SDG 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities

Below are all Australian news items from all ESG Snapshot issues that are relevant to SDG 11 (sustainable cities and communities), listed with most recent items appearing first.

Issue 119, 1 December 2025

A meeting of state and territory Treasurers convened by federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers has agreed to "heavy vehicle reforms to boost productivity and increase the uptake of electric heavy vehicles".

The meeting has also agreed to extend 'right to repair' reforms to agricultural machinery, the Treasurer said.

The Treasurer provided no details on the reforms.

The NSW government has launched a $5 million grant program to help community energy groups to help boost local energy initiatives. Grants of up to $600,000 are available.

The Victorian governmenthas gazetted regulations that require new residential and commercial buildings to be all-electric.

Following public comment on the draft proposals, Housing Minister Harriet Shing has made amendments including:

• Making 1 January 2027 the start date for the requirement that all new residential and commercial buildings be all-electric. 
• Making 1 March 2027 the start date for the ban on installing or replacing reticulated gas water heaters in existing residential buildings.
• Not proceeding with the ban on installing ore replacing gas heaters in existing residential buildings.

Issue 116, 10 November 2025

DCCEEW is consulting on the design of its proposed Solar Sharer Offer. Comments are due by 21 November.

The Clean Energy Finance Corporation will provide a discount loan of up to $40 million to green finance company Brighte that is expected to support the roll out of up to $150 million of consumer energy resources across Australia. 

The finance will enable Brighte to offer discounted green loans to eligible Australian households for a wide range of energy upgrades - including solar and battery systems, energy-efficient heating and cooling, insulation, and EV chargers. 

Brighte's new discounted green loan product will offer an introductory promotional rate of 6.99%, with terms ranging from 2 to 10 years. Loans will be available for amounts between $2,000 and $55,000.

The Australian Energy Market Commission has released a draft determination that would establish Australia's first national framework for customers who want to stop gas supply to their property, including associated costs.  

AEMC Chair, Anna Collyer, noted that more customers are choosing to go all-electric.

"Yet we currently have no clear national rules on customers' options when they want to stop using gas and what costs they should pay if they decide to remove their connection," she said.  

The NSW government has slashed the FY27 Peak Demand Reduction Certificate Scheme target for peak demand reduction from 7.5% to 0.5%. 

Without the target adjustment, around 80 million additional certificates would need to have been created and surrendered by March 2028, "risking a shortage of certificates and penalties for scheme participants", the state government said. 

Significant growth in existing and new activities will still be required to meet the FY26 and revised FY27 target," the state government said. 

"We estimate 22 million additional certificates will be needed by March 2028, with at least 13.5 million by March 2027." 

Certificates are earned through activities that reduce peak demand, such installing energy efficient appliances.

Two hearings were conducted last week by a NSW parliamentary committee inquiry into electric vehicle infrastructure.

Issue 113, 20 October 2025

The federal government has released a roadmap for expanding the Commercial Building Disclosure (CBD) program. 

Currently, the roadmap requires companies that own large commercial office buildings to obtain an energy efficiency rating and to disclose it when selling, leasing or subleasing the building, or space within it.

The expansion would include extending the scheme to other types of entities that own office buildings, such as trusts, commercial strata, and government entities.

Large tenants of office buildings will also be required to periodically obtain energy ratings for their tenanted space. 

The scheme will also over time extend to large hotels, and buildings that only partially consist of office space. 

The roadmap also describes further expansions of the scheme, once the initial phase of expansions is completed. 

"In Australia, non-residential buildings contribute around 10% of total emissions in the economy, most of this outside the office sub-sector, representing significant opportunities to decarbonise," according to DCCEEW.

Issue 112, 13 October 2025

The ACCC has authorised 1Circle Pty Ltd, and associated renewable energy buying groups that will comprise Victorian local councils, and potentially Victorian businesses, as well as service provider organisations such as hospitals and schools.

The Essential Services Commission is consulting on guidance and administrative requirements for the new Victorian Energy Upgrades scheme activity that subsidises commercial and industrial solar PV installations. 

Comments are due by 16 October. 

The Victorian government-owned SEC is teaming up with Bunnings to host a series of "Why Electrify" weekends across selected stores.

Issue 111, 6 October 2025

Consultation opportunity - E3 coverage of heat pump hot water heaters. DCCEEW has issued a Consultation Regulation Impact Statement (CRIS) on the merits of regulating heat pump hot water heater under the E3 energy rating and labelling scheme. 

Comments are due by 31 October.

By the end of the year, another 42 Northern Rivers flood-affected properties will be offered for auction under NSW's $880 million Resilient Homes Program, for relocation by the new owners to flood-free land.

The state government has so far auctioned 83 properties under the scheme.

Commercial and industrial businesses that install rooftop solar systems of between 30 and 200 kilowatts will now be eligible for discounts worth up to $34,300 through the Victorian Energy Upgrade scheme. 

The state government has released a new report on Victoria's water resources under a changing climate. 

"Victoria's warming and drying climate has resulted in less water in rivers, streams, dams, and groundwater, as well as a greater risk of droughts, floods, fires and heatwaves," the report says. 

"As the climate changes, increasing water demand and decreasing supply in Victoria’s variable hydroclimate is challenging for water managers."

The report concludes: 

• mean annual runoff and water resources averaged across Victoria will likely decrease by about 25% by 2060, relative to 1976–2005.
• cool season rainfall in the state has continued to decline, while severe rain events throughout the year have become more frequent.
• droughts in Victoria are likely to become longer, more frequent and more intense.

The Victorian government has started releasing more precise flood maps that provides risk ratings ranging from 'low' to 'very high'.

The state government will also introduce new planning and building controls that distinguish between very high-risk areas where development must be avoided, high-risk areas where development warrants careful assessment, moderate-risk areas where projects will need to include the right safeguards, and low-risk areas.

The changes will enable catchment management authorities to lead flood modelling and community engagement, which will reduce costs for local councils, the state government says.

Issue 109, 22 September 2025

The government will instruct the Australian Energy Market Operator to prepare a Statement of Demand Opportunities, that will focus on energy efficiency measures, Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen has announced.

AEMO already produces a regular Energy Statement of Opportunities, and a Gas Statement of Opportunities. 

The Minister said the government would also expand the NatHERS and NABERS schemes.

Issue 108, 15 September 2025

The Victorian Automotive Chamber of Commerce has supported a Productivity Commission interim recommendation that the federal government introduce a new emissions-reduction incentive to cover heavy vehicles, "given the significant contribution to overall emissions that flows from the transport sector".

"Existing policy settings could be amended to incentivise greater uptake of low and zero emissions heavy vehicles," says the VACC submission on the Commission's interim report. 

"Given that the average age of the heavy vehicle fleet is around 14 years, and the substantial costs associated with new heavy vehicle purchases, there are likely to be significant, immediate benefits from introducing tax or financial incentives for heavy vehicle owners to switch to new low or zero-emissions options," it adds.

ARENA will provide a $12.3 million grant to Mondo Power to develop, construct and operate an electric truck charging hub in Melbourne's west, to demonstrate the technical and commercial feasibility for fleets to electrify their operations.

Located in Laverton North, the hub will consist of 14 dual plug electric vehicle chargers and will be purpose built for heavy battery electric vehicle trucks.

Issue 106, 1 September 2025

The ACCC has issued a draft determination proposing to grant authorisation to 1Circle Pty Ltd to establish and manage five more Business Renewable Energy Buying Groups (BRBG) of commercial energy consumers over 2025 to 2029.

The BRBG members are likely to come from industries including healthcare, manufacturing, education, property services, transport, agriculture, food processing, waste management, banking and finance, and the not-for-profit sector. 

All members will be required to have at least one medium to large electricity supply point in Victoria, although they may also operate in other states.

The BRBG contracts will be standard electricity agreements with a retailer that have fixed price LGCs included to match the electricity consumed by members.

1Circle has stated that the combined annual energy consumption of each BRBG won't exceed 500GWh of electricity. 

1Circle gained authorisation in March 2023 for its first BRBG, and was involved in a second one that included various Mercy Health facilities.

The NSW government has announced $2.9 million in new funding for training and jobs initiatives in the Central-West Orana Renewable Energy Zone.

