Legislation that requires electricity retailers in the ACT to provide energy efficiency services to households who want to reduce their carbon emissions and reduce their electricity bills has been passed in the ACT Legislative Assembly, with the support of the ACT Greens.

 

The ACT Government maintains that the scheme, established by the Energy Efficiency (Cost of Living) Bill 2012,  will  save more than 70,000 Canberra households up to $300 each on their annual electricity bills by 2015.

 

Under the scheme,  electricity retailers will be required to offer energy efficiency upgrades such as insulation, draft-sealing and energy-saving appliances, while power companies will have to subsidise or pay for energy efficiency upgrades to homes.

 

The  new scheme, which is similar to those in South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales,  has been designed to enable transition to a national scheme which will be the subject of COAG negotiations in 2013. The ACT scheme will commence on 1 January 2013 and will cover ACT households and business.

 

The scheme has been criticised by the ACT Liberals who say it will drive up energy costs with little benefit to consumers,