A new Palaszczuk government appliance rebate has started this year to help Queenslanders to save anything up to $300 a year by upgrading their old, inefficient domestic appliances.
The climate in Queensland means that domestic appliances like air conditioners, fridges, freezers and washing machines can account for half of the household’s electricity usage.
Not earning their keep
If these appliances have seen better days, then they will probably be adding more to each bill than they should be, or need to.
The new rebates, part of Queensland’s $2 billion Affordable Energy Plan, will help Queenslanders to significantly reduce the amount they spend on a new, energy-efficient appliance.
By using a newer, energy-efficient washing machine or fridge, a home can save $50 a year. New air conditioning can save even more – up to $135 – each year.
The costs can be intimidating
For many people, though, the initial cost of buying a four or five-star appliance is off-putting, so if a gadget is still functional, they’ll hang onto it until it finally packs in for good.
These new rebates can be applied to new, eligible four or five-star appliances bought after January 1 2018. It’s $200 for washing machines, $250 for fridges and $300 for new air conditioning systems. Each household can claim one rebate each.
The householders need to retain their proof of purchase, then sign up online to claim their rebate; they’ll be notified when their rebate is available to them. The rebate scheme will end when the funding runs out, so not all claims will be fulfilled.
The Affordable Energy Plan also features…
- $50 per year off every household bill for the two years after January 2018;
- an annual discount for Ergon customers – $75 for domestic users and $120 for small businesses – in Queensland if they take up Ergon’s Easy Pay Rewards direct debit options, and
- making sure power bills for households and small businesses are linked to the average rate of inflation for the next two years (until January 2020).
