In an Australian first, the Victorian government will deliver free energy upgrades to 1,000 low-income households in Western Melbourne and the Goulburn Valley.
The Victorian Healthy Homes program will provide energy efficiency upgrades to the homes of low-income individuals who are receiving home and community care services.
It will also measure the health, comfort and financial benefits that can be achieved by improving a building’s thermal performance.
Government will partner with Moreland Energy Foundation Limited and the University of Technology Sydney to deliver the Home Energy Assist package.
Program recruitment is due to start early 2018 in Melbourne and 2019 in the Goulburn Valley.
Moreland Energy Foundation Limited works with households, businesses, community groups and governments on new ways to implement sustainable energy supply and reducing energy use. They will manage frontline services for the home visits and energy efficiency upgrades.
The University of Technology Sydney is bringing together researchers from their Centre for Health Economics Research and Evaluation and Institute for Sustainable Futures to measure the health, energy and climate change benefits of the program.
“We’re pleased to be able to work with the most vulnerable households in our community to deliver what we hope will lead to significantly improved health outcomes and reduced energy poverty,” Moreland Energy Foundation Limited CEO Alison Rowe said in a statement.