The Renewable Energy Skills Legacy Program will have four elements:

• An Industry School Partnerships program that will provideschool-based collaborations, careers learning and trade readiness courses.
• A Local Skills Coordinators program that will connect training providers, employers and jobseekers to employment opportunities.
• A Supporting Apprenticeships and Traineeships program that will increase the uptake of apprenticeships and traineeships with local employers.
• A Women in Renewables program.

The Central-West Orana REZ is expected to create around 5,000 construction jobs at its peak, and will provide ongoing employment for decades.

The NSW government has purchased an additional 151 electric buses, with total purchases now standing at 921 since the March 2023 election.

The NSW government is offering resilience funding to homeowners in the Central West who were affected by the 2022 floods.

Residents who experienced any level of damage in the 2022 floods can apply for funding through the $40 million Resilient Homes Program, to protect their homes from future extreme weather. 

Funding can be used for actions including raising power points and appliances like outdoor air conditioning units and hot water systems, and installing water-resilient materials.

More than 240 applications have been received so far, and 180 home assessments have been.completed.

The Resilient Homes Program is jointly funded by the federal and state governments. The NSW Reconstruction Authority is also hosting a resilient homes expo in September. 

To support homeowners and industry partners navigate the grants process and learn about resilient building measures, the Reconstruction Authority is hosting a Resilient Homes Expo on Wednesday 3 September 2025.

Issue 105, 25 August 2025

The government will work with states and territories to pause further residential changes to the National Construction Code until mid-2029, following finalisation of the 2025 version of the Code.

The move was announced by Environment Minister Murray Watt and Housing Minister Claire O'Neill.

While the pause is underway, the government will streamline the Code, and remove barriers to prefab and modular housing.

DCCEEW has released an updated Commercial Building Baseline Study, which describes outcomes in the commercial building sector, including its energy use and greenhouse gas emissions, if AEMO's Step Change scenario comes to fruition.

Total emissions would fall rapidly to relatively low levels by the mid-to-late 2030s under Step Change assumptions, the study says.

"Under Step Change assumptions, the greenhouse gas emissions associated with commercial building use would fall by almost 97% from FY2024 by FY2050," the study concludes.

Issue 101, 28 July 2025

The federal government has launched a new website - ev.gov.au - to provide information on to electric vehicles.

The website provides information on buying, owning, and maintaining an EV.

Written transcript is now available of a 17 July hearing of a NSW parliamentary inquiry into the impact of renewable energy zones on regional communities.

Issue 100, 21 July 2025

CSIRO has launched the National Energy Analysis Centre (NEAC) – which will combine real-world anonymised energy data from households and businesses with state-of-the-art energy system modelling. 

Grant opportunity - heat pumps. The NSW government has launched a $1 million grants program to assist businesses to investigate the feasibility of energy-efficient heat pump technology.

The Heat Pump Feasibility Grants will provide up to $30,000 to cover 75% of project costs to support heat pump feasibility studies.

The NSW Reconstruction Authority will next month offer more Northern Rivers flood-zone homes for auction and relocation, after a strong community response to the first two home relocation auctions.

A total of 45 flood-affected properties in the Northern Rivers have already been auctioned for relocation.

All the homes earmarked for relocation have been purchased by the Authority through the buyback stream of the $880 million Resilient Homes Program, which is jointly funded by the NSW and federal governments.

Consultation opportunity - NSW electricity and gas markets. In this year's monitoring report on the retail and gas markets in NSW, the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal will include an examination of new energy products and services, including virtual power plants and demand response programs.

IPART is required by law to report annually on how consumers are engaging with and switching in the NSW retail electricity and gas markets. 

Comments are due by 22 August.

Transcript is now available of the first two hearings of a NSW parliamentary inquiry into EV infrastructure.

Issue 99, 14 July 2025

Grant opportunity - solar R&D. ARENA has launched a new $60 million funding round for R&D into ultra low-cost solar.

The funding will be spread evenly across two streams - cells and modules, and reducing the costs of balance of system deployment and maintenance.

The NSW government is providing a total of $2.8 million to five companies to subsidise the installation of another 549 kerbside EV chargers in 22 local government areas.

Issue 98, 7 July 2025

The federal government has launched a review of gas market regulations, which is examining supply, pricing, transparency, and the operation of wholesale markets.

A NSW parliamentary inquiry into electric vehicle infrastructure held two public hearings last week.

The Victorian government has gazetted new minimum energy efficiency regulations for rental properties.

Issue 97, 30 June 2025

The Victorian government has released a Gas Security Statement, which outlines steps it will take to avoid gas shortfalls.

By 2029, the reforms will unlock just under 12PJ of gas every year, more than the annual production of Beach Energy's Enterprise field, the state government said.

By 2035, the government expects they will unlock 44PJ annually - enough to meet 85% of Victoria’s forecast industrial demand.

Measures in the statement include:

• Requiring that when a gas hot water system reaches the end of its life, it must be replaced with an efficient electric alternative such as a heat pump (with effect from 1 March 2027).
• Requiring that all new homes and most new commercial buildings are built all-electric (with effect from 1 January, 2027). 

Meanwhile, the state government is also introducing new Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards for rental properties and public housing, which will apply from 1 March 2027:

• Hot water systems in rental homes must be replaced with efficient heat pumps at end-of-life, and end-of-life gas heaters must be replaced with reverse-cycle air conditioners.
• A minimum 4-star Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards (WELS) rated shower head must be installed at the start of a new lease.
• A Minimum R5.0 rating ceiling insulation must be installed at the start of a new lease where there is no ceiling insulation already in place. 
• Draught sealing, including weather seals on all external doors, windows and wall vents must be installed at the start of a new lease. 
• Main living areas must have an efficient electric cooling system at the start of a new lease, supplementing existing requirements that they have heating. 

All the upgrades are eligible for discounts under the Victorian Energy Upgrades program. Exemptions also apply if installation costs are too high or if there is not enough space.

The state government is also investing $9.5 million to an Industry Diversification Program, which will support existing businesses to expand their manufacture of electric appliances and reskill their workforces.

Meanwhile, SEC Victoria has launched a new Electric Home Planner service to help householders switch their homes to electric.

The state government is also offering grants and subsidies to help go all-electric.

Australia will waste up to $64 billion in construction materials over the next five years unless urgent action is taken to improve building design and construction, according to a new report from the Green Building Council of Australia.

The report, titled Australia's waste[d] Opportunity, sets Australia's first national benchmarks for construction and fitout waste. It also includes an action plan to help industry cut costs, reduce emissions, and recover more value from materials.

Although 83% of projects analysed for the report claimed to have landfill diversion rates more than 90%, the report found that actual recovery rates for materials like plastic were as low as 14%.

It also concluded that 22% of materials used to construct a typical apartment never make it into the final building – costing owners an estimated $52,000 per apartment.

The report was written by Coreo in partnership with the GBCA, assisted by funding from the Clean Energy Finance Corporation and the Bradfield Development Authority.

A new report released by the Australian Local Government Association estimates that councils are expected to spend more than $2 billion over the next five years to future-proof their communities from the changing climate.

However, these climate-resilient investments by councils are estimated to provide up to $4.7 billion in avoided costs and benefits to communities by 2030.

Twelve Queensland coastal councils will share more than $5 million for coastal hazard resilience projects under the QCoast2100 program, which is funded by the federal and state governments.

The Victorian government has released a Gas Security Statement, which outlines steps it will take to avoid gas shortfalls.

By 2029, the reforms will unlock just under 12PJ of gas every year, more than the annual production of Beach Energy's Enterprise field, the state government said.

By 2035, the government expects they will unlock 44PJ annually - enough to meet 85% of Victoria’s forecast industrial demand.

Measures in the statement include:

• Requiring that when a gas hot water system reaches the end of its life, it must be replaced with an efficient electric alternative such as a heat pump (with effect from 1 March 2027).
• Requiring that all new homes and most new commercial buildings are built all-electric (with effect from 1 January, 2027). 

Meanwhile, the state government is also introducing new Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards for rental properties and public housing, which will apply from 1 March 2027:

• Hot water systems in rental homes must be replaced with efficient heat pumps at end-of-life, and end-of-life gas heaters must be replaced with reverse-cycle air conditioners.
• A minimum 4-star Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards (WELS) rated shower head must be installed at the start of a new lease.
• A Minimum R5.0 rating ceiling insulation must be installed at the start of a new lease where there is no ceiling insulation already in place. 
• Draught sealing, including weather seals on all external doors, windows and wall vents must be installed at the start of a new lease. 
• Main living areas must have an efficient electric cooling system at the start of a new lease, supplementing existing requirements that they have heating. 

