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GREEN LOANS
Green Loans are interest free loans of up to $10,000 to help you make practical improvements to your home to save energy and water.
The program offers a free home sustainability assessment and report. The report recommends specific changes that can help you to save money, energy and water.
If you want to make any of the changes recommended in the report, you can apply for a Green Loan. Green Loans can be up to $10,000 and are interest free for up to 4 years.
CHECK YOUR ELIGIBILITY
To be eligible:
• You need to be at least 18 years old and either an Australian citizen or a permanent resident.
• Your taxable income needs to be under $250,000 a year.
• You must be living in the home. You can either be the owner of the home, the trustee of the home or one of the tenants listed on the rental agreement if you are renting.
• You won’t be eligible if you live in a home owned by a government, a corporate organisation or a company.
• The home cannot be a new home and you may need to provide evidence that the home has been occupied for more than 12 months.
• You will need to give the government permission to access your water and energy records directly from your energy and water suppliers for the period 12 months before your assessment to 24 months after your assessment. This is so the government can calculate the reductions made by Australian households who participated in the program.
INTEREST FREE GREEN LOAN
Loan criteria include:
• Before you can apply for a Green Loan, you need to have a home sustainability assessment.
• Green Loans can only be used to make changes recommended in your home sustainability assessment report.
• Loans can be for amounts up to $10,000 and are interest free for up to 4 years.
• You will have to apply for your green loan within 6 months of your home sustainability assessment.
• Applicants for Green Loans will need to satisfy the lending criteria of their participating financial institution.
• If you are eligible for a rebate as well as a Green Loan, you can apply for both.
HOME SUSTAINABILITY ASSESSMENT
The home sustainability assessment is free and involves a qualified assessor inspecting your home. The assessor will look at how much energy and water you use and how much you could be saving.
The assessment will involve an inspection of major energy and water systems, heating and tooling, lighting, refrigeration, cooking and entertainment. The assessor will also examine water efficiency (indoors and outdoors) and waste management. This information is entered into an assessment tool to calculate your environmental impact and provide suggestions for improvement.
The assessment should take around 1.5 to 2 hours to complete, depending on how much information you can supply, the size of your property and the number of energy and water systems you have.
You will get a tailored report advising the most effective changes for your home. This advice may range from small and easy changes such as changing light bulbs, to major investments such as a solar hot water system or photovoltaic panels. After your assessment, you may choose to apply for a green loan to make bigger changes around your home. It is not compulsory to apply for the loan. Your assessment will be valid for 6 months for the purpose of applying for a green loan.
FULL PROGRAM INFORMATION
To take the next step, make sure you understand the finer details of the Green Loans Program. You can then ring the hotline or book your free home assessment online.
OTHER ASSISTANCE
Your state, territory or local government may also have rebates or other assistance that you could be eligible for. We'll be adding this information soon. In the meantime, contact your local council and state or territory government to find out what else you may be eligible for.
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