ICANZ welcomes improvements to insulation guidelines
04/Sep/2009
The Insulation Council of Australia and New Zealand (ICANZ) today welcomed the government’s changes to the Energy Efficient Homes Program’s guidelines.
Mr D’Arcy, ICANZ CEO said that the government has strengthened the insulation rebate program, ensuring consumers and the government get value for money, while making the benefits of insulation more available to renters and lower income households.
Mr D’Arcy said that no government has ever introduced a nationwide program to upgrade Australian homes to a minimum energy efficiency standard on such a scale.
“This is an ambitious program with a limited window of opportunity and it was to be expected that there would be some teething problems.
“The program has officially run for just two months and the government has acted decisively to iron out the issues that have emerged with the experience of insulating the first 200,000 homes,” he said.
“For example, cost has always been a disincentive for landlords and one of the main reasons older rental properties have not been insulated (ABS 2005/06). Making the full $1600.00 available to landlords tackles this long standing market failure directly, and should be regarded as a positive development.”
ICANZ fully supports the requirement of a physical site inspection prior to quoting and is pleased to see that it is now incorporated into the program’s guidelines. The government also recommends that consumers get more than one quote before proceeding. Considerable information is now available to consumers about the different types of insulation available, and the expected cost of supplying and installing insulation.
“This information now provides consumers with parameters to help them evaluate quotations on a reasonable value-for-money basis,” Mr D’Arcy said.
Safe guards have also been introduced to ensure the right insulation is installed correctly. A wide ranging audit program involving direct contact with householders, site inspections, address checks against dwelling size, and desk top auditing and verification will be commenced, and will be on-going
“We believe that these measures will help improve appropriate and professional installation standards and practices,” Mr D’Arcy said.
“Additionally our members are confident that the remaining funding still available through the program will see most uninsulated homes retrofitted with insulation.”
“Done properly, it will bring Australia closer to the international standards of developed countries with climates similar to Australia and will help to shield Australians, particularly the less well off, against future increases in energy costs.”
“By installing glass and rockwool insulation products correctly, consumers can enjoy improved comfort and general wellbeing; and be confident that they will reduce greenhouse emissions. They will also save hundreds of dollars per annum on heating and cooling costs for the remaining life of their home,” Mr D’Arcy added.
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Media inquiries: Glenn Schaube: 0439 320 151 GRS Communications