All the upgrades are eligible for discounts under the Victorian Energy Upgrades program. Exemptions also apply if installation costs are too high or if there is not enough space.

The state government is also investing $9.5 million to an Industry Diversification Program, which will support existing businesses to expand their manufacture of electric appliances and reskill their workforces.

Meanwhile, SEC Victoria has launched a new Electric Home Planner service to help householders switch their homes to electric.

The state government is also offering grants and subsidies to help go all-electric.

Issue 96, 23 June 2025

The surge in extreme weather disasters around Australia reinforces the need for national leadership on adaptation to keep communities safe in a changing climate, says a new report from the Climate Change Authority.

Home safe: National leadership in adapting to a changing climate examines how climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of flooding, bushfires, extreme storms and coastal erosion. It also examines the rising costs of these events.

"There is a clear economic case for resourcing adaptation," the report says. "Every dollar governments invest in climate adaptation or disaster risk reduction is estimated to save between $2 and $11 in future recovery costs."

"To unlock these benefits the Australian government needs to increase funding for
adaptation measures and services," it says.

"Aligning the requirements of the National Construction Code with projected climate impacts could help make homes more resilient," the report adds.

Issue 95, 16 June 2025

The Committee for Sydney has launched a report on Sydney as a renewable energy zone. 

"Sydney could meet at least 75% of its annual energy needs through rooftop solar paired with battery storage," the report says. 

"While CBD buildings might cover only 5% of their energy needs through rooftop solar, industrial estates could produce between 500% to 1000% of their energy requirements, creating substantial excess power that could benefit nearby residential areas, including apartment buildings that currently lack access to solar."

The report makes six recommendations.

Solar Victoria customers that choose an Australian made hot water system will from 1 July get a larger rebate than those who purchase an overseas-made system.

Households that choose an eligible hot water system made in Australia will receive a rebate of $1,400, compared to the standard rebate of $1,000.

Issue 94, 2 June 2025

"Labor's ban on gas in homes is wrong, and we will reverse it," Victoria's shadow treasurer James Newbury has said in his Budget-in-reply speech. "We will also work with industry to turn the gas tap back on. We will kickstart a gas industry."

Issue 93, 26 May 2025

A new report from the Green Building Council of Australia shows that the construction and furnishing of a typical detached home results in 185 tonnes of upfront carbon emissions.

That is far larger than the operational emissions from a typical home, which sit at just 24 tonnes over 60 years, when powered by Australia’s increasingly decarbonised electricity grid. If powered entirely by solar, the operational emissions drop to close to zero.

The Clean Energy Finance Corporation said the report highlights the need to embed sustainability earlier in the building process, to deliver long-term emissions reductions and economic benefits.

“Reducing embodied carbon in new housing is one of the next frontiers for decarbonisation,” said CEFC Head of Property, Michael Di Russo.

The ACCC has issued a draft determination proposing to authorise Energy Networks Australia, Synergy, and others to jointly procure and implement a national 'public key infrastructure' service (PKI).

Various distribution network businesses will use the same national PKI to communicate with consumer devices to remotely limit or prevent them exporting energy into the grid at times of significant excess production.

The NSW government has held a roundtable meeting with industry, community and union leaders in Wollongong to discuss plans to establish NSW's first 'urban renewable energy zone' in the Illawarra region.

The roundtable coincided with the signing of a new memorandum of understanding between EnergyCo, which leads the delivery of REZs, and local electricity distribution system operator, Endeavour Energy, to jointly develop innovative network and battery solutions within the REZ.

The ACCC has issued a final determination authorising the City of Onkaparinga, City of Holdfast Bay, City of West Torrens, City of Salisbury, Town of Gawler and City of Port Adelaide Enfield to form a joint renewable electricity buying group.

Issue 88, 14 April 2025

The Victorian government has announced that home ceiling insulation will be included in the Victorian Energy Upgrades program from early 2026. 

The VEU discount will halve the average ceiling insulation install costs of $3,000 to $1,500, based on current certificate prices. 

Almost 60% of homes in Victoria either have no ceiling insulation or are under-insulated. 

"These households are missing energy bill savings of more than $400 per year on average," according to the state government. 

The program will include an insulation safety and quality assurance regime, including audits and oversight requirements. 

In her first remarks to the new Parliament as the Labor government's new Minister for Energy and Decarbonisation, Amber-Jade Sanderson has outlined the government's proposed rebate for residential batteries. 

"It will be $5,000 for Synergy customers and $7,500 for Horizon customers, acknowledging that the costs are higher in remote regions," Sanderson said. 

"Importantly, we are supporting low- and middle-income earners. We will also match this scheme with a no-interest loan scheme, which will support people with the gap. Batteries can cost between $10,000 and $15,000, and it will support those households with that gap and make it much more available for people on low and middle incomes." 

This is the most generous scheme in the country. It is more generous than the federal scheme. It is more generous than the New South Wales scheme. We will more than double the number of household batteries on our system, helping families to save around $1,500 a year on power bills.

The proposed federal Labor scheme "complements our scheme", the Minister said.

Issue 87, 7 April 2025

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has committed a re-elected Labor government to the introduction of a $2.3 billion subsidy scheme for home batteries from 1 July this year.

The program would reduce the cost of a typical installed battery by 30%, with more than one million new batteries expected by 2030, according to the Labor Party.

One in three Australian households now have solar – but only one in forty households have a battery.

A Senate committee inquiry into residential electrification has released its final report, which recommends:

• encouraging household uptake of rooftop solar, home batteries, bi-direction electric vehicle chargers and home energy management systems, as well as participation in aggregator programs that coordinate the management of power in response to grid and market conditions.
• examining how community batteries can spread the benefits of rooftop solar to consumers who are unable to install their own systems.
• considering cost-effective tuition for apprentices, including electrical apprentices.

Statutory development - energy efficiency. A Bill to expand the Victorian Energy Upgrades scheme from 2030 to 2045 has passed the Legislative Assembly.

The Victorian Energy Efficiency Target Amendment (Energy Upgrades for the Future) Bill 2025 is now before the Legislative Council.

Issue 85, 24 March 2025

The CEFC is  investing $160 million, in conjunction with a fund managed by Goldman Sachs Alternatives, to facilitate a whole of lifecycle approach to reducing building emissions in Australian construction projects.

The CEFC and Goldman Sachs fund will co-invest in construction debt facilities, primarily in the residential and commercial office sectors.

The NSW government has tabled its response to a Parliamentary committee inquiry into electric and hybrid vehicle batteries.

Statutory development - energy efficiency. The Victorian government has introduced a Bill to amend theVictorian Energy Efficiency Target Act 2007 to extend the state's Victorian Energy Upgrades program.

The Victorian Energy Efficiency Target Amendment (Energy Upgrades for The Future) Bill 2025 would extend the operation of the scheme to the end of 2045.

It would also give the Essential Services Commission a range of new and expanded enforcement tools to ensure compliance with the scheme requirements.

Grant opportunity - electrification. The Victorian government is inviting applications for the Community Electrification Engagement Program – which funds local community groups to help locals switch from gas to electric and save. 

Organisations will be eligible for grants of up to $110,000 to help local families in their region to electrify their homes. Applications close on 14 April.

Issue 84, 17 March 2025

DCCEEW has published a report on real estate sector perspectives on home energy ratings and disclosure schemes. 

The report is based on NSW government engagement with the state's real estate sector. 

The Australian Energy Regulator has released its draft determination for Default Market Offer (DMO) electricity prices in south-east Queensland, NSW and South Australia for FY26.

The DMO says cost increases have resulted in draft prices for residential customers increasing by between 2.5% and 8.9%. Small business customers could see rises between 4.2% and 8.2%.

"The DMO is intended as a safety net for those who don't or can't shop around, but there are better offers available," said AER chair Clare Savage.

"By early February 2025 we had seen median market offers fall between 2% and 5% compared with July 2024, and the most competitive offers are now 19% to 25% below the current DMO price," Savage said.

