Going green in your home just got a lot easier

14 January 2010
Energy efficient light bulbs are just one way to improve sustainability within the home

Energy efficient light bulbs are just one way to improve sustainability in your home

In the not-to-distant future, every residence in Australia will need a green-star rating before it can be sold or rented. From May 2011, every new house or apartment must be rated with six stars (the highest) and older homes will need to catch up if they are to compete in the property market. Here’s an example – an existing home without insulation that has an electric hot water system may not even get three stars!

However, existing home owners and investment property owners can do something right now. You can get a free consultation about the energy efficiency of your home and find out ways to improve your home’s green credentials. A registered assessor will come to your home and give you advice on how to improve your energy efficiency. And the assessor will advise on your eligibility for a Federal Government Green Homes Loan program. The loan will give you up to $10,000 to improve your green credentials. You might consider changing to solar power using the money to put up solar panels. There are many options in the Green Homes Loan program so that you can implement a variety of energy saving measures.

For the Green Homes Loan, you pay no interest or account fees for four years in which time, you will have saved big time on energy bills that you can easily pay the loan back.

The Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts website says of the free assessment program:

Through the Green Loans Program, householders are able to access a free, comprehensive Home Sustainability Assessment to reduce their energy and water bills, increase the comfort of their home and help reduce damaging carbon pollution.

This independent assessment by a qualified expert assessor will provide advice from the smallest behaviour change to major investments such as a solar hot water system or photovoltaic panels.
www.environment.gov.au/greenloans/assessments/index.html

Find out more about the Home Sustainability Assessments scheme and the Green Loans Program at the Federal Government’s department of environment website.