Australian Governments attending a COAG meeting last week agreed to a comprehensive 10-year strategy to accelerate energy efficiency improvements for householders and businesses as part of a strategy to combat climate change, reduce the cost of emissions abatement and improve the productivity of the economy.
The strategy is intended to complement the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme by addressing challenges preventing the uptake of energy efficient opportunities, such as split incentives and lack of suitable information.
The National Partnership Agreement on Energy Efficiency encompasses:
– assistance to households to reduce energy use by providing consultancy services and financial incentives
– assistance to business and industry to obtain the knowledge, skills and capacity to pursue cost-effective energy efficiency opportunities
– higher energy efficiency standards for homes and buildings
– nationally-consistent energy efficiency standards for appliances and equipment
– new standards for the energy performance of air conditioners
– addressing potential regulatory impediments
– governments working in partnership to improve the energy efficiency of their own buildings and operations; and
– a detailed assessment of possible vehicle efficiency measures
As part of the strategy, a major push will begin next year to phase inefficient electric hot water systems and from 2010, all new homes and commercial buildings will have to meet energy rating standards. There will also be an acceleration of a phase-out of inefficient lighting, starting with a ban on incandescent light globes from November.
Electric and gas hot water systems constitute approximately 20% of a household’s greenhouse gas emissions. One of the most effective ways of reducing this greenhouse gas impact is by installing a solar hot water system, which can also help householders save up to 75% on water heating costs. Federal and state governments are currently offering generous rebates on solar hot water and in conjunction with Renewable Energy Certificates, can reduce the initial purchase price of a system by thousands of dollars.
