Home Audit Information Booklet FOR COMMUNITY CARE WORKERS
This project was funded by the Department of Sustainability and Environment
[Items in red are notes to the organisation running the training, on changes that should be made to this booklet to make it relevant to your community care workers.]
Introduction
This booklet is for community care workers to use in the homes of their clients. It looks at energy and water use and waste production in different parts of the home. It aims to give you, your clients and their families a better sense of the steps that can be taken to live more sustainably through simple improvements or changes. This can then allow your clients to live comfortably and to save money on their household bills. This information booklet is designed to be used in combination with the Home Sustainability Audit worksheet. The worksheet asks questions about the sustainability of the home, and this booklet gives background information on those questions and suggested actions. The majority of these actions are no cost or low cost to the householder. Larger possible retrofits or appliances are included in some cases. You should only discuss these larger items if think it is appropriate. For example, if your client is having a lot of trouble with their hot water system, you can explain the options that are available in the Hot Water Systems section on page 8 of this booklet. [Some community service organisation have provided their clients with free assistance in implementing some of the recommendations. E.g. Some local councils have had their home maintenance department carry out draught blocking on any homes where this was needed; another option is providing free low flow showerheads through your local water company. If you are providing any additional services such as this, please add information here on which items are available free of charge and how community care workers should request them (e.g. by filling in a job order form).] Good luck, and enjoy discussing these issues with your clients. Hopefully you will gain some benefit in your own home too. Disclaimer: Environment Victoria provides this document as a guide. However, it cannot take responsibility or liability for any loss, damage or injury incurred as a result of the use of any of the information within this guide. We recommend that you obtain appropriate professional advice and assistance where necessary.
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Contents
Introduction___________________________________________________________ 2 1. GreenPower_________________________________________________________ 4 2. Heating and Cooling __________________________________________________ 5 3. Insulation, Draughts and Windows_______________________________________ 6 Insulation ________________________________________________________________ 6 Draughts _________________________________________________________________ 6 Windows _________________________________________________________________ 7
4. Hot Water __________________________________________________________ 8 Hot Water Systems _________________________________________________________ 8
5. Bathroom and Toilet __________________________________________________ 9 Water Leaks _____________________________________________________________ 10
6. In the Laundry ______________________________________________________ 10 Information on Using Grey Water ____________________________________________ 11 Grey Water Safety ________________________________________________________ 11
7. In the Kitchen ______________________________________________________ 12 Cooking _________________________________________________________________ 12 Refrigerators_____________________________________________________________ 13
8. Standby Energy and Lights ____________________________________________ 13 Lighting _________________________________________________________________ 14
9. Waste_____________________________________________________________ 15 Reduce _________________________________________________________________ 15 Reuse___________________________________________________________________ 15 Recycle _________________________________________________________________ 16 Food scraps ______________________________________________________________ 16 Residential Recycling and Waste Collection_____________________________________ 17
10. House Cleaning ____________________________________________________ 17 Appendix A. Grants and Rebates _________________________________________ 18
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1. GreenPower
Approximately 92% of electricity in Victoria comes from burning brown coal. The single biggest action most households can take to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions is to purchase electricity generated from renewable resources, such as wind or solar power. This is known as GreenPower. It is available through most electricity retailers and changing over is as simple as a phone call. If your client is unsure whether they already purchase GreenPower, it will say on their bill. Each electricity provider has a range of accredited GreenPower products. The important qualifier is that the GreenPower is accredited by the government. When accredited they carry the accreditation logo, which looks like this:
You can check which suppliers provide accredited GreenPower on the website www.greenpower.gov.au, or by calling 1300 363 744. Generally speaking it costs an extra $1‐3 per week to purchase 100% accredited GreenPower in a house with one or two people. The cost increase may be a deterrent. By introducing a range of actions to reduce electricity consumption this cost can usually be offset. An alternative is to purchase 50%, 25% or 10% GreenPower. If your client is interested in switching to GreenPower or learning more about their options, all they or their family need to do is contact their electricity provider.
