9 February 2011

Greens call for more energy efficiency in public housing

| johnboy
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The Greens’ Amanda Bresnan is calling for more energy efficiency spending on retro-fitting public housing stock:

“Already we know that people who live in public housing are over represented when it comes to difficulty paying energy bills. Allocating extra funds to improve energy efficiency across the Government’s 11 500 houses is a wise investment that will save money over the longer term.

“Around 75% of people who appear before ACAT because they can’t pay their energy bills come from public housing. It certainly doesn’t help if people on low incomes are placed in houses that are energy inefficient, and expensive to heat and cool.

“The Parliamentary Agreement measure will help protect people on a low income from rising energy bills by improving their houses so they are at least 3 stars for energy efficiency. Retrofitting public housing to have higher energy efficiency includes roof and ceiling insulation, draught seals and pelmets, and improved efficiency of hot water systems and heating appliances.

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I wonder if the Greens would be interested in the lack of efficiency at a particular public housing flats, most of us have to run the GAS hot water and wait while it heats up, eg: 6 litres of water and the cost to us, the flat downstairs often goes cold while they are having a shower, and stays that way.
The billing system by AGL GAS has been appalling, the meters have past their use by date, and it is causing billing problems, this has been going on for at least a year now.
Our meters are in the store room, which there is no access for the readings, so therefore it’s all guess work, the only way they calculate is, one main meter for 6 flats, and divide it up, even then it doesn’t work as someone in the building has not received a bill for gas for 18 months, just supply he’s been charged for, so therefore we really don’t know what is going to happen, we have had a second meeting with the tribunal, and AGLGAS bigwigs and two housing managers, who have NO weight whatsoever, I really don’t think housing are taking this seriously, well why should they? It’s not costing them anything, just us poor tenants, now AGLGAS are talking about putting the meters outside our door, why doesn’t housing just make it all electric, no problems there. PISSED OFF!

georgesgenitals6:06 pm 10 Feb 11

JustThinking said :

Public Housing??
Where you can wait years to have repairs done?
Worried about energy efficiency? Now??

Makes you wonder, doesn’t it…

JustThinking4:41 pm 10 Feb 11

Public Housing??
Where you can wait years to have repairs done?
Worried about energy efficiency? Now??

Yes a lot of public housing are lacking in these areas, we seem to pay more for inefficient heating, eg: water and heating the homes.

Energy efficiency programs are a good idea and an effective and equitable way to reduce carbon emissions. However, the Greens don’t believe in cost efficient energy given they support feed-in tariffs for solar micro-generators, an ineffective and inequitable way to reduce CO2.

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