Ted and his owner are staying comfy at home thanks to Home Energy Support rebates

This is Ted. Ted’s owner Charlie is a little camera shy, but he wants to share how he is making his home more comfortable and affordable to live in.

Charlie’s previous home was well insulated and inexpensive to heat and cool. He purchased a new home in Tuggeranong in December that lacked the comfort and liveability Charlie, Ted and their family had been used to.

To help his home stay cool in summer and warm in winter, Charlie made it a priority to improve the energy efficiency of his home by draught proofing and insulating first.

He then accessed rebates through the Home Energy Support Program to upgrade his ducted gas heating to an electric ducted reverse cycle system and to install a solar system.

The Challenge

The new home was draughty, expensive to heat and cool and used gas for heating.

“I wanted to get off gas for a few reasons, mainly because my son is asthmatic and gas appliances are not good for kids with asthma and because gas is getting expensive to use.”

“I wanted a home that was comfortable to be in, without the stress of large power bills, and I wanted it done before the Canberra winter.”

The Action

“I fully insulated my previous home, and it saved me around $3k a year in heating and cooling bills and was more comfortable to live in. I learnt from this experience and decided to prioritise this again in our new home.”

Charlie’s next step was to replace the gas heating and found out about the Home Energy Support Program, which could help him replace gas appliances with energy efficient electric, improve home insulation, and install solar.

“I learnt that because I have an Australian Health Care Card, I was eligible for rebates.”

“I was able to get a $2,500 rebate and combine it with a zero-interest loan of $10,000 to put in a 3-phase ducted reverse cycle system.”

“I also found out that I would get a rebate for installing solar. Which I wasn’t planning on doing till down the track, but the rebate gave me the motivation to do it sooner.”

The Benefit

“All of these upgrades have been done to make it easier, more comfortable and cheaper to live here.”

“The other day it was 36°outside, and I had my aircon on.  Having good insulation meant that it wasn’t running most of the day but, it helped keep it nice and cool inside.”

“When my solar installation is completed, I won’t even be paying to run the aircon or heating during the day when the sun is shining.”

Charlie has advice for households thinking about making sustainable home upgrades.

“Check your insulation. That will be your number one cost saver and call or check online what incentives and rebates you’re eligible for.”

Things Charlie would rather spend money on are having holidays and making memories with his son and Ted. Things he’d rather not spend money on are vet bills, but he’s glad he’s got energy bills under control.