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The Government has put in place a new scheme to help South Australian households lower their energy bills and reduce greenhouse emissions.
Under the Residential Energy Efficiency Scheme (REES), which starts on 1 January 2009, electricity and gas suppliers who have more than 5,000 residential customers in South Australia are required to achieve targets for:
The REES continues the Government’s commitment to improve residential energy efficiency and cut greenhouse gas emissions.
By reducing energy use and lowering energy bills, the REES will also help householders prepare for energy cost increases that may arise from the Commonwealth’s Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme, which is expected to begin in 2010.
All South Australian households will be able to participate in the scheme. They can take up incentives offered by any obliged electricity or gas supplier, not just their own supplier. For many this is likely to be at little or no cost.
The REES makes specific provision for low income households to benefit under the scheme. Whilst these households are just as committed to reducing their energy use, they often lack the funds necessary to make improvements and are also more likely to live in homes that are more expensive to heat and cool and poorly equipped to be efficient. They are also particularly vulnerable to rising energy prices.
The REES presents an opportunity for energy efficiency businesses, welfare groups, local governments, manufacturers and other service providers to work in partnership with energy retailers in achieving their targets.
The Essential Services Commission of South Australia (ESCOSA) has been appointed as the REES administrator. ESCOSA is currently calling for public comment on a REES Code which outlines how it proposes to carry out its function as scheme administrator and what requirements it seeks to impose on retailers for quarterly and annual reporting and in complying with their obligations. This includes the type and format of information to be collected at a household level. Submissions are due to ESCOSA by Friday 28 November 2008.
Energy audits involve an expert visiting the home and working with the householders to help them understand how they use energy, and identify realistic opportunities to use less energy.
The REES requires the energy audit to be conducted by a “competent person” and to comply with minimum requirements which are set by the Minister for Energy. This ensures they are conducted appropriately. These requirements can be downloaded below.
Energy Audit Specification (PDF - 82kb)
Energy suppliers can choose from one or more of a wide range of energy efficiency activities to implement in households. These activities include:
| Lighting | Changing light bulbs to energy efficient light bulbs |
| Showerheads | Replacing an existing showerhead with an efficient showerhead which saves water and costs less to heat the water. |
| Ceiling insulation | Installing ceiling insulation where there isn't any |
| Draught proofing | Sealing gaps in door, windows, fire places and exhaust fans to stop excessive air flow. |
| Fridges and freezers | Getting rid of old fridges and freezers, particularly second fridges and freezers. |
| Heating and cooling systems | Upgrading heating and cooling systems to more efficient systems, or installing ductwork which makes them work more efficiently. |
| Water heaters | Installing a more efficient water heater where this is not already required by law under the new water heater standards for South Australia. |
Each of the activities is given a “deemed value” which represents how many tonnes of greenhouse gas savings will be made if it is implemented in a typical South Australian household. Each energy supplier has a target of a certain number of tonnes of savings to be made by implementing activities.
Energy suppliers, and their contractors, must meet minimum requirements and specifications in implementing these activities. This ensures they are installed appropriately and deliver the expected energy savings. These minimum requirements can be downloaded below.
REES - Energy Efficiency Activities (PDF - 260 kb)
The Minister for Energy has set targets to be achieved for the first three years of the REES - 2009, 2010 and 2011. These are as follow:
| Target |
2009 |
2010 |
2011 |
| Annual greenhouse gas reduction target (tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent) |
155,000 |
235,000 |
255,000 |
| Percentage of annual greenhouse gas reduction target to be achieved in low income households |
35% |
35% |
35% |
| Number of energy audits to be delivered to low income households |
3,000 |
5,000 |
5,000 |
ESCOSA, as the administrator of the scheme, apportions these targets to individual energy suppliers based on their customer numbers and also the greenhouse gas emissions associated with their sales of energy.
A penalty will be imposed if an energy supplier fails to meet its target.
Targets, energy audit requirements and energy efficiency activities (specifications and deeming values) were published by the Minister for Energy in the 30 October 2008 edition of the Government Gazette.
To stay informed about the REES, and any updates made to this website, please send an email with your name and organisation to the REES Team at dtei.enquiries@saugov.sa.gov.au. Your email should include a subject header “Subscribe to REES updates”.
Updates will only be provided electronically by email.
Please direct any enquiries on the scheme to the REES Team via email on dtei.enquiries@saugov.sa.gov.au; or phone (08) 8226 5500
You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view documents on this site. A free copy can be downloaded from Adobe Acrobat.
Greenhouse gas abatement program