Comments are due by 3 April. 

Climate and energy ministers met last week, discussing issues including the Default Market Offer. 

Ministers encouraged the Australian Energy Regulator to further examine retailer revenues and margins, and to further consider ongoing cost of living pressures in settling the final DMO, which applies in south-east Queensland, NSW and South Australia.

They noted that the Victorian Default Offer uses a different methodology to the AER and has proposed average price increases of less than 1%. 

Ministers also agreed to a National Energy Equity Framework. 

DCCEEW has issued guides to help apartment block owners and strata managers to make their buildings "EV ready". 

Consultation opportunity - default electricity prices. The Essential Services Commission has released its draft Victorian Default Offer, which varies according to five distribution zones.

About 13% of Victorian households and 20% of small business customers are currently on the Victorian Default Offer. 

For residential customers, the average across the five zones is a $12 increase on last year (less than 1%).

For small businesses on a Victorian Default Offer, annual prices would increase across the five distribution zones by an average $103 (3%).

"The default offer isn't the cheapest on the market, as retailers look to attract new customers by offering a low price," said Commission chair Gerard Brody. "But it is a fair price and one that won't increase by more than the Essential Services Commission allows."

Comments are due by 11 April.

Grant opportunity - electrification. The Victorian government is inviting applications for the Community Electrification Engagement Program – which funds local community groups to help locals switch from gas to electric and save. 

Organisations will be eligible for grants of up to $110,000 to help local families in their region to electrify their homes. Applications close on 14 April.

Consultation opportunity - SA planning regulations. New South Australian draft planning amendment regulations would exclude electric vehicle charging stations from the definition of 'development'.

Comments are due by April 22.

Issue 83, 10 March 2025

CSIRO and DCCEEW are recruiting renters and owner-occupiers of apartments for a major study of how they use energy.

Smart devices will be installed in 430 apartments in various cities that will collect real-time data.

Issue 82, 3 March 2025

Grant opportunity - community energy projects. The federal government has invited applications under round two of the Community Energy Upgrades Fund, which supports local governments to lower energy energy bills, cut emissions, and make their communities more sustainable. 

Grants of between $25,ooo and $2.5 million are available. 

Grant opportunity - community batteries. ARENA is inviting applications for a share of $46.3 million in funding under round two of its Community Batteries Funding Program. Applications close on 30 April. 

In round one of the program, ARENA approved $124.7 million to deploy 318 batteries in all states and the Northern Territory. 

Consultation opportunity - solar export restrictions. The NSW government is consulting on plans to create an emergency backstop mechanism for solar energyacross the state, which would curtail solar exports during emergencies to prevent blackouts.

Comments are due by 7 March.

Victoria's Essential Services Commission has set minimum feed-in tariffs for 2025-26, including a minimum flat feed-in tariff of 0.04 cents per kWh. 

The two time-varying feed-in tariffs range from 6.57 cents per kWh in the evening peak to 0.00 cents per kWh during the day.

Grant opportunity - EV charging station grants. The Tasmanian government is offering grants of up to $50,000 for the installation of a public EV charging station, under round three of its ChargeSmart program. Grant applications must be submitted by 24 March.

Consultation opportunity - energy efficiency. The South Australian government is consulting on the next phase of the Retailer Energy Productivity Scheme (REPS), which subsidises energy efficiency activities in homes and businesses.

The consultation will support the determination of new thresholds and targets for the operation of the scheme from 1 January 2026 until 31 December 2029.

Comments are due by 31 March.

Finance provided - healthcare providers. The Clean Energy Finance Corporation is providing $20 million in finance to support a discount green loan product for healthcare providers, working with specialist Credabl.

The loan product aims to boost the uptake of energy efficient equipment and solar PV at dental practices, doctors' surgeries and other healthcare offices around Australia.

Issue 81, 24 February 2025

A House of Representatives inquiry into local government sustainability has issued an interim report. 

The report notes general agreement among LGAs that mitigating the effects of climate-related natural disasters and climate adaptation management is not only essential, but also poses a significant financial cost. 

"Local governments are at the forefront of climate change mitigation and adaptation, disaster response, and environmental protection; spending more on environmental protection than other government levels, but lacking resources and expertise to implement all necessary measures," the report says. 

"As a result of these challenges, the committee has been advised additional and continued funding is needed to assist local governments to undertake disaster resilience and risk reduction initiatives to manage the physical and social impacts of disasters caused by climate change and natural disasters," it says. 

Across all LGAs, the average annual damages to council assets as a result of coastal flooding, inland flooding, bushfires, heatwaves, and severe storms are in the range of $90–$120 million, the report notes. 

"According to a report by Natural Capital Economics, this is expected to increase to between $210–$300 million by 2050, and to between $400–$540 million by 2100," it says.

The federal government has named 58 local governments that will share $50 million in round one grants under the $100 million Community Energy Upgrades Fund.

Since it began in 2018, Victoria's Solar Homes program has approved almost 430,000 applications and subsidised just over 400,000 installations, according tonew program data. A total of $693 million in rebates have been approved, for solar panels, solar hot water systems, and batteries.

About 30% of Victorian homes have solar installed, more than double the number of homes that had solar when the Solar Homes program began in 2018.

Issue 80, 17 February 2025

ARENA and RACE 2030 have published a National Roadmap for Bidirectional EV Charging. The roadmap outlines 18 actions for governments to facilitate "bidi".

"Many stakeholders consider uptake rates for bidirectional EV charging could be comparable to those achieved for rooftop solar in Australia, achieving 2.6 million residential V2G installations by 2040," the roadmap says.

Representatives of DCCEEW and the Department of Industry, Science and Resources appeared before a hearing on Friday of a Senate committee inquiry into the transition to electric vehicles. 

Victoria's Essential Services Commission has banned a company trading as Care for Environment from the Victorian Energy Upgrades program, for alleged rule breaches.

The Commission has also ordered the company to surrender VEU certificates worth about $10 million.

Issue 79, 10 February 2025

ARENA has awarded a $2.4 million grant to EVX Australia Pty Ltd to install 250 public kerbside pole electric vehicle chargers in more than 60 local government areas across Victoria, NSW and South Australia.

The Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) and CSIRO are trialling energy ratings for existing homes.

Eligible households can join a trial to get a free energy rating by a trained assessor.

The Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils (WSROC) has published an Expression of Interest to implement a solar and battery bulk-buy program.

The program will lead to the creation of a Virtual Power Plant across participating local government areas in Western Sydney. Expressions of interest must be lodged by 25 February. 

Issue 76, 20 January 2025

Statutory development - peak demand. The NSW government has gazetted a Peak Demand Scheme Amendment Rule, which specifies provisions for calculating and creating Peak Reduction Certificates.

It has also issued a Peak Demand Scheme exemption order for various energy intensive facilities.

Consultation opportunity - embodied carbon. The NSW EPA has released a draft Protection of the Environment Policy for Sustainable Construction. Comments are due by 2 April.

The draft PEP - developed in consultation with Infrastructure NSW - aims to reduce upfront carbon emissions and promote a circular economy in major public infrastructure projects.

Under the proposed policy, government agencies would need to report on how they are decreasing emissions and prioritising recycled construction materials, applying an 'if not, why not' approach to justify decisions.

If implemented, the final policy would apply to significant public projects with cost thresholds of:

• More than $50 million for building sector projects. 
• More than $100 million for all other infrastructure types.

A new report from Geoscience Australia, in collaboration with the Geological Survey of NSW, has found elevated levels of natural hydrogen and helium in locations throughout New South Wales.

Victoria's Essential Services Commission has released its draft decision on the minimum amount electricity retailers must pay solar customers for the electricity they export into the grid.

The proposed minimum flat feed-in tariff is 0.04 cents per kWh starting 1 July 2025, down from this year's minimum of 3.3 cents per kWh. Comments are due by 31 January.

Issue 75, 13 January 2025

Infrastructure Australia's 2024 Infrastructure Market Capacity Report shows the nation's $213 billion five-year Major Public Infrastructure Pipeline - representing nearly a quarter of the country’s total $1.08 trillion of construction activity - is growing across energy and social infrastructure projects.

Investment in major transport projects has dropped, after a decade-long boom, and investment in buildings and utilities has grown to $71 billion and $16 billion respectively.

