AIBS National News

1. Why is the Australian Government providing this assistance to Householders?

The Australian Government is investing $4 billion in the Energy Efficient Homes Package to improve the energy efficiency of Australian homes - making them more comfortable, reducing their carbon footprint, cutting energy waste, and helping householders to save on energy bills.

The Homeowner Insulation Program is a key part of that package. It offers Ceiling Insulation (see 'Definitions') worth up to $1,600 (see Note 1) to Australian homeowner-occupiers of currently un-insulated homes or homes with ceiling insulation of Negligible Effectiveness (see 'Definitions')(see Note 2).

More information on the Energy Efficient Homes Package is available here ... or via 1800 808 571.

For most homes, insulation is the simplest, most effective and cheapest way to make a house more energy efficient, keeping it cooler in summer and warmer in winter. It can save up to 40 per cent in heating and cooling bills (see Note 3). Insulation can also reduce condensation on walls and ceilings, leading to improved health outcomes.

The Government estimates that up to 40 per cent of Australian homes are not insulated. The assistance offered is specifically targeted at the installation of ceiling insulation in these homes.

2. For the Householder

In order to qualify for the assistance householders must fully comply with all the eligibility requirements set out in these guidelines. Final decisions regarding eligibility will be made by the Australian Government.

Householder eligibility

To be eligible to obtain the assistance the householder must:

• be an Australian citizen or permanent resident aged 18 years or over; and
• be an individual (not, for example, be a company or other organisation) (see Note 4); and
• be the Owner-Occupier (see 'Definitions') or Beneficial Owner (see 'Definitions') of the dwelling where the ceiling insulation is to be installed and occupy that dwelling as their Principal Place of Residence (see 'Definitions' in Section 5); and
• have permission from the other owner/s to install the insulation in that dwelling under the Homeowner Insulation Program, if the dwelling has more than one owner; and
• obtain the approval of the body corporate, if applicable; and
• not have been granted assistance under the Australian Government's solar hot water rebate program since the rebate was increased to $1,600 on 3 February 2009; and
• correctly complete and sign the relevant section of the Work Order Form (see 'Definitions'); and
• only apply for assistance under the program once per dwelling (a single dwelling is only able to be insulated once under the program and Householders can only apply for their 'Principal Place of Residence', see 'Definitions' in Section 5); and not apply for assistance under the Low Emission Assistance Plan For Renters in relation to the dwelling; and
• be arranging the installation of new ceiling insulation, not replacing existing ceiling insulation above what is deemed as having Negligible Effectiveness; and not have received or be entitled to receive assistance for the installation of ceiling insulation in the dwelling under any state, territory or local government scheme which combined with any assistance under this program will result in the Householder receiving assistance in excess of the total cost of the installation of the ceiling insulation. (see Note 5)

Note: People not eligible for assistance under the Homeowner Insulation Program may be eligible for assistance for insulation under the Low Emission Assistance Plan for Renters or may apply for the Solar Hot Water Rebate.

Completion of the work and Work Order Form

To arrange installation the householder will need to:

• Read these guidelines and carefully assess their eligibility.
• Select an Installer (see 'Definitions') from the Installer Provider Register (see 'Definitions') at www.environment.gov.au/energyefficiency or by phoning 1800 808 571.
• Contact their selected Installer and arrange for a written quote for the installation of ceiling insulation. The quote must contain details of the insulation product type, the insulation R-Value (see 'Definitions') (Total R-Value or Material R-Value), area to be insulated, total cost (GST inclusive) and breakdown of the cost including labour and materials.

Note: It is suggested that Householders contact a number of installers on the Installer Provider Register to explore a range of insulation and installation options.

The Householder and the Installer are responsible for entering into a contractual arrangement for the installation of ceiling insulation noting that the Commonwealth will only pay the Installer on behalf of an eligible Householder for the cost of the installation up to $1,600.

The Householder will be responsible for any cost in excess of $1,600 or the total cost if they are not eligible under the program.

Once the installation is complete:

• If the Householder is satisfied with the work, they should complete and sign the relevant section of the Work Order Form, which the Installer will present to the Householder.
• Householders must retain their copy of the written quote, tax invoice, completed and signed Work Order Form and any other proof of purchase documents provided to them by the Installer for Australian Government audit purposes for a period of five years.

Note: The Installer will retain another copy of the Work Order Form and they will apply for payment from the Australian Government by logging on to the online payment system.

All parts of the Work Order Form except the Householder/Landlord section must be completed by the Installer.

3. For the Installer

Installer Provider Register

To be eligible for assistance, the ceiling insulation must be installed by an Installer or an individual who is working for or contracted by an Installer. Installers must be listed on the Installer Provider Register.

