Sustainability grants and rebates

Overview

Rebates can help you to reduce the upfront expense of installing energy and water saving measures in your home. Reducing energy and water consumption can also reduce the future running costs of your home or business.

Governments across Australia offer a range of rebates and other assistance to help you to live greener.

Australian Government initiatives

• The Australian Government’s Your Energy Savings website offers homeowners, renters and landlords the ability to search for rebates and assistance according to their location or type of rebate.
• The Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme is available to households that install eligible small-scale renewable energy installations from a range of products and options. The rebate is determined by the number of Small-scale Technology Certificates an installation attracts.

Victorian Government rebate programs

• The Energy Saver Incentive offers householders discounts from participating businesses for various home appliances that have reduced energy consumption. The discounts are determined by the level of energy efficiency of a product.
• Solar Hot Water government incentives are available to all regional Victorians who wish to upgrade or replace their current gas and electric water heating systems with a solar hot water system. The installation of a solar or heat pump water heater can generate certificates, and the value of these certificates can be provided as a discount on the cost of installation. 

Other programs

MASH (More Australian Solar Homes)

MASH is a Central Victorian community solar bulk-buy program that offers high quality systems and consolidates the collective buying power of residents to negotiate heavily discounted prices. It has been rolled out across the City of Greater Bendigo, Mount Alexander, Hepburn and Macedon Ranges shires. It is organised by the Hub Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation in Castlemaine.

MASH is the recipient of this year’s Community Environment Award from Environment Victoria in recognition of the program facilitating solar panel installations for over 1000 homes in central Victoria.    

Solar Savers Program

Solar Savers program is a statewide solar panel bulk buy and installation program that has been successfully rolled out across the shire with over 21 low income pensioner households having solar panels installed on their roofs. Pensioners could purchase solar panels through a long-term low-interest loan that can be repaid as residents save money on their electricity bills. As a pilot project, the number of households that could be accommodated was limited, although it is hoped that the success of the program will lead to its expansion. Council is one of 23 councils that participated in the Victorian Government-funded program. Discussions are underway which will hopefully result in the program being conducted on a bigger scale in the future.