The recalibration is due to a shift in focus towards housing and net zero.

Infrastructure Australia projects that there will be a six-fold increase in renewable energy projects across all construction activity in Australia over the next five years.

Issue 74, 16 December 2024

Consultation opportunity - electrification. The Victorian government has developed a Regulatory Impact Statement exploring options and pathways to electrify all new residential and some new commercial buildings.

The RIS examines four options and favours an option involving electrification of all new residential and commercial buildings. The preferred option also includes the replacement of gas hot water and heating with electric at end-of-life in existing residential buildings, with the exception of cookers. 

Comments are due by 28 February.

Issue 73, 9 December 2024

A meeting in Adelaide of climate and energy ministers has released a "version 2" Home Energy Ratings Disclosure Framework, which aims to facilitate a nationally consistent approach to home energy ratings disclosure, for states and territories that choose to implement it. 

It updates an initial version released in July, and now includes apartment buildings. 

An associated cost benefit analysis says there is a net economic benefit nationally, and in all jurisdictions, for implementing mandatory disclosure at point of sale.

There is a net economic benefit in all jurisdictions for implementing mandatory disclosure at point of lease, if scheme design decisions to reduce compliance costs and other supporting initiatives are incorporated, it concludes.

Meanwhile, ministers also instructed senior officials to develop options tostrengthen consumer protections and modernise the consumer regulatory framework.

The meeting communique is here.

The CEFC has made a $25 million commitment to energy network owner and operator Energy Locals, to support the deployment of clean energy in apartments, aged care centres, and commercial sites. 

The CEFC finance comes from its Powering Australia Technology Fund (PATF), under its growth equity investment strategy, which supports fast-growing technology businesses.

Meanwhile, the CEFC is also committing $50 million to Bank Australia to support up to $100 million in green home loans, as part of the $1 billion Household Energy Upgrades Fund. 

The investment follows similar deals with Plenti, Westpac, and ING Australia.

An alliance of organisations including the Energy Efficiency Council, the Australian Industry Group, and the Property Council has issued a report titled Demanding Better, which calls for a new national energy performance agency and targets.

Consultation opportunity - energy efficiency. The Victorian government is consulting on 2026 to 2027 targets for its Victorian Energy Upgrades program.

A webinar will be held on 11 December, and responses are due by 16 January.

Issue 70, 18 November 2024

ARENA has announced a $1.7 million grant to support UNSW's $4.3 million Project CICCADA, which aims to better understand the integration of consumer energy resources (CER) into the National Energy Market. 

The project will analyse large real-world datasets from CER such as rooftop solar, household batteries and electric vehicles to help better understand integration challenges.  

Over 1,400 MW of new large-scale renewable energy generation projects, worth $3.3 billion in new investment, were committed in the third quarter of 2024, according to the Clean Energy Council’s latest Quarterly Renewables Report.

Meanwhile, Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen has said the nation is on track for a near record of 3.15GW of rooftop solar capacity to be added this year.

Issue 68, 4 November 2024

The Victorian government has announced that households can receive up to $140 off the cost of a new induction cooktop, if they will replace a gas cooktop. 

The Victorian Energy Upgrades scheme discounts will be available through VEU accredited providers, or through participating retailers.

Issue 63, 30 September 2024

The Senate Select Committee on climate risk and insurance premiums has scheduled hearings for today and tomorrow.

A review of NSW's energy savings and peak demand reduction schemes, newly tabled in Parliament, says energy saved by the energy savings scheme (ESS) in 2022 equated to 4,016GWh of electricity and 217GWh of gas. 

"These energy savings reduced bills for households and businesses by an estimated $513 million, and reduced greenhouse gas emissions by an estimated 3.22 million tonnes," the IPART review says.

"Activities that have taken place before 2023 will deliver an estimated 18,928GWh of electricity savings and 928GWh of gas savings over the 10 years after 2022," the review adds. 

The peak demand reduction scheme created an estimated 4.77MW of peak reduction capacity for the summer of 2022–23, which is estimated to be available over the seven following summers. 

In conjunction with the Renewable Fuel Scheme, the three schemes are known as the Energy Security Safeguard schemes.

Issue 62, 23 September 2024

Organisations appearing before last Friday's hearing of a Senate select committee inquiry into the impact of climate risk on insurance premiums included ASIC, APRA and the ACCC, as well as the Insurance Australia Group. Transcript is not yet available.

The committee has scheduled further hearings for 30 September and 1 October.

The Senate committee inquiring into the transition to electric vehicles has scheduled hearings for October 11 and 17.

The NSW government has released a Consumer energy strategy that aims to maximise the benefits of the energy transition for households and small business. 

The strategy includes $290 million in new funding to be spent over four years.

Electric vehicle fires are relatively rare, and less common than internal combustion engine vehicle fires, according to a new report from the NSW Parliament's Joint Standing Committee on fire risks in EVs and personal mobility devices. 

"However, when EV battery-related fires do occur, they are severe and more difficult to extinguish," it says. 

"Batteries used in personal mobility devices present higher fire risks than batteries used in other electric vehicles," it adds.

The report recommends that the state government advocate for federal action to strengthen quality control measures for personal mobility devices.

Grant opportunity - FOGO. The NSW EPA is inviting applications under the third round of its $46 million 'Go FOGO' grants program, which allows councils to claim up to $50 per household to support the transition to FOGO. Applications close on 19 November.

Issue 61, 16 September 2024

An alliance of more than 50 organisations, called Renew Australia for All, has launched an energy bills savings plan at Parliament House in Canberra. 

The plan calls for a $5 billion investment to deliver immediate subsidies that reduce or eliminate the upfront cost of home energy upgrades. It also calls for at least $50 billion over 10 years to repower Australian homes and communities.

Alliance members include the Clean Energy Council, a range of environment groups and businesses, ACOSS, and the ACTU.

ARENA is providing global fleet electrification specialist Zenobē with $8.5 million from its Driving the Nation Fund to develop a $19 million BEV truck charging hub in Sydney.

Zenobē, will own and operate the 22-charging station hub, which will service 60 electric trucks that will be leased by Woolworths.

It's the second ARENA lease for Zenobē, which received $5 million in 2021 to help develop a $37.2 million electric bus depot in the Sydney suburb of Leichhardt.

The CEFC is lending US$7 million to Australian startup Siltrax to help it develop an innovative technology that makes lighter, more efficient fuel cells for use in power generation and heavy vehicles. 

The Siltrax technology has been developed by renowned solar entrepreneur Dr Zhengrong Shi and semiconductor expert Dr Jim Zhu.

Organisations including the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries and Next Advisory appeared before a hearing last Friday conducted by a Senate inquiry into the transition to electric vehicles.

The ACT government has released a report on the impacts of the introduction of a Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard in April 2023 that will require the installation of ceiling insulation in rental properties. 

The report found that the Standard has not triggered rent increases, nor has it reduced the availability of rental properties.

Statutory development - gas restrictions. The Victorian government has introduced the Building Legislation Amendment and Other Matters Bill 2024. 

The Bill will establish regulation-making powers to implement key components of Victoria's Gas substitution roadmap, including bans on new connections to fossil gas.

"These regulation making powers will enable draft regulations and a regulatory impact statement to be released later this year ... on options for the electrification of Victorian buildings, including understanding how we can support Victorians to transition to electric appliances as older gas appliances reach their end of life," Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny said when introducing the Bill. 

However, the draft regulations implementing new gas restrictions won't apply to agriculture, industrial buildings, and the use of liquefied petroleum gas, Minister Kilkenny said.

Gas cooktops in existing homes, as well as gas appliances in existing commercial buildings will also be excluded from any regulatory restrictions, the Minister said. 

The Bill does not enable regulations to be made that can prohibit the maintenance or repair of a reticulated gas appliance, the Minister added.

The Victorian government is inviting survey responses in the first stage of the review of the Victorian Energy Upgrades scheme. Comments are due by 22 September. Further consultation will be undertaken in the first half of 2025.

Issue 60, 9 September 2024

A Senate committee inquiry into the transition to electric vehicles has scheduled hearings for 13 September, 11 October and 17 October.

The ACT has become the first Australian jurisdiction to enshrine in law the right to a healthy environment, following the passage of the Human Rights (Healthy Environment) Amendment Bill. 

