12 September 2024
Helping Canberra households with their energy bills 

Almost 44,000 households in the ACT will receive $800 a year from a re-elected ACT Labor Government to help with their energy bills.

This permanent increase in the electricity, water and gas rebate by $50 a year to $800 will be a further boost for families hit hardest by cost-of-living pressures.

We know that keeping the heater on at home is one of the biggest cost pressures facing vulnerable households at the moment. That is why in addition to this direct support, ACT Labor will also provide an additional $75 million in loan capital to expand our award-winning Sustainable Household Scheme over the course of the next term – continuing to save Canberrans thousands of dollars on their energy bills.  

The up-front cost of installing new appliances at home like solar, heat pumps, battery storage, ceiling insulation and electric cooktops can be a barrier to people making their homes more energy efficient – and therefore cheaper to run. 

For the 20,000 households that have already used the scheme announced by ACT Labor in 2020, we have been able to deliver $51.6 million in savings on household bills.

Households can then use some of these savings to repay the loans, with over $33 million repaid to date.

That is why we’ll continue to provide opportunities for more interest free loans at a time when families need it most – a practical policy that delivers the greatest benefit for thousands of households. 

Local tradies are also set to benefit from the scheme with a consistent pipeline of work for these improvements, including solar panel installation, electrification of homes and installing battery storage. 

With ACT Labor’s commitment to build 30,000 new homes by 2030, the scheme will continue to support new housing priorities adding additional incentives to first home buyers.

We will always help those that need it most. And we know that some households are doing it tough right now.

That’s why we’re helping tens of thousands of Canberra families with their everyday costs. From keeping the heater on in their home, as well as the costs of education, transport and healthcare, ACT Labor is taking real steps to help with the cost of living.

It’s all part of our progressive, practical and proven plan for Canberra. 

Statement ends

Media contact:
Kaarin Dynon    0422 772 215    [email protected]