Why Do We Have Hot Water Rebates?

In Australia, we understand that one of the biggest causes of greenhouse gas emissions in our homes is our hot water system. Rebates are being offered by the Australian Federal and State governments in a bid to help reduce our country’s greenhouse gas emissions. These rebates only apply to solar and heat pump hot water systems.

The Australian Federal Government has signed the Kyoto Protocol, which an agreement is made with the United Nations aimed at fighting the effects of global warming. The Protocol outlines that all signatory countries must have reduced their greenhouse gas emissions by a certain amount by 2012. The Australian government has seen changing to solar and heat pump systems as the ideal way to do this, and offers hot water rebates to help Australians pay for these more expensive appliances.

Other than reducing our household’s greenhouse gas emissions, it makes sense for Australians to take up a rebate from either the Federal or State Government, if they are eligible for one, for a number of reasons:
A solar or heat pump heating system will reduce the energy usage of your household, which can save you up to 75% of your normal water heating costs. With the hot water rebates, solar or heat pump systems can actually be cheaper to purchase and install then the traditional systems. It has been suggested that, down the track, the installation of traditional electric water heating systems will be banned, so Australians should capitalize on the rebates available now or else risk the chance of them being discontinued. Rebates are available for heating systems in residential areas for homeowners, landlords and tenants.

Unfortunately, not everyone is eligible for a hot water rebate. There are plenty of avenues available, including the Federal and State Government websites, which will be able to tell you whether you are available for a rebate and which one. In some cases, you may be eligible for a State and Federal rebate, making the cost of purchasing and installing a solar or heat pump hot water system that much cheaper.

Before you buy another traditional Electric hot water heating system, look into the State and Government hot water rebates available for solar and heat pump systems. Not only will you lower your household’s carbon emissions and, therefore, lessen Australia’s footprint, but you will also save yourself some money in running and maintenance costs. Does not that make it worth it?