The right to a healthy environment has been an emerging human right at an international level for some time.

The ACT government has issued a Low carbon concrete policy, which commits it to using low carbon concrete in all future government construction projects, where appropriate.   

The policy will be implemented in a phased approach, with phase one commencing on 1 January next year. From this date, designers, engineers, and builders will be required to provide options for using low carbon concrete in government projects, including detailed specifications where applicable.

The Victorian government has awarded Victoria’s first zero emission bus contracts, intended to fast track the replacement of diesel buses with 600 new electric buses by 2035. 

The new contracts to provide electric bus services have been awarded to Dysons, CDC and Kinetic. 

Issue 59, 2 September 2024

The federal government has updated the climate change considerations chapter of the Australian Rainfall and Runoff: A Guide to Flood Estimation (ARR), which is used to assess flood risk for the built environment.

Issue 58, 26 August 2024

The NSW government has issued a new sustainability guide for owners and managers of heritage buildings.

Issue 55, 5 August 2024

Consultation opportunity - house rating scheme expansion. DCCEEW is consulting on a proposed expansion of the Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) to include energy assessments and ratings for existing homes.

NatHERS is currently only used to assess new homes, and the expanded version is expected to launch in mid-2025. Webinars will be held over the next few weeks, and comments are due by 30 August.

The expanded NatHERS scheme could underpin the introduction of point of sale or lease disclosure regimes. 

The Clean Energy Finance Corporation will loan Ampol $100 million to support EV charging, hydrogen refuelling infrastructure, solar PV, and the development of low carbon liquid fuels.

Ampol expects the finance will enable it to deliver more than 200 new public fast charging bays across its service station network by 2025. It will also use some of the finance to support its renewable fuels programs

Meanwhile, the CEFC is also investing an additional $20 million to expand the electric vehicle fleet of Splend, which leases vehicles to drivers with rideshare services such as Uber.

The CEFC move builds on a $20 million initial investment made last June, which boosted the number of EVs in Splend’s fleet by 500 cars, "showing the strong demand for EVs among rideshare drivers", Climate Minister Chris Bowen said.

Infrastructure Australia has released a report on Embodied carbon projections for Australian infrastructure and buildings, which establishes a baseline for the upfront embodied carbon in Australia's built environment. 

The report forecasts that Australia's construction pipeline for buildings and infrastructure will produce between 37Mt and 64Mt of greenhouse in upfront embodied carbon each year for the five years to 2026-27, equating to a total of 247Mt of CO₂e over the period. 

The report says that close to a quarter of these emissions (23%) can be abated by employing practical decarbonisation strategies by 2026-2027. Infrastructure Australia recommends that the federal government:

• develop a comprehensive national plan to promote the decarbonisation of embodied carbon in the built environment.  
• build confidence and literacy to enable the uptake of low carbon products and solutions. 
• develop a nationally standardised embodied carbon measurement system.   
• implement a common national approach to drive market demand for low carbon solutions.  
• develop new methods for project delivery, which share risks and rewards for innovative approaches.   
• work with industry to drive national alignment on low-carbon expectations, through performance-based standards and specifications.

Consultation opportunity - renewable fuels. The state government has released a report on Opportunities for a renewable fuel industry in NSW, which asks about the merits of targets and mandates. Comments are due by 30 August.

In the first round of its Solar for Apartments program, co-funded by the federal and state governments, Solar Victoria received 438 applications from owners' corporations for 12,000 kilowatts of solar capacity, which would service more than 5,000 apartments. Applications for round two will open later this month.

Issue 54, 29 July 2024

A House of Representatives committee inquiry into electric vehicles held hearings last Thursday and Friday, with another hearing scheduled for 8 August.

Inefficient halogen lights will be phased out, if LED equivalents are available, under changes to the Greenhouse and Energy Minimum Standards (GEMS) scheme.

With the support of the NSW and Victorian governments, the Energy Efficiency Council has released a Roadmap for heat pump water systems in Australia, along with a background report.

The roadmap's 17 recommended actions include revising standards, and putting in place end-of-life stewardship measures.

In the last 12 months, the uptake of domestic heat pumps in NSW and Victoria has been significant, with more than 104,000 installed across both states, driven by the Victorian Solar Homes Program and the NSW Energy Savings Scheme. 

The two state governments will establish a consultation group of industry representatives to support and oversee the development of systems and standards.

Sustainability Victoria has released a case study on a new high friction surface treatment product for roads that incorporates a high proportion of recycled, crushed glass.

Issue 50, 1 July 2024

ARENA has awarded a $12.8 million grant to freight and logistics provider ANC, to support its $45.5 million Project Spark initiative, which aims to overcome barriers that are deterring its owner-drivers from leasing electric vehicles.

ANC manages a network of contracted owner-drivers that provide last-mile delivery services to brands including IKEA, JB HI-FI, and Bunnings.  

Up to 4,300 WA households will benefit from home energy upgades, through a $63.2 million partnership between the federal and state governments to upgrade social housing properties across the state.

Issue 49, 24 June 2024

A new embodied carbon issues paper, released by the Australian Sustainable Built Environment Council in conjunction with DCCEEW and NABERS, outlines work on embodied carbon at all levels of government, and describes challenges and potential solutions. 

The paper will be followed by a Comprehensive Policy Framework that will explore initiatives to complement the NABERS embodied carbon measurement methodology and tool that is now in its pilot phase. Comments on the paper are due by 26 July. 

Meanwhile, ACT Minister for Sustainable Building, Rebecca Vassarotti, said she had secured agreement at a national meeting of building ministers on Friday to establish a nationally consistent approach to measuring embodied emissions.

Vassarotti said she had successfully proposed at the meeting updates to the National Construction Code to ensure every jurisdiction consistently measures embodied carbon in the construction of commercial buildings, using the NABERS tool.

Communiques from building ministers' meetings are made available here.

The Queensland government will establish a mini renewable energy zone in Caloundra, making it the first of 18 Local Renewable Energy Zones to be established across the state. 

The $40 million pilot Caloundra LREZ will allow renewable energy tobe shared among home and small business customers in the town, including those who haven’t been able to invest in solar power.

It will involve the deployment of up to 8.4MW/18.8MWh of battery storage, an additional 2.8MW of solar PV, and 0.9MW of demand management.

Consultation opportunity - coal-reliant communities. The NSW government is seeking feedback on a Future Jobs and Investment Authorities issues paper outlining options to support coal-reliant communities. 

The paper says the impacts of a decline in coal mining will likely be concentrated between 2030 to 2040, with 18 coal mines and three power stations expected to close during this time. This will impact about 13,000 direct jobs and about 21,000 indirect jobs across the state's four coal-reliant regions.

Investment case studies included in the report include a BlueScope master plan for the Illawarra that could create 30,000 jobs in emerging industries, and a potential lithium recycling facility on the Liddell/Bayswater power stations site. Comments are due by 12 July.

The Victorian government has launched a Renewable Homes Construction program which will run free training sessions in Melbourne and regional areas on how to build, design or retrofit homes to make them more energy efficient.

The program will also train builders on the new National Construction Code 2022 (NCC) which came into effect on 1 May 2024. 

The government is also developing training modules on Efficient Home Design and Construction that will augment its existing Net Zero Homes Skills modules.

Issue 48, 17 June 2024

Consultation opportunity - commercial building energy efficiency disclosure. By 2035, information on the energy efficiency of most major types of commercial buildings would have to disclosed when they are offered for sale or lease, a DCCEEW consultation paper proposes.

The introduction of disclosure requirements could be followed by the introduction of minimum energy performance standards, the paper proposes.

Currently, the Commercial Building Disclosure (CBD) Program only requires energy efficiency information to be provided when commercial office spaces of 1,000 square metres or more are offered for sale or lease. 

"Since 2010, there has been a 35% reduction in base building energy usage per square meter for disclosure-affected office buildings," the paper says, adding that it is estimated to have delivered $83 million in energy bill savings from 2010 to 2019. 

A supporting paper by KPMG points out that non-residential buildings contribute around 10% of total emissions in the economy, representing a significant opportunity to decarbonise.

The suggested changes would require legislative amendments. Comments are due by 13 September. 

In a related move, the government has released a report by consultancies Paper Giant and Arup that examines Barriers to building energy performance.

