Federal Labor backs “bill busting” energy upgrades for social housing, including home batteries

Social housing residents in Australia’s capital are to be the beneficiaries of a new $12.9 million investment from the federal government to support the continued rollout of rooftop solar and batteries.

Up to 7,500 households across Canberra will be eligible for what the federal government described on Monday as “bill busting energy upgrades” through a new program which will reduce energy bills using virtual power plants (VPP) to connect and combine renewable energy resources.

According to Suzanne Orr, ACT minister for climate change, environment, energy, and water, rooftop solar systems and batteries will be installed across thousands of social housing properties in the ACT and then operated as a larger VPP, helping to deliver “an innovative and long-term solution to reducing electricity costs and supporting grid reliability.”

“The ACT Government is committed to ensuring no Canberrans are left behind as we transition to net zero,” said Orr.

“We welcome this significant further investment by the Australian Government which will see rooftop solar panels and batteries installed at thousands of social housing properties.”

The new funding is part of the federal government’s $500 million expansion of the Social Housing Energy Performance Initiative (SHEPI) which aims to reduce energy bills and emissions for more than 100,000 social housing properties across Australia – almost 25 per cent of the country’s stock of social housing.

The new $12.9 million investment builds on a previous $7.2 million federal investment and $28 million ACT government investment to provide energy efficient appliance upgrades and building insulation improvements.

It is hoped that this new investment will help better insulate social housing residents against bill shock and ensure that their homes are fitted out with the upgrades and improvements to stay cool in the summer and warm in the winter.

“The Albanese Labor Government is bringing down bills for good through the renewable energy transformation,” said Chris Bowen, federal minister for climate change and energy.

“While Peter Dutton’s Coalition spruiks a $600 billion nuclear scheme that will prolong coal, make bills more expensive, risk blackouts and shrink our economy, we are delivering the clean, cheap, reliable and resilient energy system that Australians deserve.”

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