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2. Heating and Cooling
Heating and cooling accounts for 59% of an average Victorian household’s energy use each year. How much sun the living areas of a home receive in winter and summer will depend on the direction it faces. The more sun the better in winter, and the less the better in summer. In southern Australia rooms with north‐facing windows receive much more sun than rooms with south facing windows. Actions to reduce energy used for heating and cooling: • Turn down the thermostat. As a rule of thumb, each 1°C the heating is set over 21°C adds 10% to the heating bill. The setting should be between 19‐21°C in winter and 24‐27°C in summer. If the heating or cooling system doesn’t have a thermostat, place a small thermometer in the room to check the temperature yourself. • Only heat or cool the space that is being used, e.g. the bedroom or the living room. Close all doors leading in/out of that space, so that warm or cool air doesn’t escape, and seal draughts (see below). • Don’t leave the heating or cooling system running all night or while the client is out. Turn it off or install a timer. Heating Information: Gas heaters and reverse cycle heat pumps are the most efficient types of fixed heaters. They produce only one third the amount of greenhouse gas emissions of standard electric heaters. If neither of these is an option, your client will have to use either wood or a portable electric heater. Wood can be an excellent fuel because it is a renewable energy source, if sustainably harvested. However, air pollution from wood fires and the transport of firewood to urban areas are environmentally detrimental. Open fire places are very inefficient, whereas slow combustion stoves (enclosed metal boxes) can be highly efficient. Portable electric heaters are expensive to run, but they are a little cheaper if you use one with a thermostat and a fan, and one which is the right size for the room. For an uninsulated home, 130 watts is required per square metre of floor space in the room. For a home with insulation in the ceiling you need about 100 watts per square metre. Cooling Information: Fans offer the most efficient form of cooling with the lowest running costs, lowest purchase price, lowest energy use and lowest greenhouse emissions. Evaporative coolers are relatively efficient but need “maintaining” with water. Refrigerated coolers (also known as reverse cycle or split system) use a lot of energy. To save energy, only cool the rooms being used. 5
3. Insulation, Draughts and Windows Insulation Brick homes are better than weatherboard at keeping warm in winter and cool in summer, as the construction materials insulate more effectively. Insulation is the most effective way to improve the energy efficiency of a home. Insulating a home can save 40% of energy used for heating and cooling. Insulation helps keep a house warm in winter and cool in summer. The cheapest and most effective place to install insulation is in the ceiling. Insulation can also be installed in the walls and floors of a home for maximum efficiency and comfort. The effectiveness of insulation is expressed by its R (resistivity) value. The higher the R value the more effective the insulation. In Victoria the minimum R value recommended for roof insulation is R3.5. Insulation batts and blankets made out of ‘glass’ wool are the most common. Other options include recycled paper pulp, rockwool, natural wool and recycled polyester threads. It is possible to find out if there is insulation or not in a roof by having a look through the man hole. You may be able to encourage one of the client’s family members to do this sometime.
Draughts To maintain a comfortable home and reduce heating/cooling bills it is important to block draughts in these common locations: • Block any unused fireplace – this is a major draught to look out for and can waste more energy than a permanently open front door. A plasterboard cover over the fireplace mouth is a cheap option. A more expensive option is to install a damper. These can be opened when needed, and closed the rest of the time. However open fires are not an efficient way of heating a room. • Gaps around doors and windows can be blocked by applying weather strips around edges and door sealing flaps along the bottom. Both of these are available from hardware stores and can be installed cheaply and easily. A simple draught snake also works well for the gaps under doors, although these can be a trip hazard. • Cracks in wooden floors can be covered with carpets or rugs, or filled with gap filler (which can be bought in a tube from a hardware store). 6
• Wall vents were designed for the days of gas lighting and unflued heating, and are no longer needed. They can be blocked with cardboard, or with a piece of wood with a hook on the back to attach it. • A DraftStoppa can stop heat loss through ceiling extraction fans. These can be bought from environment shops and some hardware stores for about $30, and sit inside the roof cavity, above the fan. • A good tip to find air leaks in the house is to light a candle or a stick of incense and carry it around. Watch for flame or smoke motion to see where the draughts are. • Any type of air leak will result in heat loss from the home in winter and heat gain in summer. But remember that any room should be regularly aired, and some heating systems need proper ventilation.