Installers may advertise their services; however, the Householder should check that they are listed on the Installer Provider Register. The Installer Provider Register is available here ... or by phoning 1800 808 571.

Note: The Installer must comply with all relevant laws in installing ceiling insulation, including any licensing requirements.

Completion of the work and Work Order Form

• The Installer must first provide a written quote to the Householder. The quote must contain details of the insulation product type, the insulation R-Value (Total R-Value or Material R-Value), area to be insulated, total cost (GST inclusive) and breakdown of the cost including labour and materials.
• Once the installation is complete, and the Householder is satisfied with the work, the Installer will complete and sign the Installer section of the Work Order Form.
• The Installer will then present the Work Order Form to the Householder to complete the relevant section.
• Installers will retain their copy of the completed and signed Work Order Form and will apply for payment from the Australian Government, by logging on to the online payment system.

Supporting documentation

Installers must provide the Householder with:

• a written quote
• a tax invoice
• a duplicate copy of the completed Work Order Form for the purchase and installation of the ceiling insulation.

Note: These documents do not need to be submitted to the Australian Government unless requested for audit purposes.

4. Installation eligibility requirements

To be eligible to obtain the assistance the ceiling insulation must:

• be installed in a dwelling that does not already have ceiling insulation or has ceiling insulation of Negligible Effectiveness; and
• be installed between 1 July 2009 and 31 December 2011; and
• result in the Living Area (see 'Definitions') being insulated to the Minimum R-Value required under the program; and
• be new ceiling insulation material; and
• be installed in an existing dwelling (not an extension or a new dwelling covered from 2003 onwards by mandatory thermal performance requirements for new housing under the Building Code of Australia (BCA)); and
• be installed in Australia at a Householder's Principal Place of Residence; and
• be installed by a person who is registered on the Installer Provider Register (see Section 3); and
• be installed to the Australian insulation installation standard, AS 3999-1992 'Thermal insulation of dwellings - bulk installations - installation requirements'6 7. Installers should note that clause 4.2 (e) of AS 3999-1992 is replaced with clause 4.5.2.3 of AS/NZS 3000:2007 and figure 4.5 of AS 3999-1992 is replaced with figure 4.7 of AS/NZS 3000:2007 for the wiring rules for the minimum clearance distances from recessed luminaires, including down lights; and
• meet the insulation product standard - AS/NZ 4859.1:2002 (incorporating Amendment 1, Dec 2006) "Materials for the Thermal Insulation of Buildings"; and
• comply (as a minimum) with the specified R-Value outlined in the following table for the climate zone where the dwelling is located, and the direction of heat flow.

Note: The Installer is responsible for ensuring that the technical requirements are met and must confirm that these are met in the Work Order Form.

Table 1: Program R-Value Requirements by Climate Zone
Climate zone (see climate maps here ...	1	2 At less than 300m altitude	2 At 300m altitude or more	3	4	5	6	7	8
Minimum R-Value requirements The R-Value can be either: 1. Material R-Value OR 2. Total R-Value approach outlined in the Building Code of Australia8	3.0	3.0	3.0	3.0	3.5	3.5	3.5	4.0	4.0
Direction of heat flow	Down		Down and Up		Up

Notes on Table 1:

1. Material R-Value is the declared R-Value of the insulation product as tested according to AS/NZS4859.1. This value should be marked on the insulation packaging.
2. Material R-Value is not the same as Total R-Value. Total R-Value includes the Material R-Value plus the thermal value of building elements and reflective air spaces.
3. The assistance of up to $1,600 is available for a variety of insulation materials, provided the other requirements listed above are met.

5. Further information

Definitions

The following definitions are applied for the purpose of the program:

Beneficial Owner - an individual who is the beneficiary of a trust that owns a dwelling and who occupies that dwelling as their Principal Place of Residence.

Ceiling Insulation - material which reduces the amount of heat flowing into or out of a building via the ceiling.

Householder - the individual who is the Owner-Occupier or the Beneficial Owner and occupier of the dwelling where the ceiling insulation is to be installed and who meets the rest of the criteria in these guidelines.

Installer - an organisation or individual listed on the Installer Provider Register.

Installer Provider Register - list of installers of ceiling insulation available here ... or by phoning 1800 808 571, as amended from time to time.

Living Area - the part of the dwelling that is determined according to the following factors:

• the area under the roof line of the main dwelling;
• the areas of the dwelling where people live including sleep, eat, relax, work etc;
• whether there is a heater or cooling device used in the room to be insulated;
• the amount of time spent in the area; and
• whether the area to be insulated is a fully enclosed room.

Note: Bathroom, toilet and/or laundry are generally considered part of the Living Area if they are not stand-alone constructions.