A Business Council of Australia submission to the NSW government's review of freight strategy says regulations that restrict the uptake of electric trucks should where practical removed. 

It calls for additional weight allowances for zero emissions trucks, to ensure they aren't penalised by their heavier power systems, and says vehicles with lower noise profiles (such as electric trucks) should be exempt from freight curfews.

The first electric bus to be manufactured as part of a joint $250 million Australian and Western Australian government initiative has now been completed at the Volgren facility in Perth, and it will be commissioned in the next few months..

The Australian Government has committed $125 million toward electric bus charging infrastructure in Perth, combined with a $125 million commitment from the Western Australian government for the acquisition of 130 locally manufactured electric buses.

A total of 18 electric buses will be supplied, each able to travel 300 kilometres on a single charge. The cost to operate an electric bus across its 18-year service life is about $1 million less than current diesel buses, the state government says.

Issue 46, 3 June 2024

Statutory development - vehicle emission standards. The New Vehicle Efficiency Standard Bill has received Assent, after passing Parliament earlier this month.

The CEFC has confirmed its first investment via the $1 billion Household Energy Upgrades Fund (HEUF), which consists of a $60 million commitment to consumer lender Plenti.

The CEFC commitment will support cheaper finance for solar PV, home batteries and other energy efficiency upgrades via discounts on Plenti green loans of up to 2.74% annually.

In addition, eligible customers can get a further 0.6% discount on the green loan if they sign up to a Virtual Power Plant through Plenti’s point-of-sale platform, GreenConnect.

Issue 44, 20 May 2024

Statutory development - vehicle efficiency standards. Federal Parliament has passed legislation establishing vehicle efficiency standards.

The New Vehicle Efficiency Standard Bill will reduce CO2 emissions from new cars, SUVs, utes and vans, and stimulate the provision of low and zero emissions vehicles. It will be underpinned by a trading scheme for emissions credits.

Opposition members of a Senate committee inquiry into a Bill that would establish the Net Zero Economy Authority have recommended that the proposed legislation not be passed.

The proposed new Authority would duplicate the role of organisations such as the CEFC and ARENA, and various state bodies, the Coalition members of the committee said.

The majority of committee members have recommended that the Bill be passed.

The Senate has agreed to a Greens motion to establish a Select Committee on the Impact of Climate Risk on Insurance Premiums and Availability, with a reporting date of 19 November. The inquiry home page is here.

Issue 38, 8 April 2024

The federal government's new Energy Performance Strategy says a new NABERS Universal Benchmark tool is being developed for building types that lack a sector-specific NABERS rating tool. It will be launched this year.

The strategy adds that a review of the Australian Energy Market Operator's approach to developing Integrated System Plans will examine how it deals with demand-side matters, such as electrification and EVs.

Statutory development. The federal government has introduced the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard Bill, which would establish a duty for light-vehicle suppliers to meet or beat a carbon emissions target, adjusted for the types of vehicle they sell and the weight of each vehicle.

Issue 36, 18 March 2024

The Green Building Council of Australia has released a discussion paper on its proposed Nature Roadmap, and will host a webinar on 11 April. Comments on the paper are due by 30 June.

"The roadmap will advocate for net biodiversity gain on all sites, and for the protection of ecologically sensitive areas in and outside the site," the paper says. 

It adds that the roadmap "will likely endorse biodiversity net-gain in planning policies and potentially set minimum expectations for Green Star".

Issue 35, 11 March 2024

The federal government has announced a $76 million funding package for electric vehicle projects, which will be financed by ARENA and the CEFC. 

The Clean Energy Finance Corporation will provide $50 million to Angle Auto Finance (AAF), Australia’s largest independent retail auto financier, to get 20,000 new EVs onto Australian roads over the next two years.

AAF will provide short term loans to car dealerships to purchase vehicles from manufacturers, with dealerships to repay the loan when the vehicle is sold. 

ARENA will provide more than $4 million to help Europcar add 3,100 new, electric passenger vehicles to its Australian fleet over three years. The rental car company is also teaming up with Ampol to install 256 chargers across 41 hire car sites. Europcar will operate the EVs for up to two years before selling them on to grow the second-hand EV market.

ARENA will also provide almost $22 million dollars for three projects in Western Australia to electrify logistics fleets and local government vehicles.

Transport for NSW is trialing a bio-bitumen, known as ECO5, that contains recycled materials and has a carbon footprint that is 30% lower than conventional asphalt. The product is made by asphalt company COLAS.

The Western Australian government has released a new Electric Vehicle strategy.

Issue 34, 4 March 2024

Statutory development - waste plasterboard reuse. The Department of Environment and Science is inviting comments on its decision to expand the range of end-of-waste uses of plasterboard to allow its use as a coagulant in the management of sediment basins. Comments are due by 29 March.

The state government should initially adopt a carbon value of at least $123 per tonne to inform infrastructure planning and business cases, recommends a report released by Infrastructure Victoria.

This value - based on the EU emissions trading scheme price - would be consistent with the interim approach adopted by NSW in February last year, says the report on opportunities to reduce infrastructure greenhouse gas emissions .

"Valuing emissions will ensure that infrastructure project decisions account for climate change impacts alongside other costs and benefits," the report says.

The report, which makes 10 recommendations, notes that up to 70% of Australia’s annual greenhouse gas emissions relate to the lifecycle of infrastructure through operational, enabled, and embodied emissions. 

The main report is backed by a separate technical report prepared by WSP. Infrastructure Victoria will host a webinar on the report on 13 March.

Western Australian Statutory development - clean energy. Parliament has passed the Electricity Industry Amendment (Distributed Energy Resources) Bill 2023, marking the first major update of the state's electricity legislation in 20 years.

The Bill introduces a new State Electricity Objective that requires electricity infrastructure decision-makers to consider the environment, including greenhouse gas emissions, as well as reliability and price.

It also streamlines and consolidates the codes, rules and regulations used to manage the state's power system and electricity market.

The Bill also establishes the regulatory framework needed to enable customer devices - such as batteries, electric vehicles, and solar panels - to be utilised to support the state's power systems.

Issue 32, 19 February 2024

The CEFC in December issued a market call for financial intermediaries - banks, non-bank lenders, and others - to deliver its $1 billion Household Energy Upgrades Fund, with responses due by 1 March.

"We are well prepared to start to implement the program in short order after 1 March," CEFC chief executive Ian Learmonth told Senate Estimates. 

Subsidy opportunity - solar for apartments. Applications close 15 April under round one of Solar Victoria's new Solar for Apartments program, which is partly funded by the federal government.

About 12% of Victoria's 2.5 million households live in apartments, with around 63% of these occupied by renters.

Successful applicants will receive rebates of up to $2,800 per apartment, or up to $140,000 per building. 

Owners corporations will have the choice to install either multiple individual solar PV systems, a single large solar PV system coupled with solar sharing technology, or a combination of both.

Issue 31, 12 February 2024

Australia's energy rating and labelling scheme (GEMS) saved Australian businesses and households between $12 billion and $18 billion in energy costs, between FY12 and FY22, according to a new report by the GEMS Regulator.

The report also found that GEMS saved between 45 to 67 terawatt-hours of energy, which is about the same amount of electricity that was used by all Tasmanian, Northern Territory and South Australian homes during the same period.

Australia's households and businesses are continuing to install PV at rates unparalleled across the globe, and the uptake of EVs is exceeding forecasts, says a new report from the Energy Security Board on Consumer Energy Resources and the Transformation of the NEM.

The report recommends the establishment of a new consumer energy resources taskforce, and sets out six priorities for the taskforce over the next 12 months.

The net benefit of effective integration and coordination of consumer energy resources has been estimated to be between $1 billion and $6.3 billion by 2030-2040, the report notes. 

Grant opportunity - energy efficiency. Small and medium businesses can start preparing applications now for energy efficiency grants valued at between $10,000 and $25,000.

Consultation opportunity - water efficiency. The government is considering expanding the range of product categories regulated under the Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards (WELS) scheme. Product category nominations are invited by 15 March.

Issue 30, 5 February 2024

Consultation opportunity - fuel efficiency. The government plans to legislate a New Vehicle Efficiency Standard, which will impose a gradually strengthening limit on CO2 grams emitted per kilometre by new vehicles sold in Australia.