Windows Windows play a key role in insulating the home. If left uncovered, they are a major way for heat to escape a home in winter, and enter it in summer. Actions to reduce energy lost through windows: • Install lined curtains or blinds. They make a big difference in keeping heat in a home when the heater is on and it is cold outside, and also help keep the house cool in summer. • Window pelmets (the box‐like structure along the tops of curtain rods) prevent air circulation behind the curtain and significantly reduce heat loss or gain above and below curtains and through windows. • External blinds or shade sails are also very good in summer at preventing sunlight and heat entering the window and heating a room. Where possible they should be removed in winter to let the sun in. Ensure they are easy to operate to accommodate the needs of your client. • Deciduous trees (those which lose their leaves in winter) planted outside north facing windows offer an excellent natural solution, as they allow sun into the house in winter and their leaves provide shade in summer. • In summer: close curtains and blinds to prevent the house heating up. When a cool change arrives, open windows and doors to allow the cool change to enter the home. • In winter: open up the curtains or blinds of any north facing windows to let the sun in to heat up the house during the day. Close curtains at night to keep the heat in. • Sticking a heat reflective tint on the window pane helps in summer but reduces the heat gained in winter. • Double glazed windows help insulate the house, but are expensive to install. 7
4. Hot Water
Hot water systems account for 21% of an average Victorian household’s energy use each year. Actions to reduce energy used through water heating: • Find the thermostat on the hot water service. The hot water service will generally be either a storage hot water system (a large tank) or an instantaneous hot water system (a small box on the wall). If it is a storage hot water system check it is set to 60°C. If it is an instantaneous hot water system check it is set to 50°C or less. If it is not – change it. You can usually do this by just turning the dial on the system. For storage hot water systems, 60°C is hot enough for household needs and ensures no bacteria builds up in the system. Considerable energy is wasted when water is heated by the hot water system then cooled for use by mixing with cold water. Lowering the thermostat setting also reduces the potential for burns and scalding. • Insulate sections of the hot water pipes which are outside the house using lagging insulation foam. This can be bought cheaply from hardware stores and is simply taped on. This minimises heat lost while hot water travels through the pipes in cold temperatures, at night or early morning.
Hot Water Systems Solar hot water systems can be the most energy efficient form of water heating. They have a booster system which uses gas or electricity to boost water temperature when the sun isn’t shining. There is a large upfront cost but solar systems pay for themselves in the medium term by reducing energy bills. Government rebates are available for solar hot water system installation. If gas is not available , consider installing an electric heat pump system. These are expensive to install, but by far the most energy efficient electric systems available, and will save a lot of money on electricity bills. Instantaneous systems (also known as continuous flow systems or tankless systems) only heat water as it runs through a small unit and are very efficient. Storage systems, where water is heated in a large tank, are the most common. These systems keep the water warm even when it is not being used and are therefore less efficient and more costly to run. Some types are designed to be used with off peak power, which is charged at a cheaper rate.
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If the client has a storage hot water system advise them to turn it off, or at least down, during long periods when not in use, such as holidays. There are usually instructions on how to do this printed on the hot water system. Seek professional advice before installing new hot water systems to ensure it meets your client’s needs and will perform correctly.
5. Bathroom and Toilet
Actions for saving water: We use more water in the shower than anywhere else in the home. • If your client doesn’t already take short showers, encourage them to do so (unless they need long showers for medical reasons). Between seven and 20 litres per minute of drinking water are used in the shower. Showers of four minute or less are recommended. Reducing shower length also saves energy used for water heating. • Fit a water saving/low flow showerhead – this saves water and energy used for water heating. Your local water company will provide one for free. A three star rated showerhead uses 7‐9 litres per minute. Old style showerheads use 15‐20 litres. • Low flow showerheads may not be compatible with a gravity‐fed hot water service or an instantaneous hot water service. If one of these hot water systems is in use, check showerhead compatibility with the local water authority. • Many products are available to divert shower, bath, laundry or basin water onto the garden from pipes outside the home. Rubber funnels can be fitted into pipe elbows, to automatically divert water. Make sure you read the Grey Water Safety section below • Install a dual flush toilet to replace old toilets. Single flush toilets use up to 12 litres per flush, new dual flush cisterns use 3.5 litres per half flush and 6 litres per full flush. Heavily discounted prices are available from your local water company. • A cheap alternative is to insert one or more two litre bottles of water into an old cistern to reduce the volume of water used with each flush. • A toilet flush interruptor can give more control of the amount of water used in a flush by only allowing the flush to continue as long as the button is pressed. These just sit inside the cistern, and don’t need to be “installed”.
