The Greens secured an additional $500 million for energy efficiency upgrades in Parliament last week.
With a $500 million expansion, the Social Housing Energy Performance Initiative (SHEPI) is now expected to reach more than 100,000 social housing properties, which is almost 25 per cent of Australia’s social housing stock.
The SHEPI program provides upgrades such as insulation, air conditioners, electrification and solar installations for eligible households. These upgrades reduce tenant energy usage with a potential ongoing average bill saving of around $1,800 per year.
This expansion brings the total Commonwealth funding for the initiative to $800 million.
The Insulation Council of Australia and New Zealand (ICANZ) applauded the last-minute deal struck by the Greens with the federal government which will see an additional 50,000 social housing properties retrofitted with insulation.
CEO of ICANZ Janine Strachan said improving the energy efficiency of the building envelope with insulation is the first priority in the funding allocation, which helps to make homes more comfortable and affordable to run for those most vulnerable in society.
The deal is part of an agreement with the government on a package of amendments and reforms which secured the passage of over 20 bills through the Senate including some of the Future Made in Australia Bills, Treasury Bills including Build to Rent, and other Bills.
It will be proportionally distributed to the states without requirement of co-contributions from the states, meaning 50,000 social homes will be retrofitted with energy efficient upgrades such as air conditioning, insulation and shading; electric hot water systems, cooktops and ovens; and solar panels and batteries.
The new investments in social housing and energy upgrades builds on the previous $3 billion for social housing and $1.7 billion for household electrification previously secured by the Greens.
The Greens have secured the following package of changes in negotiations with the government:
- Future Made in Australia funding will be closed off for coal, oil and gas projects.
- Export Finance Australia will now be legally prevented from financing any domestic or overseas fossil fuel projects on their balance sheet. Around $1.5 billion of coal, oil and gas projects have been financed by EFA since 2009 - this kind of financing will now not be possible.