The Queensland Government ClimateSmart Home Service, which started on 1st of January 2009, aims to improve energy efficiency in your household. The service operates in a similar manner to that of the successful Home WaterWise Service.

For a $50 service fee, a qualified trades person will visit your home to conduct an energy audit, provide energy advice, install energy saving tools such as a household energy monitor and a water efficient shower head, and also supply 15 compact fluorescent light globes.

When the friendly installer arrived, I told him that as we’d previously taken advantage of the local council’s Waterwise service, we already had a water saving shower head and compact fluorescent light globes. I did ask him if he had some of the softer warm lights though, as the Waterwise representative had run out, leaving us only with the harsh colder version, and in this he was happy to oblige. As I discovered though you’re better off getting him to replace them, so you don’t forget how many screw in and how many bayonet fixings you have!

I allowed him to launch into his spiel (which he was very good at), and he explained how the service worked. Unfortunately I was disappointed with the energy audit, this part of the service in my circumstance was poor and I was left with many questions unanswered. Looking back, I should have pulled him up during his pitch or written down the questions I wanted to ask for later.

He then proceeded in setting up the wireless energy monitor (this is the toy I was really interested in). The reader device is attached to the meter box and comes with a wireless LCD display that you can move around the house. I have found the monitor useful in changing the habits of household members, because you can’t argue with the facts! The numbers are right there in dollars and cents or tons of greenhouse gases.

As far as the customised Energy and Water Efficiency Plan being sent to us, we haven’t seen it yet. And also the My ClimateSmart Home, a customised online resource for more energy and water savings  hadn’t materialised either. Following up, I rang the department, only to be told the system had crashed, and they were not sure when access would be available. Unfortunately I’m still waiting – over 6 months later.

It might sound like I had a negative experience, and that the service is flawed, but even though I found the whole package was wanting, it doesn’t take away how important it is to make these small changes.

So in the big picture does this service make any difference? Well to me, it is a change I can manage, therefore I must! My tip to those about to get the service? Write down your questions and stop the installer when you need something explained.

This is a post from: Treading Lighter - Journeys Into Sustainable Living.

Queensland’s ClimateSmart Home Service Review

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With the recent changes to the solar panel rebate (surely only a Government could make it this complicated?), the Australian solar industry is having a hard time getting a decent head start against its coal powered competitors; so a petition has been launched calling for the introduction of a national feed-in tariff.

What’s a feed-in tariff? It’s a rebate awarded to a household for the electricity it generates from its grid connected solar panels. Essentially, an ongoing reward for installing them.

There’s two models of tariff – net & gross. The net model currently favoured by the individual states that have a tariff (VIC, SA, NT, QLD, TAS) only rebates for the surplus the house feeds back to the grid. As Gavin shows with his quick calculations based on the Victorian program in this post, that’s about as useful as a chocolate teapot.

The gross feed-in tariff sees each household rebated instead for all the electricity it generates. The ACT is currently the only supporter of this model. (WA & NSW are yet to decide.)

So, why is a gross feed in tariff better? Well, we Australians are a simple lot really, dangle a carrot and we’ll take it. Dangle a bigger carrot, and we’ll take that instead. And put simply, a gross feed in tariff will produce a bigger carrot.

The opportunity for a bigger carrot higher rebate will create more demand, benefiting both the domestic solar power industry (by helping kick start a ‘green’ economy, thus providing jobs and job security), and Australia (by reducing our reliance on fossil fuel generated electricity, thus reducing our carbon emissions). It’ll also help us meet those 2020 renewable energy targets (PDF).

If you’d like to join those wanting to see Australia launch a national gross feed-in tariff (which as at an update of this morning has collected more than 4000 names in under 7 days), head over to feedintariff.com.au.

What are your thoughts about a feed in tariff? Should it be net or gross? Should it be National or State administered? Leave us a comment below.

(Update: As at Feb 5, the petition is now nearly 7000 names long. Great work, people!)

This is a post from: Treading Lighter - Journeys Into Sustainable Living.

Australian Solar Power Needs A Gross Feed In Tariff

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Much like every other media outlet, I was there checking my facts and figures, ready to release my thoughts and concerns, which I have to say were predictably for the subject matter, in the negative.

Then, during a discussion at dinner, a family member set the topic in a whole new perspective for me.

“All we ever hear these days is the greenies whingeing, at least 5% is better than nothing”

Not an unusual comment you might think from a ‘non-greenie’; but this particular family member has partly been my inspiration for this site, and the comment could definitely be viewed with eyes wide open.

So, after taking myself outside and having a word, I realised that had I of posted that original article, I would have been in danger of setting Treading Lighter on a path it was never intended to take.

You see my beliefs include that Treading Lighter should be here to help people like you and I try and effect the changes we need at our own level. Politicians the world over will argue until they are blue in the face before they get this mess sorted, so we may as well just leave them to it.

Many good things have started at grass roots, and like the song says “From Little Things, Big Things Grow”; so wouldn’t it be nice to think that just maybe, when the politicians finally put their hands in the air and say “we’ve done it!”, we can all turn around and say:

“So what, we did it years ago!”

Photo by darkpatator

This is a post from: Treading Lighter - Journeys Into Sustainable Living.

Carbon Schmarbon!

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