It took just two months for Boroondara residents to drain the available subsidies in the pilot round of the council’s sustainable energy program, forcing it to close applications early.
Now, Boroondara Council will reopen the program next month, delivering up to $1 million in grants across a maximum of 500 homes.
The program: Boroondara’s Sustainable Transition (BooST) program includes free home energy assessments to all Boroondara residents – including both homeowners and renters – until funds are exhausted.
The scheme also provides a financial grant of up to $2,000 per household for eligible works, such as solar, batteries, electric vehicle chargers, draught proofing and induction cooktops.
What happened? During a meeting in late August, Boroondara councillors voted to award an initial $1.2 million contract to solar energy company HP Energy to deliver the second round of the program.
Applications will reopen in October, with the contract expiring on July 7, 2027.
The council selected HP Energy as the preferred provider through a competitive public tender process, due to experience, capability, customer service and the ability to start work by October.
The budget includes $1 million to deliver household energy efficiency subsidies of up to $2,000 per household and $205,000 for program establishment, data reporting and quality assurance.
The council will keep an additional $295,000 as a contingency to be released after 400 households have received a subsidy, with the limit set at 500 homes.
Speaking during the meeting, Boroondara councillor Sophie Torney said the fact the pilot round had to end early due to high demand was “not a small signal”.
🗣️ “Boroondara residents are telling us they want practical help to cut their energy bills, make their homes more comfortable and reduce their emissions,” she told the chamber.
Cost benefits: Research from Sustainability Victoria found improving an energy-inefficient Melbourne home from a one or two-star NatHERS rating (Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme) to five stars could cut annual energy bills by $2500.
Upgrade options available to achieve this include insulation, draughtproofing and efficient heating, cooling and hot water.
The pilot: Earlier this year, the Solar Savers initiative helped deliver the pilot round of the BooST program, with 216 successful applicants exhausting the available subsidies before the end of the funding period – with the round launching in March and ending in May.
Out of the successful applicants, 4.2 percent lived in an apartment and 19.1 percent lived in a townhouse.
Staff said the emissions reductions amounted to 494 tonnes of carbon dioxide – or equivalent to removing about 181 cars off roads for a year.
Local boosts: Boroondara council mayor Wes Gault and his wife Jane moved into a mid-century home in Kew in mid-2023, using Solar Savers to help with installing a 10.4-kilowatt solar system on his roof. He uses the panels to power his household appliances, heat pump hot water system and charge his electric vehicle.
Gault said the “strong demand” for the pilot round BooST demonstrates “residents are ready to take action” to cut emissions and reduce their power bills.
Boroondara council mayor Wes Gault and councillor Sophie Torney.
What’s next? Rewiring Australia director of strategic programs Kristen McDonald said not enough investment was made into programs like BooST.
🗣️ “Collectively, if we electrified Australia's homes and cars, we could cut 20 percent off our national domestic emissions,” she told the Eastern Melburnian. “One of the key barriers that people have when they're thinking about electrifying their homes is that it can be really confusing.”
Rewiring Australia director of strategic programs Kristen McDonald.
Electrify Boroondara deputy chair Russell Williams said while the program is a “really positive” step in the right direction, he hoped future rounds would include a program manager and a panel of specialist providers to ensure the quality and cost remained competitive.