Energy efficiency projects

Green community housing is possible. Here’s proof.

CHIA Vic, in collaboration with BOOMPower, assisted seven community housing organisations to access a $2.7M program of energy efficiency and solar upgrades from the Victorian Property Fund in 2018/19.

The results, as outlined here, were impressive and have built the capacity of our sector as leaders in energy efficiency.

Community housing organisations provide homes for people on low to moderately low incomes who are disproportionately impacted by rising energy prices and climate change. We don’t want our renters to have to choose between keeping the heater on in winter or buying food.

Get on board

The response from our renters has been overwhelmingly positive. Concerns about rising energy prices regularly top the concerns raised in annual renter surveys and many tenants also express a desire for more energy-efficient housing.

Not only has the project had immediate benefits, it has assisted the sector to upskill in the retrofitting of their properties for future works. The main report on the upgrade program contains key challenges and recommendations for organisations considering similar upgrade projects. More detail on the experiences of the individual organisations can be found in the case studies.

On behalf of the sector, we would like to acknowledge and thank the Victorian Property Fund for its support of our renters and member organisations.

Energy efficiency upgrades to maximise solar

A lot of the community housing sector’s recent focus has been on installing solar systems to reduce energy costs for tenants. However, there is a range of upgrades available to maximise the impact of solar.

Read about how the community housing sector is tackling energy efficiency upgrades in the case study (above), or visit the Solar Victoria website to see what funding is available for solar and energy efficiency upgrades in community housing.