Monday 9 February 2009

Insulation package: finally some green jobs for Australia

Clean Energy Council
3 February 2009

Clean Energy CouncilNATIONAL: The government's plan to insulate 2.7 million houses is a welcome step towards creating green jobs in Australia while helping to cut greenhouse emissions and household power bills. The Clean Energy Council is pleased the government has heeded its calls to direct spending towards smart energy solutions that help to stimulate domestic manufacturing while saving money, energy and the environment.

In December last year the industry sought government support for smart energy solutions like insulation or solar water heating to help protect thousands of Australian manufacturing jobs in these important green industries. These smart, simple energy solutions can also cut electricity bills by at least 15-20%.

CEO Matthew Warren said "The government is to be congratulated for taking a big first step towards delivering energy savings across Australian households. Insulation saves energy, money, jobs and the environment - so it's a win-win-win-win." "This increased insulation will also help ease demand during peak energy times like last week's heat wave, when air-conditioners were running flat out. Reducing demand and taking pressure off the electricity grid means less outages," he said. "These sorts of packages help every Australian by cushioning the cost of transition to a carbon constrained economy."

Most insulation and solar hot water systems sold in Australia are also made here meaning that any investment of this kind actually stays in Australia and helps protect Aussie jobs. The Clean Energy Council is working with all levels of government to deliver the right legislation and ensure energy efficiency and clean energy solutions are deployed nationally. "We still have more work ahead to deliver other practical and affordable energy efficiency measures across businesses as well as households", Mr Warren said.

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