$40m in funding to help low-income households get energy smart

The federal government has announced it is allocating $39.8 million to the 11 successful recipients of grants for round one of the $100 million Low Income Energy Efficiency Program (LIEEP).

LIEEP is a competitive grants program established by the Gillard government to address the barriers to energy efficiency uptake – such as access to information, upfront capital costs and existing behaviours – and to support those households most vulnerable to Australia’s rising electricity prices.

“This funding will be used to trial ways of helping low income households to become energy smart. Up to 25,000 low income households are expected to benefit,” said federal climate and energy efficiency minister Greg Combet.

The 11 projects will be delivered by various consortia, including not-for-profit groups, with a focus on energy efficiency; welfare organisations; charities; trade unions and manufacturing companies. Service providers with experience working with low-income families will also be involved.

The projects will also focus on more isolated parts of low-income Australia, such as people living long-term accommodation in caravan parks and remote Indigenous communities.

Activities will include retrofitting houses with energy efficient appliances, installing in-home displays to show energy consumption, providing financial training and brokerage assistance, and engaging specific target groups such as workers on low incomes or Indigenous communities in their own language through peer training.

The successful projects will be rolled out over four years, with the lead organisations receiving funding progressively over that time. The LIEEP is funded by revenue from the carbon price.