Plan to expand energy-efficiency upgrades

The Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) has opened a public consultation to expand the range of energy efficiency upgrades available to households and businesses, as part of the Victorian Energy Upgrades (VEU) program.

The VEU program is established under the Victorian Energy Efficiency Target (VEET) Act 2007 to help Victoria reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, reduce the use of electricity and gas and invest in industries that provide energy-efficiency and demand-management technology and services.

The public consultation is open on four potential new activities:

• Upgrades to the refrigeration equipment of coldrooms
• Installation of energy management information systems (EMIS) in commercial buildings
• Upgrades to install lagging (insulation) on pipework heated by gas appliances
• Installation of smart thermostats for residential heating and cooling systems.

The new activities must reflect the greenhouse gas reduction achieved, according to legislation in the VEET Act.

Any feedback will be used to guide the creation and implementation of new VEU activities.

Stakeholders can find more information, download the issues papers and make a submission here.