Helping Households Most In Need Reduce Their Energy Costs

Photo: choice.com.au

The Home Energy Assist program, which provides funding for more than 3,300 Victorian homes to become more energy efficient, has had its funding increased by an additional $8.1 million allocated in the Victorian Budget 2017/18.

The Home Energy Assist package now includes:

• $6.5 million for the Victorian Healthy Homes Program, to upgrade the homes of 1,000 vulnerable Victorians with complex healthcare needs and low incomes
• $4.3 million for the EnergySmart Public Housing Program, which will replace inefficient electric water heaters and electric heaters in 1,300 public housing properties and deliver tailored upgrades to a further 200 from July 2017
• $6.1 million as part of an Affordable Retrofits Program to support more than 800 Victorian concession card holders with home energy retrofits, appliance replacements, solar panels and energy literacy programs.

In addition, the Labor Government will also spend $1 million to update the Victorian Energy Compare website https://compare.switchon.vic.gov.au/ to include cost-reflective and other innovative tariffs, to ensure that the website can respond to the introduction of new tariffs by energy retailers.

The EnergySmart Public Housing Program is in addition to the Government’s $185 million program to redevelop over 11,000 public housing homes to ensure they are better suited to Victorians needs.