Greenopolis is a new site that provides a whole bunch of positive and helpful environment and sustainability tips.
As a initial taster, here’s a post containing 10 tips for shopping smart and green.
Green Renters will have a stall at this years Sydney Rd Music Festival on Sunday 28th February, the stall will be somewhere near Savers, so drop by for helpful advice on how to live sustainably in Rental property!
No impact man has been mentioned here a few times, and it’s refreshing to see that he’s still gaining a lot of media attention, I came across a post of his recently which is a summary of some of his favourite posts from the past few months, so a great place to dip your toe into the world of No Impact man…
noimpactman.typepad.com/blog/2009/11/no-impact-mans-environmental-howtos.html
In this post, Kati from Just Change, a not for profit energy efficiency program for renters, gives you tips on how to claim the rebate and install insulation for free this winter.
See details at the end of this post if you are a private renter, have a Health Care Card and no existing insulation, and would like to register your interest in receiving a free Just Change energy saving retrofit, including insulation, energy saving light globes, low flow shower head, window treatments and draught proofing.
Insulation is one of the best ways to reduce energy use, as up to 40% of heat in lost through an uninsulated ceiling in winter, and up to 30% of heat gained through the ceiling in summer. By installing insulation you can cut your energy use by 45-55%, reduce total energy costs by around 20% and save over $200 and 2.2 tonnes of greenhouse gas every year1. It’s effective, and has even more appeal from a comfort perspective as we get closer to the coldest winter months.
Through residential energy efficiency improvements (including insulation), we could cut our greenhouse emissions in Australia by 30% – one of the fastest and cheapest ways we can tackle climate change.
Unfortunately as renters it’s difficult to make major changes to the houses we live in: you have to get permission, insulation is expensive, we might only rent the home for a limited period, and it’s unlikely the landlord will pay to make non-essential improvements, as they don’t receive the benefits of paying reduced energy bills.
Thankfully, the Federal Government has recently introduced a great rebate for renters, which covers the entire cost of installing insulation in your roof.
Below is information on how to go about getting insulation in your ceiling for free using the Federal Rebate.
So here we go, 10 easy steps to a warmer winter. It’s easier than it looks!
1. Check that you have no existing ceiling insulation
You cannot get the rebate if you have any insulation at all in the roof space, or if your house is a recent new build. This is important, so stick your head through your manhole and look around for layers of insulation batts or loose fill. If you can’t get up into the ceiling to look, check with your owner or agent in step 3. There is some dispensation allowed for insulation of “negligible effectiveness” – insulation at or below 0.5 R-value, which is generally less than 50 mm thick, and in less than half of the ceiling space. If this applies to you, discuss what you can see with an insulation installer (details in Step 4) and they will give you advice.
2. Check your savings account or pool together money with your housemates
You need up to $1,000, which will be paid back in full into your account by the Federal Government within 8 weeks. If your owner is more open to making improvements, you could discuss with them in Step 3 whether they can cover the upfront costs of the insulation. Once the rebate form is processed, they would be repaid the full amount (up to $1,000) directly into their bank account within 8 weeks. If you can cover the cost for 8 weeks it may be easier to organise things, and it will make it much less likely your owner will say no because you’re removing any hassle for them.
3. Call or email your agent or owner
Ask their permission to get insulation installed in your roof by qualified installers at no cost to the owner. If you have a real estate agent they should be able to seek approval from the owner on your behalf with a few calls. Explain that you will be using accredited installers approved to install insulation under the Federal Government rebate for insulation. See Winning Points below for facts on the benefits of insulation to back up your request, such as the improved capital value for the property and the attraction of a more comfortable home for future tenants. Remember that agents are busy people, often managing up to 250 properties, so don’t be afraid to follow up regularly. You’re helping the owner improve the capital value of the property for free, so this is an added service you’re helping your agent provide to their client with little hassle for them!
4. Get written approval from your owner to install insulation
All you need to get is your owner’s written approval for you to install insulation. This can be as simple as them writing on a blank piece of paper the following:
“I …(name), owner of …(rental property address), consent to …(your name) arranging for installation of ceiling insulation by a qualified installer as per the technical requirements of the Federal Government Low Emissions Assistance Plan for Renters.”
Their written permission will need to be attached to the rebate form in Step 9.
