If you are interested in:
Reducing damaging carbon pollution and your impact on climate change.
Saving money and improving the value of your home.
Gaining access to an interest free Green Loan subsidised by the Australian Government.
Obtaining information and assistance with state and Australian government rebates.
Then book your FREE Home Sustainability Assessment today!
Jude Moar from White Light Impressions is a partner in the Australian Government’s Green Loans Program. Green Loans is funding free home sustainability assessments to show you how to save energy and water and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The program also offers interest-free Green Loans for recommended improvements.
To book your free home sustainability assessment please use our booking form.
What is the Green Loans Program?
The Australian Government’s Green Loans Program is funding:
- free home sustainability assessments
- interest-free Green Loans for recommended improvements.
The assessment uncovers the best energy and water savings options for your home, plus practical ideas to get you started. In some cases it may be as simple as switching to energy efficient light bulbs and repairing leaking taps.
Your assessment may also recommend bigger projects like installing solar panels, grey water filtration systems and rainwater tanks. To take that next step, you could apply for a Green Loan of up to $10,000 interest-free for four years. Having your free home sustainability assessment is the first step to qualifying for a Green Loan. Through Green Loans the Government is creating greener homes—ultimately helping around 360,000 Australian households save energy and water and look after the environment by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
What is a free home sustainability assessment?
A qualified assessor will visit your home and advise you on the best actions to reduce your energy and water bills, increase the comfort of your home, and reduce damaging carbon pollution. Your assessment will involve the physical inspection of major energy and water systems relating to thermal comfort, water heating, lighting, refrigeration, cooking, entertainment, water efficiency and outdoor consumption and waste management.
Your assessment will take around 1.5 hours depending on the amount of information readily available, the size of your property and the number of energy and water systems to check.
A few weeks after your assessment you receive a tailored home sustainability assessment report which is valid for six months. Your report recommends the best water and energy saving changes you can make to your property and practical information to help you get started.
How does it work?
The Green Loans Program is delivered in three steps.
Step 1—Book your free home sustainability assessment
- At no cost, a qualified home sustainability assessor will visit your home to investigate energy and water consumption patterns to identify actions that your household can take to save energy and water.
- Only one free assessment will be available per applicant at a given address.
Step 2—Receive your tailored home sustainability assessment report
- A few weeks after the assessment you receive a tailored home sustainability assessment report, valid for six months, including:
– the best water and energy saving changes you can make to your home
– practical information to get your household started.
Step 3—Choose which recommended actions you will take to improve your home
- With a home sustainability assessment report, your household can make water and energy saving changes as simple or as large scale as you like.
- The report is the first step in qualifying for an interest-free Green Loan of up to $10,000 from one of the Green Loans participating financial institutions.
- Only one Green Loan is provided per home sustainability assessment report—but one loan can support many individual actions. Your household may simply accept the report and implement the simplest recommendations. Or you may choose to apply to a participating financial institution for an interest-free Green Loan to take more of the recommended actions.
Eligibility and conditions
Free home sustainability assessment conditions
To be eligible to apply for a free home sustainability assessment or an interest-free Green Loan, you need to meet certain conditions.
Applicants must be:
- aged 18 or over
- an Australian citizen, permanent resident and/or an Australian registered charity
- the dwelling owner, a trustee or renter listed on lease
- have an income below $250,000.
The house/property being assessed must:
- be in Australia or its territories
- have been completed and occupied for at least 12 months (not necessarily by the applicant).
Interest-free Green Loans conditions
A Green Loans applicant must:
- have undertaken a home sustainability assessment
- satisfy the lending criteria of a participating financial institution. The list of participating institutions is at:
www.environment.gov.au/greenloans/households/loans.html
The Green Loan must be for:
- actions recommended in the home sustainability assessment report
- the house/property listed on the report.
Hints for achieving a sustainable home
Did you know…? If you turn down your heater’s thermostat just 2ºC you could save up to 17,800 balloons of greenhouse gas and approximately $150 off your heating bill per year.
Switch it off at the power point! Most electrical appliances switch to standby mode unless they are turned off at the power point. When left in standby mode, appliances use energy and cost you money. Turn off appliances at the switch, or directly at the power point and you can save up to 10% on your household energy bill.
Seal those gaps! Draught sealing around doors and windows can save up to 25% of heat losses and gains in many climate zones.
Keep the sun out! Block the sun before it strikes your glass. Once the radiant energy from the sun has penetrated your house it heats up whatever it reaches. Heated objects then pass on that heat to the air around them and the room gets progressively hotter. So eliminate the radiant heat from hitting the glass in the first place and help your home remain cool.
Cooking with gas! A recent study by Sustainability Victoria revealed that on average, using gas to cook the family meal produces the lowest emissions. So if you are replacing your oven, then go with gas. For those stuck with an electric oven, a slow cooker on high is the greenest way to cook.
Did you know…? If you insulate an uninsulated ceiling you can save up to $350 a year in heating and cooling costs, and more than 40,000 black balloons of greenhouse gas a year.
Remove that plug! If every house leaves a mobile charger on standby, the energy wasted each year would be enough to provide electricity for 66,000 homes.
Did you know…? Australia has the reputation of being the largest emitter of carbon dioxide per capita in the developed world.
What does a screensaver actually save? When a screen saver is running, a computer can still be consuming the same amount of energy as when it is in use. If you are going to be away from your computer for more than 5 minutes, switch the monitor off.
Why lighting matters! Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL) use far more efficient lighting technology. A typical CFL uses around 80 per cent less electricity, produces 91 per cent less greenhouse gas and lasts around 8 times longer than a typical incandescent light globe.