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Water Leaks A leaking tap can waste 20,000 litres of drinking water a year. Have all leaks repaired. Most will be obvious – you will be able to see and hear them. You can also check for hidden leaks, like in the plumbing under the house. Do this by following four steps: 1. Ensure all taps are turned off. 2. Check the water meter (usually near the front fence) and note the reading. 3. Then check the reading again after about three hours, or the next morning. 4. If the meter reading has changed, there is a leak that needs to be fixed. The most common places for leaks include taps, toilets, under sinks, washing machines and from garden fittings. Changing the washers usually fixes dripping taps. If this does not solve the problem, contact a plumber. Toilet leaks can be checked by adding some food dye to the cistern. If this coloured dye shows in the toilet bowl without flushing, then the cistern is leaking.
6. In the Laundry
Actions for saving energy: • Wash clothes using cold water. It’s better for the clothes and saves the energy used to heat water. • Where possible, use medium and light washing machine cycles. They use less energy and are gentler on clothes. • Dry clothes using a washing line or clothes rack wherever possible – energy supplied directly by the sun is free. Tumble dryers use a large amount of energy. • If an electric dryer is used, clean the lint filter after each load. Separate heavy items from light items and dry them in separate loads. Around 15‐20% of water used in the home, on average, is used in the laundry. Water‐ efficient washing machines are a great way to save water. Front loading machines with a water star rating of four or five are best. 10
Actions for saving water: • A front loader machine is more water‐efficient (and energy efficient) than a top loader. • Only wash when you have a full load. Washing less often with a full load uses less water than washing more often with smaller loads. • If you need to wash smaller loads adjust the water level of the washing machine to suit the wash size, e.g. for a small load select the low water‐level option. • Use a suds‐saver option if available. This reduces the amount of washing powder used, making it cheaper and less harmful to the environment. You can use less detergent than the manufacturer recommends on the package and still get a good wash. • Using grey water from the washing machine can be a great way of keep gardens alive under water restrictions. See the section above on using grey water safely. The type of laundry powder or liquid used affects the quality of waste water produced while washing clothes. This is important when using grey water, but also good to keep in mind for the health of our waterways. Avoid detergents containing phosphates. High phosphate levels in waterways cause excessive algal growth, including toxic blue‐green algae. Try to buy detergents that are biodegradable, as this means the chemicals will break down rapidly in the environment. If you are using grey water in your garden, go for grey water friendly detergents – in particular ones without too much salt.
Information on Using Grey Water Grey water is a valuable resource to help reduce the clean drinking water used on gardens and to keep plants healthy during water restrictions, but it needs to be used carefully. The following tips will help: • Using buckets to collect and transport grey water can be a bad idea for senior citizens, as they may contribute to back injuries. • Set up a grey water diversion system, such as a diverter from the outside laundry or shower outflow pipe. • Many garden‐friendly detergents, soaps and shampoos are available for use in the laundry and bathroom. These reduce any harmful effects that harsher detergents rich in salts and phosphorous can have on your plants over time.
Grey Water Safety • Do not use grey water on leaf vegetables which are going to be eaten raw. • Do not use water from the kitchen or the dishwasher, or washing machine water from washing nappies. Water from these sources contains high levels of bacteria, making it a health risk. 11
• Do not let children or pets go near untreated grey water. • It is advisable to wash hands after watering with grey water. • Spread grey water around the garden, so it is not always used in the same spot. Note that it is illegal to: • store grey water for more than 24 hours. • store grey water in rainwater tanks. • let grey water seep out of the property, for example into neighbouring properties or drains.
7. In the Kitchen Cooking
Actions to reduce energy used for cooking: • When boiling water, only heat the water that you need to use. For example, when making two cups of tea, only boil two cups of water. Save water, save energy. • Use the right sized pot or pan to suit the amount of food that is being cooked, and keep lids on when cooking. • Ensure the seals on the oven are in good condition. • A microwave uses much less energy than an electric stove or oven.
