them]," she said.
"I just think it would be great if there could be more incentives for people to do these things and to make their homes more energy efficient.
"It's better for everyone involved."
