McMansions

AUSTRALIAN houses, the biggest in the world, outrank those of any other country for the size of their carbon footprints, leading to calls to reconsider the obsession with house size.

The more rooms in a house, the greater the need for lighting, heating and cooling, pushing up the level of greenhouse gas emissions from each dwelling, said a NSW Greens MP, John Kaye.

The Government should consider 'putting the brakes' on developers who are building ever larger houses on relatively small lots, he said.
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Want action on climate? Get your house in order
Houses account for about 17 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions.

The average floor area of homes built in the past financial year is very big, 214.6 square metres, for households averaging 2.56 people. Victoria's average is the biggest of all, 224.5 metres, almost three times Britain's average of 76 square metres.