Around 8% of the total household water is used in the kitchen. Actions to reduce water used for cooking: • Washing dishes by hand using half a sink of water is the most water and energy efficient way to wash. Older dishwashers are high consumers of water in the kitchen. New more efficient dishwashers may use less water than hand washing but they use more energy. • If purchasing a dishwasher ensure it is a water and energy efficient model with a good star rating. • Only use dishwashers with a full load. • Wash vegetables in a small basin, not under running water. Make sure the basin is small enough to carry. • Use tap aerators. These screw onto taps and slow the flow of water. They are cheap and easy to install and can reduce water flow by 50%. The water pressure will still feel the same because the water is aerated. • Alternatively, use flow control discs, which are inserted into the tap joint to reduce the rate of water flow. 12
The easier it is to turn a tap on and off, the less water is wasted. Check the taps and recommend a change if it is stiff or difficult to turn.
Refrigerators
A fridge is usually switched on 365 days per year, so it is important to ensure that it runs as efficiently as possible. • Check the thermostat (or check fridge temperature using a thermometer). Fridges should be set to 4°C and freezers to ‐15°C. • Ensure that the seals on the fridge are in good condition to prevent cold air escaping when the door is closed. If not, the seals will need to be replaced. • Frosted up freezers run inefficiently. Encourage your client to defrost their freezer regularly. • Keep a space between the wall and the rear of the fridge for air to circulate around the fridge coils at the back. These coils disperse heat from the air in the fridge, and need air to operate efficiently. • Is the fridge the right size for the client’s needs? If it is too large it will be wasting energy. If your client is on their own, perhaps a small fridge is more suitable. • If there is a second fridge, does it need to be on? Switching it off will save a lot of money and energy.
8. Standby Energy and Lights
In homes with many appliances standby energy can account for 10% of home energy use. Actions to reduce energy wasted by standby appliances: • Where possible, switch off appliances at the power point when not in use. Look for the red or green lights on appliances showing they are on standby, e.g. on VCRs or TVs. Standby power uses energy even when the appliance is not running. Appliances with remote controls use standby power unless they are switched off at the wall. • Unplug mobile phone chargers when not charging. Most chargers use energy when they are plugged in, even if the phone is not connected. • For hard to reach switches (like the power point behind the TV), there are now special power boards and switches available that are operated by remote control, or by a switch on an extension cord, so appliances can be turned off easily. There
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are also power boards available which are designed to be switched off using a pedal you can stand on, without bending over. • If your client is buying new appliances, check the energy star rating. The more stars the appliance shows, the more energy efficient it is. Even a one‐star difference can save 10‐30% on running costs. Any electrical appliance that produces heat uses a lot of energy, e.g. heaters, stoves, kettles, toasters and irons. Only use these appliances when necessary. Gas, when available, is a much more energy efficient fuel for producing heat in the stove, oven or heater.
Lighting Lights account for an average of 3% of household energy use. This amount will be higher when downlights are used in most rooms, or when outdoor lighting is used often. Three percent may not sound like much, but most of the actions to cut down this amount are very simple. Actions to reduce energy used from lighting: • Change old style incandescent light globes to new style compact fluorescent energy efficient light globes. The new style lights last 8 times longer than old style globes and only use one fifth of the energy, which means they easily pay for themselves. • Use the lowest wattage globe needed to adequately light an area. • Switch lights off when a room is not in use. It is a myth that compact fluorescent lights should be left on. If you are leaving the room for longer than a few minutes switch off the lights. • Use natural light wherever possible. • Use timers to control any outdoor and security lighting. Ensure these lights are switched off during the day. Solar powered lighting options are available for outside areas and can replace existing lighting. • Downlights are an inefficient form of lighting, as a large amount of energy used is dispersed as heat. Often many downlights are used to light an area where one old style globe would suffice. Compact fluorescent globes which fit into downlight fittings are now available. These use much less energy, but can be pricey. • Higher watt downlights (such as 50w) can be replaced with 35w downlights, although this will make the room darker. • If compact fluorescent downlights are not an option, consider using lamps instead of the downlights. 14
9. Waste Reduce Reduce what you consume and reduced waste will automatically follow.
Actions to consume less and produce less waste: • Encourage your clients to use a shopping list to ensure they don’t forget things, but also to ensure that they don’t buy extra items which are not needed and might spoil. • Use reusable shopping bags instead of plastic bags. Be sure to keep the bags handy. • Encourage them to buy products with a long shelf life and buy in bulk. This also means fewer trips to the shops. • Packaging can be reduced by buying loose products, products with minimal packaging, or products with packaging made from recycled materials. • “Recycled” is much better than “recyclable”, because it has already been used at least twice and can be recycled again. • A ‘No Junk Mail’ sticker is an easy way of cutting waste. • Growing fruit and vegetables at home is also a good option.