5. Once you have approval, call two insulation installers
Make times for them to come around and measure and quote on installing insulation in your ceiling. Their measurement should take 30 minutes at most. Insulation providers are listed here in the Yellow Pages. A few good options are Construct Ramsay (9561 3455), Insulate Australia (1300 888 128) and Bradford’s Insulation (1300 850 305). Once your roof has been inspected and measured, the installer will confirm you have no existing insulation and quality for the rebate. A few days after their visit they will either fax or post you a quotation.
6. Choose the cheapest quotation of the two installers
When you receive the two quotes, choose the cheapest option, and contact this installer to arrange a time for the company to come and install insulation (this should take 2-4 hours). Most average sized houses will cost $700-$900. Be aware that if the total cost is more than $1,000 (the maximum amount available under the rebate), you’ll need to pay the remaining cost, or discuss with the owner whether they’d be willing to reimburse you for the remaining amount.
7. Fill in the Low Emissions Assistance Plan for Renters Reimbursement Application Form
Downloadable at http://www.environment.gov.au/energyefficiency/insulation/renters/index.html#applying, including your account details. If you’re not sure how to answer any questions, call the Rebate hotline on 1800 808 571 and ask for help.
Make sure that the installer you select fills in questions 3 and 4 on the form
When they come to install the insulation, or get them to post their completed sections to you (they have the form on file). Note that they will not complete and sign their section of the form until they have been paid.
8. Pay the installer at the time of the installation or soon after.
They will give you information on how to process the payment with them.
9. Post the completed form, attaching written permission from your owner, the two quotes and the tax invoice for the installed insulation to:
Low Emission Assistance Plan for Renters
Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts
GPO Box 787
Canberra ACT 260
For good measure, keep a copy of all these documents as well as sending a copy to your agent/owner for their records.
10. Get repaid the full cost (up to $1,000) within 8 weeks and enjoy the increased comfort in your rental home!
More information on the rebate is available at http://www.environment.gov.au/energyefficiency/insulation/renters/index.html
Great information on other things you can do in your house to improve energy efficiency is available in the new ATA’s Renters Guide to Sustainable Living.
Are you a private renter with a Health Care Card?
Don’t have any existing insulation?
Interested in a free energy saving upgrade of insulation, energy saving light globes, efficient showerheads, window treatments and draught sealing for your rental home?
Just Change is a not-for-profit organisation working to help lower- income tenants improve the energy efficiency of the home they live in.
We’re looking for rental homes to take part in our free energy saving upgrade. We’ll work with your landlord and/or real estate agent to get approval for installing ceiling insulation, compact fluorescent light globes, efficient showerheads and fixing up gaps and draughts at no cost, all organised by Just Change.
If your landlord agrees to the installations, we will also ask them to commit to not increase your rent for one year.
To take part, you need to:
If you meet these criteria and are interested in taking part, please email justchangeorg@gmail.com.
For more information on Just Change, visit www.justchangeaustralia.org
Winning points on insulation:
[1] Sustainability Victoria, see here
[2] Sustainability Victoria, see http://tinyurl.com/ch4xnj
[3] Stoecklein, A. Energy Efficient Housing in New Zealand – Barriers and a structured methodology on how to address them. BRANZ report number EC1006/1, EECA, Wellington
Recently I stumbled across Green as a Thistle a blog (and now book) by journalist Vanessa who documents her endeavours at living a greener life. Her challenge was to:
“Spend each day, for an entire calendar year, doing one thing that betters the environment. The idea was that everything I did, I kept doing (so if I switched brands, it was a permanent switch; if I turned down my thermostat, I kept it down), so that by day 365, I’d be living as green a lifestyle as it gets. It was a gruelling year, but in the end, it proved that being an environmentalist doesn’t necessarily mean being a smug hippie, nor does it have to mean compromising aesthetic values or good wine.
You can read the list here of her lifestyle changes. I was interested to read that many of the things trialed are common practice in Australia like reusable shopping bags, recycling glass and paper, reducing water use and using recycled toilet paper.
How many of this list do you practice? I found we practice lots of the ideas (not all were relevant to us of course) like cloth napkins, rechargable batteries, using organic and recycled materials where often and the link. I also found a few ideas I haven’t heard of and got reminded of my pledge to ban tissues in the home (not really an option at work as many of my clients are in tears). I’ll make a list of challenges for myself I think.
