Ms O’CONNOR – Minister, I want to follow up from a line questioning from my colleague, Vica Bayley in Estimates downstairs about the Energy Saver Loan Scheme and to get a commitment from you, minister, understanding you said you will be reviewing the scheme and looking into stated similar schemes to see what the follow on might be.
We would like to get a commitment from you on the intent of the future scheme and that it will be effectively, the same. That is enabling everyday Tasmanians to access solar energy or energy efficiency upgrades they wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford.
Mr DUIGAN – Thanks for the question. The Energy Saver Loan Scheme has been an unqualified success, by any measure. It has supported $67 million in loans to allow Tasmanians to make energy improvements to their homes and lifestyles, with e‑bikes, car chargers and things.
Ms O’CONNOR – It is a terrific scheme.
Mr DUIGAN – A terrific scheme, no doubt. The other really important legacy result of the Energy Saver Loan Scheme has been the expansion and the added capability that’s been added ‑
Ms O’CONNOR – To the grid.
Mr DUIGAN – To the grid, but also to our installation suppliers, our network and our businesses. How many solar installations? There was 4,500 or something like that?
Mr LIMKIN – It was 6700.
Mr DUIGAN – It was 6700.
Ms O’CONNOR – In the last year?
Mr DUIGAN – Critical mass has been added into that sector of the business community and that has a self-sustaining nature, because now those businesses are big enough and strong enough to go out and chase that business.
We have tasked ReCFIT with reviewing the scheme to seeing what the broad scale learnings out of it are, where it could be better targeted. Some of the discussion yesterday was what do you do – noting there are other programs supported by the federal government and the state government in terms of some of our more affordable housing offerings being less energy efficient. That being a bit of a spiral and people not necessarily living in those houses, not having the wherewithal to go out and either get an Energy Saver Loan Scheme loan or indeed put up the solar panels off their own back. What do we do? What are the learnings? How do we make it potentially a little bit more targeted to fill some of the gaps? What we probably see with programs like the Energy Saver Loan Scheme are people who are engaged in the area, interested in doing something and probably already have the wherewithal. Certainly, I know plenty of people, me being one of them, who has taken advantage of that scheme and installed solar panels on my house. We need to make sure the transition opportunities are able to be more broadly spread.
Ms O’CONNOR – For clarity, will there be something like the Energy Saver Loan Scheme in place in the future?
Mr DUIGAN – Noting all these things require to go through the budget process and all of that, it would certainly been my great hope and aspiration.
Ms O’CONNOR – When you talk about targeting perhaps any future scheme, are you talking about a more needs‑based lens you might apply to that scheme?
Mr DUIGAN – That is one of the things that perhaps a broad scheme like the Energy Saver Loan Scheme doesn’t capture. Again, we will do the work, have a look at it and will see what the opportunities are.
Ms O’CONNOR – Because the other aspect of course, is megawatts. That’s energy efficiency. When we were in government, we rolled out 9,500 free energy efficiency upgrades, particularly in the social housing stock. Is there any program that the government’s looking at to help people use less energy in a sustained way.
Mr DUIGAN – Yes, there are federal and state programs certainly around that and adding energy efficiency upgrades to social housing. There’s also things like No Interest Loan Scheme, which is a really good program which allows people to buy more energy-efficient appliances, typically in that area. Again, Energy Save Loan Scheme has probably been our pin-up scheme, and has worked very well. We have seen great uptake in solar. As more community energy resources become available and that area is more sophisticated and there is a great deal of work that’s happening nationally around CER, there is opportunity for government to support those aspirations.
Ms O’CONNOR – OK, thanks. Are you able to give the committee an update on the farm power sharing trial, come into effect on 1 July? It’s not administered through you directly?
Ms PINTO – Not directly, I think its a TasNetworks program.
Mr DUIGAN – Yes, it’s a TasNetworks program.
Ms O’CONNOR – I will ask them next week, but you don’t have any line of sight?
Mr DUIGAN – No, next week. I don’t think I have a brief on that other than to recognise its a good space for us to be in. It’s been an ongoing barnacle for people who own those sort of properties who have to have meters here and there and can’t share across properties and those sorts of things. It’s good to lean into.
CHAIR – Red tape, I’d say.
Mr DUIGAN – Yes, get rid of it.
Ms O’CONNOR – Get rid of the bad red tape. That’s different.
