The most cost effective way of having a sustainable home is implementing green alternatives during the building process itself. If you’re looking at building a house in the not too distant future, it is worthwhile taking a look at the different levels of rebates available for environmentally friendly alternatives to energy production, cooling, heating and the housing design itself.

There are rebates available for a range of environmentally friendly housing design products but the amount can vary from state to state and are dependent on the applicant meeting eligibility criteria. As part of the Solar Homes and Communities Plan, the federal government is offering a rebate on solar photovoltaic systems to a maximum of $8000 for a residential installation. Similarly a $1000 rebate is available for solar hot water systems, with the option of buying back of Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs). A full list of various rebates and grants for water and energy use is available from the Alternative Technology Association website.

So that’s great if you’re building a home but what if you already have one that needs retrofitting to accommodate renewable technologies? What if you just can’t afford the upfront cost? In 2009, there may be a solution available to home owners in this situation. The federal government announced in May this year that there will be an Green Loans Program to assist with costs of retrofitting a home with green technology. The loan is intended to be low interest to a maximum of $10 000. As yet, the eligibility criteria has not been released but it is anticipated that this will occur late this year. If you’re interested in this prospect, you can find more information here.

September 21st, 2008 | Category: Ramblings |  Print This Post |  Email This Post | Subscribe to comments | Leave a comment | Trackback URL