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Feed-in Tariff latest
In transition to the new Transitional Feed-in Tariff
As mentioned in our previous MEFL Blog post, the 60 c/kWh Premium Feed-in Tariff (PFiT) was effectively closed at the end of September. As a result, all new solar PV systems connected to the grid after 30 September 2011 won’t be able to get the 60 c/kWh available under the PFiT, but will instead be in a state of transition before the new ‘Transitional Feed-in Tariff’ (TFiT) comes into effect next year.
Find out what your home costs to run (video)
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MEFL's Energy Policy Advocate Eli Court explains the benefits of Mandatory Residential Disclosure.
More information
Solar support downgraded
What you need to know
Yesterday, the Victorian Government announced that it will close the Premium Feed-in Tariff when the scheme hits its cap. This is expected to occur towards the end of November this year.
If you have recently installed solar, paid a deposit or purchased a solar system, but have not yet finalised all the arrangements to receive the Premium Feed-in Tariff - read on!
Below are detailed instructions on what you need to do to have the best chance of getting in before the scheme closes.
If you're about to install solar, the Government has said you're unlikely to get in before the cap is reached. Instead, you may be eligible for a Transitional Feed-in Tariff at a lower rate of 25c. There's more information about this transitional arrangement below.
Oh, and if you're already receiving the Premium Feed-in Tariff have no fear! This announcement doesn't affect you at all. You will continue to receive the Premium Feed-in Tariff for fifteen years or (depending on when your system was installed) until the end of the scheme in 2024.
How to find out what your home costs to run
Location, location, location. If you're looking to buy a home, that's all that matters. Right?
Wrong.
With energy prices predicted to double over the next five years, blindly pursuing location above all else could cost you dearly in high gas and electricity bills that keep getting higher and higher. The difference between a high quality, energy efficient home and a poorly constructed inefficient home could be thousands of dollars a year.
The answer is energy efficiency. It's cheap. It's simple. Sealing gaps and cracks, installing insulation or replacing inefficient lights will save you money and reduce your environmental impact.
So why aren't we all doing it?
Morelanders well-prepared for carbon price
We've had a few weeks now to get familiar with the Government's carbon pricing package (our summary is here). Apart from the warm feeling you'll get from knowing that your Government is finally taking steps to help the world reduce emissions and avoid dangerous climate change, what does it mean for you?
Tweeting the carbon tax
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The carbon tax...no, don't switch off, we understand. It’s too political. Too complicated.
Many of us don’t have time to read all those fact sheets, pore over complex analyses and suffer through the political posturing of the major parties.
But this policy will in all likelihood be the major issue at the next election. How will you decide if it’s worth supporting?
In this video blog, our Energy Policy Advocate Eli Court gives you six compelling reasons that you should support a price on pollution in Australia. All in less than 140 characters. For you social media lovers, that will fit into a single Tweet!
Carbon price package - The basics
So, after all the waiting, we now have the carbon price package laid out before us. In short, MEFL believes that the policy is an excellent start to reducing Australia's emissions, and to transforming Australia's economy to take advantage of clean energy opportunities. See our media release for our full response.
Over the next few weeks, we will post updates on this blog, with detailed analysis of each element of the package. But for starters, here's a quick rundown of the basics.
Industry chaos prompts push for 'one-for-one' tariff
With the solar industry claiming that abrupt policy changes have pushed it to the edge of a cliff, the Greens and industry groups have united to call for States and Territories to adopt a 'one-for-one' tariff for rooftop solar panels. This post describes the current state of affairs for feed-in-tariffs around Australia, and explains the one-for-one proposal.
VEET scheme expanded
Last week, the Victorian Energy Minister announced that the Government had doubled the annual greenhouse gas emissions reduction target under the Victorian Energy Efficiency Target (VEET) scheme.
MEFL congratulates the Government on this decision. We recently made a submission to the Government calling for at least a doubling of the target. The scheme has already helped reduce the cost of energy saving measures like efficient light bulbs and weather proofing of homes for thousands of Victorian households, and the expanded scheme is estimated to deliver $2.6 billion in benefits to the Victorian economy.
In our submission, we also called for the scheme to be extended to businesses. The Government has now committed to extending the scheme to businesses, starting in 2012.
See the Save Energy website for more information on the VEET (also referred to as the Energy Saver Incentive).
New activities for the Victorian Energy Saver Incentive
The Victorian Energy Saver Incentive scheme provides rebates to households who install energy saving measures in their homes, like replacing inefficient appliances with more efficient ones, installing double glazing, or sealing up gaps and cracks around doors, windows and chimneys.
The Victorian Government has committed to expand the scheme to small and medium businesses, and has been consulting on which activities for these businesses should be subsidised under the scheme.
MEFL has a wealth of experience in helping businesses in Moreland save energy and cut their gas and electricity bills, through established and new energy efficiency measures, including replacing inefficient light bulbs, installing timers and many more.
We made a submission to the Victorian Government on this proposal, which focused on:
- the importance of designing energy efficiency schemes on the basis of high quality data on the costs and benefits of implementing energy efficiency measures on the ground;
- the mounting evidence that well-designed energy efficiency programs that include an element of behaviour change can reduce energy wastage and cut energy costs more effectively and cheaply than other programs;
- MEFL's extensive experience in implementing and measuring energy efficiency measures in both households and businesses, and gathering the kind of data that is required for designing these schemes properly.
You can download a complete copy of our submission on our website.
