Tasmania's Energy Saver Loan Scheme

Eligible applicants are:

• Tasmanians for their principal place of residence
• landlords with residential tenants
• small businesses and community organisations (with an electricity consumption lower than 150MWh per year).

This means that Energy Saver Loans must be used to purchase and install eligible energy efficient products in Tasmanian properties. These properties are:

• principal places of residence
• tenanted residential properties (for example, a property in which you have residential tenants)
• small business, commercial, or community organisation properties (for example, a property that is used for the predominant purpose of a small business*).
  *These properties may include properties used for holiday accommodation if the use is part of a small business.

Loans are capped at $10,000 per property.

No single applicant may be loaned more than $10,000 in total (but accessing the scheme for your primary residence won’t prevent your small business from getting a loan for its own premises).

Loans will only be made available to applicants that have the financial capacity to repay them over the term of the loan.

There are no income, house value or asset tests. It's open to all Tasmanians that want to invest in energy efficiency, so long as they can service the loan.

If you’re not eligible to receive an Energy Saver Loan, then you may be eligible to access other forms of Government assistance.

These include our No Interest Loan Scheme (NILS), which we have designed for Tasmanians with low incomes.

You may also wish to look at the resources you can take home - which could also help you to make savings.

Products available to be financed under the Energy Saver Loan Scheme:

• solar panel and battery storage systems
• electric heating and cooling systems (heat pumps)
• electric heat pump hot water systems and solar hot water systems
• induction and ceramic electric stovetops
• double glazing upgrades to existing buildings (not new builds)
• insulation for existing buildings (not new builds)
• energy efficient appliances (fridges/freezers, clothes dryers, clothes washers, dishwashers)
• EV charging

Some product types may not be available initially. Introduction of some products will be phased, as it takes time to build a network of accredited vendors.

Before you proceed with an application for a loan, you should do research to decide what product or products will provide the best savings for your circumstances. Some tips include:

• Examine your power bills to understand your energy consumption.
• Look at your electricity retailer's website for energy saving advice.
• Make a list of products to research based on your needs.
• Talk to different suppliers about your needs and options.
• Get multiple quotes to compare products and suppliers.
• Check the warranty for both product and installation. All products and installations should be backed by a minimum three-year warranty.
• Check that installation costs are included in any quotes.

We strongly recommend that you shop around, obtain at least three quotes from different suppliers, compare what products are available, and negotiate on price to make sure that you are getting good value for money.

If you're still not sure what is best for you, then consider a professional energy audit and the resources you can take home to guide your choices.

If you have any concerns with a vendor's sales practices, or concerns that a quote is excessive, you should raise your concerns directly with Brighte.

Door-knocking sales-practises are not allowed under the Scheme and they should be reported.

You can seek quotes from a marketplace of approved product suppliers on Brighte's website.

Your preferred supplier will then give you a quote and refer you to Brighte, who can assess your application and creditworthiness.

If your application is successful, you can be given your loan.

(If you are a supplier and wish to participate in the Scheme, you can visit Brighte's accreditation page or write to sales@brighte.com.au).

Note that you will not be able to access a loan from Brighte directly.

Funds provided by the Energy Saver Loan Scheme will be paid to your chosen accredited supplier by Brighte on your behalf - and you will make your repayments to Brighte (as the Energy Saver Loan Scheme administrator).

We strongly recommend that you shop around, obtain at least three quotes from different suppliers, compare what products are available, and negotiate on price to make sure that you are getting good value for money.

You can apply to Brighte for an interest-free loan of up to $10,000.

Participants may purchase energy efficiency products valued at more than $10,000 - with the amount over $10,000 to be financed separately by the customer.

Brighte will offer its standard commercial green loan in these circumstances, and participants can elect to take up that product or to finance the balance through other means.

Once you have been approved for a loan, your supplier will arrange for the installation of your product, and your energy savings can begin.

• Your supplier will let Brighte know when the installation of your product is complete.
• Brighte will send you an email or SMS asking you for confirmation.
• 28 days later, the repayment of your loan can start.

Visit Brighte to learn more.

For residential customers and landlords

Credit Approval

An applicant must satisfy the following criteria:

• be a permanent resident of Australia
• be 18 years of age or over
• have a credit score acceptable to the Contractor and clear credit file
• have a bank account or credit card in applicant’s name
• have a demonstrated capacity to repay
• have a demonstrated income verification
• provide suitable identification.

