Page 1718 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 9 May 2018
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equipment and fittings. The design also takes into account natural resources such as taking advantage of natural sunlight and ventilation. Care was also taken to ensure that new public housing stock would particularly support older tenants and tenants with a disability.
As part of our government’s responsible steps to manage climate change and the environment, the ACT government is developing options to provide prospective tenants with the information to make informed decisions regarding energy efficiencies in their properties, particularly those properties that are newly purchased.
Of course, in the ACT there is a mandatory requirement to disclose energy efficiency ratings for all homes. This disclosure is useful for prospective tenants and buyers. It allows them to understand the energy efficiency of homes that they are looking to purchase but also to look at the steps suggested to improve the efficiency rating of their homes through retrofitting.
As we improve energy efficiency through our public housing renewal program, the ACT should continue to investigate ways to improve housing stock across the territory in terms of energy efficiency. One of the key areas of focus in the energy sector under the ACT’s climate strategy to a net zero emissions territory 2017 is deep retrofitting of housing stock. This is the addition of new technology or features to older systems to make them more energy efficient. That includes stopping leaks in seals, reducing draughts and adding insulation. Looking at window treatments like double glazing is also another example.
When speaking to a previous motion moved in the Assembly by Ms Orr, I suggested that residents should act to shop around for better energy plans. One thing I failed to mention then, which I want to mention today, is encouraging people to go to the energy made easy website, where they can look at all energy plans across the ACT’s major retailers and compare them very easily. It is energymadeeasy.gov.au.
As has been mentioned, another resource is our Actsmart website. It provides tips to households on how to reduce electricity and gas use. We know that standby power, or vampire energy as it is sometimes referred to, can account for up to five to 10 per cent of power use in the average Canberra household. Actsmart suggests many tips for residents to reduce energy consumption without forgoing comfort, such as installing standby power controllers or energy saving boards to use with electronic devices. Consumers can also compare different products for energy efficiency before they purchase them.
Another really important program that the ACT government is involved in, together with our colleagues from the states and the commonwealth, is the E3 program, the equipment energy efficiency program. It places star ratings on appliances used in households. I was really pleased to see that the E3 program is currently conducting a review of swimming pool pumps. Currently, they are not required to have star ratings. It is a voluntary scheme at the moment. That means that if you go to the pool section in your local Bunnings store looking to buy a pool pump, you actually cannot find a pool pump that has a star rating. That is a real problem when we are trying to encourage people to replace their appliances with more energy efficient ones.
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