Energy Efficient Homes Package and Solar Hot Water Rebate

The Energy Efficient Homes Package was announced on 3 February 2009 as part of the Nation Building Economic Stimulus Plan. The programme comprises two components: A home insulation programme and the Solar Hot Water Rebate. This assistance helped householders to reduce their energy consumption and save on energy bills by either having ceiling insulation installed or replacing their electric hot water system with a more energy efficient unit. The Home Insulation Program, a key part of the Package, aimed to drive employment, help the environment and boost the economy. Householders, including owner-occupiers, landlords and tenants could access insulation assistance of up to AUD 1,200 under the Home Insulation Program. The program applied to homes that were uninsulated at the time, or had very little ceiling insulation and were built before mandatory thermal performance requirements were introduced in the 2003 Building Code of Australia. The Homeowner Insulation Program and the Low Emission Assistance Plan for Renters ran from 3 February 2009, was capped at AUD $2.45 billion and was closed on 19 February 2010. The Solar Hot Water Rebate scheme offered a rebate of up to AUD 1600 for the installation of a solar hot water heater, or AUD 1000 for the installation of a heat pump hot water system, that replaced electric hot water storage systems. From 20 February 2010 the Solar Hot Water component was superseded by the Renewable Energy Bonus Scheme (see separate entry).