Eligible property requirements

Approved goods must be installed in a property which:

• is geographically located within Tasmania
• is either a standalone residence or a strata titled property and in the case of a strata titled property, the applicant must have all necessary approvals to install the approved goods, including from the relevant body corporate
• (in the case of a residential customer) is the applicant’s principal place of residence (and regardless of whether it is subject to a mortgage)
• (in the case of a landlord) is currently leased for commercial or residential purposes by the landlord.

Supply agreement

To be given a loan, an applicant must have evidence of an agreement with an accredited vendor for the supply and installation (where relevant) of the approved product at the eligible property.

For businesses and community organisations

Credit Approval

An applicant must satisfy the following criteria:

• have an Australian Business Number
• have a demonstrated capacity to repay
• if the applicant is a community organisation and the contractor requests it, the community organisation must provide to the contractor financial statements including a profit and loss statement and balance sheet which support its capacity to repay
• if the applicant is a small-to-medium enterprise, then a director’s personal guarantee may be required to secure the repayment of the loan (however, this is not required for an applicant that is a community organisation).

Eligible property requirements

• Approved goods must be installed in premises that are geographically located within Tasmania and which are owned or leased by the business or community organisation.
• An authorised officer of the organisation must confirm that:
  • all building and development approvals required by law have been obtained in respect of the property in which the approved goods are to be installed
  • if the property in which the approved goods are to be installed is:
    1. a strata titled property, all necessary approvals to install the Approved Goods have been obtained including from the relevant body corporate (as that term is defined in the Strata Titles Act 1998 (Tas); or
    2. leased by the Organisation, all necessary approvals to install the Approved Goods have been obtained from the owner of the premises.

Supply agreement

To be given a loan, an applicant must have evidence of an agreement with an accredited vendor for the supply and installation (where relevant) of the approved product at the eligible property.

Whether or not you are eligible for a loan, these resources may help you to use energy more efficiently, and the resultant energy savings are likely to bring benefits.

Home Energy Audit Toolkit

You may wish to talk to your local council about borrowing a Home Energy Audit Toolkit (HEAT).

Many Tasmanian councils offer these on loan, free of charge.

The Toolkit can help you assess your household energy use patterns and make changes to reduce energy use and save money. The kit contains tools to assess your energy use, including:

• An energy meter, which plugs into an ordinary three-pin plug and measures an appliance's energy consumption, when it's being used and when it's on standby.
• A stopwatch to measure flow rates in showers and sinks.
• A thermometer to measure temperatures in each room, in fridges and freezers, and of the hot water supply.
• Instructions on how to use the tools, and tips on how to take action once you have all the information.

To find your local council, visit this local government directory.

Tips and resources for reducing your energy use

• The ReCFIT website provides tips to make your home more energy efficient .
• The Australian Government website Energy Information and Services provides a broad range of information about saving energy, saving money and opportunities to access government rebates and other assistance.

Some questions to ask

Heating

• What sources of heating do you use already? What is your primary heater type?
• How much does it cost to heat your property annually?
• What insulation is already installed in your property?
• Do you have double glazed windows?

Hot water

• What type of hot water system do you currently have?
• How old is it?
• How much is it costing you to heat water annually?

Household appliances

• How old are your fridge, freezer, washing machine, clothes dryer, and dishwasher?
• What are the energy star ratings of your current appliances?
• Can you estimate how much it costs to run them?

Information on becoming accredited to participate in the Scheme can be found on Brighte's website for vendors or by writing to sales@brighte.com.au.

Vendors may also wish to refer to the Vendor Participation Policy.

Retailers of solar products will need to be an approved seller with the Clean Energy Council (CEC) to participate in the Scheme.

CEC approved seller status is linked to the CEC’s Code of Conduct, which is authorised and overseen by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission – it gives potential customers the confidence that you supply quality products, comply with consumer protection laws, and will back the operation of the systems you sell well into the future.

Visit the Clean Energy Council website for more information.

We strongly recommend that you shop around, obtain at least three quotes from different suppliers, compare what products are available, and negotiate on price to make sure that you are getting good value for money.

If you have any concerns with a vendor’s sales practices, or concerns that a quote is excessive, you should raise your concerns directly with Brighte.

Door-knocking sales-practises are not allowed under the Scheme. They should always be reported.

Please note that ReCFIT will not at any time contact you and request your bank and account details, and that contact from any person claiming to represent the Energy Saver Loan Scheme should be treated as suspicious.

Should you have any reason to think that the person you are speaking to is not a legitimate representative of ReCFIT or Brighte, then contact Brighte and report them.

You may also wish to refer to the Vendor Participation Policy.