Reuse We can extend the life of many items that appear to have come to the end of their use by re‐using them in some way. This benefits the environment because it means less waste is shipped off to landfill and it decreases demand for new natural resources to be extracted from the earth.
Actions to decrease the demand for natural resources: • Encouraging your clients to buy reusable items rather than disposable ones, e.g. rechargeable batteries. • Hiring, sharing or borrowing is a good option for items which aren’t used very often, e.g. a sewing machine. • Encourage your client to repair items rather than throwing the item away and buying a new one, e.g. clothing, shoes and watches. • If there are unused or unwanted items around the house, you might want to encourage your client to have a garage sale or donate them to a charity shop. Ensure that these items are disposed of or reused in a responsible way. For further details on this, contact your local council. 15
Recycle Placing recyclable items in the recycle bin for collection is a very easy way to reduce environmental impact. It saves a lot of energy and water. For example, 1kg of paper made from fresh fibres from a forest creates 100 litres of waste water. Producing 1kg of recycled paper results in 15 litres of waste water. And 25 recycled aluminium cans can be produced with the same energy it costs to produce one new can from raw materials. The recyclable materials in the recycling bin should always be reasonably clean. Dirty and incorrect materials in the recycling bin can contaminate the whole load and result in the whole load of recycling being sent to landfill. • Suggest to your client that they put used tins and jars aside with dirty dishes to be washed. Once they have finished washing the dishes, they can use the dirty water to rinse recyclable items before putting them in the recycling box. • Placing a box in the kitchen or nearby means recyclable items can be conveniently stored. This can then be emptied into the recycle bin outside every few days or when full.
Food scraps
About half of what we send to landlfill in our bins is food scraps and other compostable materials. Food scraps fills up our landfills faster than necessary, and produce greenhouse gases as it breaks down. Actions to reduce organic waste in the landfill bin: • Compost kitchen waste in the backyard. If your client doesn’t have room for a compost heap, compost using a compost bin, worm farm or bokashi bin. Worm farms are great for small homes or units, as they can be located in laundries or on balconies, and a bokashi bin can go under the kitchen sink. • Garden waste should either be composted or put in the council’s green waste bin (if it offers this service). Composting is easier with a small kitchen waste bin located somewhere handy to where the cooking happens. Food scraps can go straight in, and plates can be scraped in after meals. At the end of each day, or when the bin is full, it can be taken out to the worm farm, compost bin or bokashi bin. A low‐tech version is simply a couple of old ice cream containers. 16
Residential Recycling and Waste Collection [Insert information here on your local council’s waste services. Do they offer a green waste service? What goes in the green waste bin? What items can go in the recycling bin? What colour is the recycling bin? Information for your area is available from your council, or from www.recyclingnearyou.com.au.] Plastic bags, light globes, batteries and nappies are NOT to be placed in recycle bins. All contents in plastic bags in recycle bins are discarded to landfill by sorters.
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House Cleaning
By cleaning the home without harsh chemicals, avoiding household insect sprays, pesticides and choosing eco‐products, you can prevent exposure to many toxic substances. This will also help save money and reduce waste. Actions to reduce environmental impact when house cleaning: • Encourage your client to clean the home the green way: clean regularly using warm water and a textured or micro‐fibre cloth. Add bicarbonate soda for stubborn, filth‐like grease. • Cleaning regularly prevents build‐up and the need for harsh chemical cleaners. • How about reusable dish cloths? These are washable and you can get a set so that after a few days you can use a clean one, and leave the dirty ones for the next time you do a load of washing. This stops the wastage caused by disposable cloths. • Deter pests by keeping the kitchen free from food scraps. Essential oils can help deter insects: bay leaf oil, eucalyptus and orange oils deter cockroaches and ants; lavender or citronella oils deter mosquitoes; peppermint oil deters mice; lavender or clove oils deter moths and silverfish.
