Shellharbour City Council is trialling a sustainability rebates program to help residential property owners move towards using cleaner energy at home.
The program, which kicks off today, aims to encourage households to switch from gas and low efficiency appliances to energy efficient appliances powered by solar energy.
Eligible applicants can apply for multiple rebates for one or more of the specified sustainable products. The rebates will help lower the cost of installing solar, heat pump water heaters, induction cooktops, electric vehicle chargers and home batteries.
“Going electric is better for your hip pocket and better for the environment. When it comes to cooktops there are also significant health benefits,” said Mayor, Chris Homer.
“According to the National Asthma Council, recent scientific studies have found that around 12% of childhood asthma in Australia can be attributed to the use of gas stoves for cooking.”
Funded by Council’s Small Environmental Projects Fund, the program supports the organisation’s aim of reaching net zero community emissions by 2050.
Approximately 48% of Shellharbour’s community emissions come from electricity consumption, with on-road transport contributing 30%.
More than 9,900 households in Shellharbour City have already installed solar panels.
Mayor Homer said the rebate program would encourage homeowners to take the next step.
“These targets cannot be achieved by Council alone, so we want to support our community switch to cleaner, cheaper and more efficient appliances as we transition to an all-electric future,” Mayor Homer said.
Council adopted its Zero Emissions Shellharbour Strategy 2022-2050 last year. The strategy aims to reach net zero Council operational emissions by 2035, and net zero community emissions by 2050.