Negligible Effectiveness - ceiling insulation is deemed as having negligible effectiveness if it is at or below 0.5 R-Value. The Installer will need to indicate if any existing insulation is 0.5 or less in the Work Order Form.

Owner- Occupier - an individual who owns and occupies a dwelling as their Principal Place of Residence.

Principal Place of Residence - a dwelling:

• occupied by you for the majority of the year, in preference to any other dwelling or residence that you own;
• into which you have moved any personal belongings that you own; and
• that is listed as your address on the electoral roll

R-Value - thermal efficiency of insulation is measured by its R-Value. The higher the R-Value, the more resistant the insulation is to heat flowing into and out of the dwelling. Please note that the Installer is responsible for ensuring technical requirements in Section 4 are met.

Work Order Form - The hardcopy form that must be correctly completed by the Householder and the Installer at the completion of the installation work to the satisfaction of the Householder.

Important notices

The Australian Government reserves the right to change the amount of the assistance provided or any other aspect of these guidelines.

The Australian Government will decide whether the householder satisfies the eligibility requirements as set out in these guidelines and reserves the right to request further information to make this decision.

The Australian Government does not endorse any Installer on the Installer Provider Register or their work.

The Australian Government does not accept liability for any loss, damage, injury or cost incurred as a result of, or relating to, the installation of ceiling insulation or the installation process.

The Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts and other agencies directly involved in the administration of the Homeowner Insulation Program are bound by the Privacy Act 1988. Personal information collected under this program will only be used for the purpose of assessing applications and related purposes. This process may include the exchange of information between the Department, other agencies directly involved in the administration of the Homeowner Insulation Program and the Minister for the Environment for administration and compliance purposes directly connected with the program, and/or preparing public reports on the performance of the assistance program. Published reports will be based on aggregate data and personal information will not be identifiable in such reports. Information may also be disclosed to authorised persons for audit purposes.

Applying for assistance through the Homeowner Insulation Program requires the Householder to allow an authorised inspector to access the property for audit purposes, if requested. For example this might involve, but may not be confined to, verification of satisfactory installation and the materials used.

Record keeping

The Australian Government may require the Householder and Installer to present reasonable evidence to support their application for the assistance. Requests from the Australian Government for evidence may be made after the payment of the assistance.

The Householder must retain copies of the documents referred to in Section 2 for a period of five years after the date of installation for Australian Government audit purposes.

Contacts

Further information can be obtained from:

• Phone: 1800 808 571
• Website: www.environment.gov.au/energyefficiency
• In writing to: Homeowner Insulation Program Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts
  GPO Box 787
  CANBERRA ACT 2601

Published by the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts. © Commonwealth of Australia, 2009
Program Guideline Updates Version 2, June 2009
Date of issue: 1 June 2009
Date applicable: 1 July 2009 to 31 December 2011


General Notes:

1. In certain areas of Australia and for certain home characteristics (house size, roof variables), the cost of insulation may exceed $1,600.
2. If you do not occupy a dwelling as your Principal Place of Residence, for example a holiday home or rental property you may be eligible to apply for assistance under the Low Emission Assistance Plan for Renters. Applications for assistance cannot be made under both the Homeowner Insulation Program and the Low Emission Assistance Plan for Renters for the same dwelling.
3. Depending on the characteristics of the building shell and of the household's overall energy consumption patterns.
4. If you are not an individual for example a company, you may be eligible to apply for assistance under the Low Emission Assistance Plan for Renters.
5. Under this program you will only be eligible for assistance (not exceeding $1,600) which together with the total assistance under the state, territory or local government scheme does not exceed the total cost of the installation of the ceiling insulation.
6. For products that fall outside the scope of AS 3999-1992, they must be installed in accordance with Part 3.12.1 'Building Fabric', 3.12.1.1 'Building fabric thermal insulation' and 3.12.1.2 'Roofs' of the BCA. Installers should note that Table 3.12.1.1 'Roofs-Minimum Total R-Value' in the BCA is substituted for Table 1 of these guidelines. If using this method, your installer is responsible for ensuring that the installation complies.
7. In situations where downlights, exhaust fans or any other elements placed in the ceiling result in thermal bridging due to the requirement to fit barriers to meet fire, electrical or any other safety standards, and a reduction in insulation coverage in the ceiling area of 1% or more results, then Table 3.12.1.1a "Adjustment of Minimum R-Value For a Reduction of Ceiling Insulation" from the Building Code of Australia 2009 must be used in conjunction with the minimum required R-Values for the climate zones as per Table 1 in these Guidelines. The BCA Table allows for calculation of the proportional increase in R-Value of insulation that will be required in the remainder of the ceiling to compensate.
8. If using the Total R-Value approach from the BCA, the Minimum R-Value must still meet those of Table 1 above.