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Appendix A. Grants and Rebates Some big sustainability items are pricey. Fortunately, there’s a whole swag of rebates available to make them cheaper. Here’s our guide to which rebates and other schemes are available from where. All of them involve fine print, so make sure you check this before going ahead. Also check that they haven’t changed since this information was put together, in April 2010. If your client is a renter, don’t despair! These rebates are also available to renters (but they will need your landlord’s permission, and the landlord might need to submit the paperwork).
Rebates To find the details on anything in the rebates section of this fact sheet, go to www.livinggreener.gov.au or call them on 1800 106 059. Water Smart Gardens and Homes Rebate Scheme This is a rebate from the Victorian Government for water saving products, like rainwater tanks (minimum size 600 litres) and grey water systems. You can also spend $100 on things like garden tap timers, compost bins and mulch, and get $30 back, without having to contact your landlord. More information is available from your water retailer (the company that sends you water bills), from LivingGreener (see above), and from some garden, plumbing and hardware shops. National Rainwater and Greywater Initiative This is a rebate from the Federal Government of up to $500 for rain water tanks which are plumbed into the toilet or laundry (minimum size 2000 litres), and greywater systems. Without a rebate, 2000 litre tanks start at about $650, plus installation. Grey water systems can cost $10,000. However you can get a rebate from both the Federal Government and the state government for either of these. Renewable Energy Bonus Scheme (solar hot water or heat pump hot water) In February 2010 this replaced the Federal Government’s old insulation and solar hot water rebate, which was known as the Energy Efficient Homes Package. The new scheme now only includes solar hot water and heat pump hot water, where these are replacing electric storage hot water. The rebate is $1000 for solar and $600 for heat pump, and isn’t available to people who received the insulation rebate. Solar hot water rebate This rebate of up to $1600 from the Victorian Government is available to replace gas, wood or oil‐fuelled hot water system to solar. If you have an electric hot water system you must use the Federal Government’s Renewable Energy Bonus Scheme (see previous page) instead, unless you have already used this for insulation. If you have, 18
then you are eligible for the Victorian scheme. Without rebates, solar hot water systems cost roughly $2,000‐$5,000 to buy and install. Gas hot water rebate This $300‐$700 rebate from the Victorian Government is for replacing a day‐rate electric hot water system with a high efficiency gas hot water system. Without rebates, gas hot water systems cost roughly $800‐$1,400 to buy and install.
Grants and more Sustainability assessments (Green Loans) The Green Loans scheme gives you a sustainability audit of your house, for free. For more information, call 1300 778 451 or go to www.environment.gov.au/greenloans/. The Home Wise Grant Program This program is available to people with a pensioner concession card, health care card or Veterans’ Affairs pension or gold card, and pays to repair, or if necessary replace, essential appliances that are faulty. It is only available if you don’t have the savings to pay for it yourself. Replacement appliances are selected by DHS, on the basis of energy or water efficiency. The program covers hot water services, built‐in heaters, toilets, stoves, fridges, washing machines, leaking pipes and more. Conditions change over time, so to check current information contact the Concessions Information Line on 1800 658 521. The No Interest Loan Scheme (NILS) This provides interest‐free loans for people on health care or pension cards to buy essential household items, like fridges. Loan amounts are usually $800‐$1,200 and usually need to be paid back in 12 to 18 months. If an energy efficient washing machine or fridge is purchased through NILS, you may be eligible for a $100 rebate from the NILS office. Contact Salvation Army Leongatha for further details, on 9662 6552. 19
Environment Victoria mobilises people to safeguard our environment. As the state’s peak non‐profit environment group, we believe our future depends on all Victorians. That’s why we’re asking all 5 million of us to be part of looking after our environment. With your help, we can persuade every Victorian to get involved. It won't be easy. But 5 million people can get our representatives hopping. Get businesses bending over backwards to become truly green. Get the whole country to pay attention. Maybe even the world. So what do you say? Are you in? Visit www.environmentvictoria.org.au today. Printed on recycled paper
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