The standard would operate from 2025 - with one applying to cars and SUVs, and another for utes and light commercial vehicles - and by about 2028 would catch up with the US standard.

Australia and Russia are currently the only developed countries that don't have fuel efficiency standards. Comments are due by 4 March.

Queensland Urban Utilities and the University of Queensland have published a report on leading practice environmental management of sewage treatment plants in the Great Barrier Reef catchment.

Issue 29, 29 January 2024

Record generation from grid-scale renewables and rooftop solar is triggering a fall in wholesale energy prices and greenhouse gas emissions, according to AEMO's latest  Quarterly Energy Dynamics report.

The increase in renewable energy generation meant that the National Electricity Market also recorded it's lowest carbon intensity on record at 0.59tCO2/MWh.

AEMO chief executive Daniel Westerman noted that rooftop solar met 101% of South Australia's total electricity demand early in the afternoon of 31 December last year.

"On the afternoon of 24 October rooftop solar and grid-scale renewables provided 72% of all electricity across the east coast," Westerman added. 

The Queensland government has provided grants to Ipswich City Council ($9 million) and the City of Moreton Bay ($9.6 million) to fund a roll-out of kerbside food and garden organics (FOGO) collections.

Issue 26, 8 January 2024

The federal government is introducing new vehicle noxious emissions standards from December 2025.

The change will reduce the level of aromatic hydrocarbons to a maximum of 35% in 95 RON petrol. All vehicles will be able to use the new 95 RON petrol. The existing 91 and 98 RON petrol grades and diesel will be unaffected.

Motorists can expect an increase of $8 per year—or 15 cents a week—for an average passenger vehicle running on 95 RON petrol, the government says. Light commercial vehicles can expect a $13 yearly increase.

The government will also delay by 12 months the start date for requirements that petrol sold in Australia contain no more than 10ppm sulphur. The requirement was scheduled to start in 2024, but will now start in December 2025, to align with the new noxious emissions requirement.

The changes will remove almost 18 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector by 2050 and will allow Australia to adopt the Euro 6d noxious emissions standards.

The Euro 6d standards will apply to new light vehicle models introduced to the Australian market from December 2025, and new vehicles from existing model lines from 2028.

Details of a separate Australian fuel efficiency standard, which will regulate average CO2 emissions from new vehicles, are yet to be announced.

ARENA has awarded a $9.75 million grant to utility services provider Intellihub to launch a $22 million Demand Flexibility Platform project targeting 510MW of aggregated residential load under combined control, to be achieved through the enrolment of over 140,000 residential hot water systems and solar PV systems.

Electricity retailers will be able to sign up households to the Demand Flexibility Platform and use it to manage their customers as part of a Virtual Power Plant (VPP). Intellihub will provide the interface between electricity retailers and the customer-owned devices.

Transcript of the first hearing of a Senate committee inquiry into residential electrification is now available.

The Clean Energy Regulator has reminded Safeguard-covered facilities to submit their application for an Emissions Intensity Determination for FY24 by 30 April 2024, to avoid being subject to more onerous best-practice emissions intensity values.

The Australian Energy Market Operator has released a report on the potential benefits and risks associated with the rising take-up of EVs.

Issue 23, 4 December 2023

Hundreds of households in the WA town of Esperance that converted their homes to all-electric will save an average of 38% on their energy bills as a result of the switch, a study has found.

Horizon Power implemented the electrification project after the private gas network supplier ceased operations in March. Horizon Power has published a Knowledge Sharing Report on the project.

The WA government has rebadged its Household Energy Efficiency Scheme as Energy Ahead, and has allocated an extra $10.8 million to it. The program targets low-income households.

Issue 18, 30 October 2023

Consultation opportunity. The Tasmanian government has released a draft emissions reduction and resilience plan for the transport sector, which is accompanied by a "state of play" report on the sector. Comments are due by 29 November.

Issue 17, 23 October 2023

The Queensland government is seeking responses by 30 October to a survey on zero-emission vehicles.

The Victorian government has relaxed rules for access to its Solar Homes rebate and interest-free loans, and will now allow homeowners to access the program again if they move to a new property. It will also allow homeowners to access it to replace PV systems that are more than 10 years old.

Issue 13, 18 September 2023

Statutory development. Federal Parliament has passed the Greenhouse and Energy Minimum Standards Amendment (Administrative Changes) Bill, which aims to streamline the GEMS energy rating and labelling scheme.

Consultation opportunity. A new federal government green paper on aviation out to 2050 floats the possibility of measures such as Sustainable Aviation Fuel targets, or a low carbon fuel standard. It also discusses electrification and hydrogen. Comments are due by 30 November.

The ACT government has won the Innovation Award at the Cities Power Partnership Climate Awards for its Make Your Next Choice Electric web tool.

Issue 12, 11 September 2023

The Clean Energy Finance Corporation has committed up to $75 million to a new investment mandate targeting upgrades that reduce the operational emissions of commercial offices, hotels and shopping centres by at least 30%. The CEFC's investment will be managed by commercial real estate investment manager, MaxCap Group.

Issue 11, 4 September 2023

The federal and Victorian governments are providing a total of $92 million to help electrify public housing, and will contribute a total of another $16 million to support solar installations in apartments.

The apartments solar program will provide grants of up to $2,800 per apartment – or up to $140,000 total for each apartment building – for rooftop systems.

Statutory development. The Western Australian government has introduced the Electricity Industry Amendment (Distributed Energy Resources) Bill, which is designed to support the uptake of technologies such as solar PV and batteries. It also introduces a new State Electricity Objective.

Townsville City Council will earn carbon credits from the introduction of a FOGO kerbside collection, following its registration of a new ERF project, and a Perth-based electric vehicle leasing and rental company, CarBon Leasing and Rentals, has registered a new ERF project under the transport method.

Issue 10, 28 August 2023

Seven private peak bodies and three federal agencies have jointly launched the Infrastructure Net Zero initiative.

The ten founders are the Australian Constructors Association, the Australasian Railways Association, Consult Australia, the Green Building Council of Australia, Infrastructure Australia, Infrastructure Partnerships Australia, the Infrastructure Sustainability Council, Roads Australia, the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, and the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts.

The federal government has released submissions received during its fuel efficiency standard consultation.

The ACT government will develop a plan to phase-out wood heaters, in response to a report on wood heaters by the Commissioner for Sustainability and the Environment.

The Victorian government has raised the income limit for eligibility for its Solar Homes grant program from $180,000 a year to $210,000 a year.

The government is now also offering home owners discounted home energy rating assessments, through the Victorian Energy Upgrades scheme.

Issue 8, 14 August 2023

Statutory development. The Victorian Lower House has passed the Mineral Resources (Sustainable Development) Amendment Bill, and it is now before the Legislative Council.

The Victorian government has released a consultation paper on its commitment to ensure all public transport buses purchased from 2025 are zero emissions.

The Latrobe Valley Authority has released the final version of the Latrobe Valley and Gippsland Transition Plan, and a supporting five-year implementation plan.

A new South Australian commercial and industrial noise policy takes effect on 31 October, replacing the existing policy that has been in force for 15 years.

The Western Australian Water Corporation is starting a large-scale trial of water metering technology in Perth homes and businesses.

Issue 7, 7 August 2023

The WA government has awarded $100,000 to Murdoch University to test the suitability of a low-carbon concrete in roadworks. The concrete contains Collie flyash, and the grant was awarded under the Collie Futures Small Grants program.

Issue 2, 3 July 2023

Statutory development. A new Queensland amendment regulation increases the rebate for low to moderate income earners who buy a zero-emissions vehicle, and widens the pool of eligible zero-emissions vehicles.

The ACT and federal governments have announced a $3.6 million scheme to incentivise rooftop solar installations on apartment blocks in the ACT. Owners corporation committees will be able to access up to $100,000 for rooftop solar, consisting of a grant and interest-free loan.

Issue 1, 26 June 2023

Queensland Planning Minister Steven Miles has refused part of a Wanless development application to establish a recycling park in Ipswich. The Minister has approved the resource recovery facility and waste transfer station and refused the landfill component.

Test issue, 20 June 2023

The Senate Economics References Committee has launched a new inquiry into Australia's residential electrification efforts, which will report by the last sitting day of 2024.