subject: Free Government Insulation, A Great Move [print this page] The Australian Government's Energy Efficient Homes Package will install ceiling insulation in many Australian homes. This practical step will create jobs, help millions of households reduce their energy use, cut their power bills by up to $700 a year, and increase the comfort and value of their homes. This free insulation provides assistance up to $1,200 for Australian Householders, including Owner-Occupiers, Landlords and Tenants of currently uninsulated homes or homes with very little ceiling insulation. This will make Australian homes energy efficient and boost the economy as well.
This is a great operation being performed in the city and necessary precautions have been taken by the government insulation authorities to assign the job of insulating the homes in the city to highly credible organizations that have wide ranging expertise in this field. Every single worker at these organizations is fully trained and adept at his job. Installers of government insulation mechanism are reminded that the terms and conditions of the Program require that all installers participating in the Program have relevant OHS Training. In addition they must have one or more of the following: Trade specific competency; Insulation Specific competency or Prior (insulation) Industry experience. If an installer does not have the above competencies, they must be supervised by someone who does have them. Householders may not install their own free insulation for two reasons. First, an aim of the program is to create jobs. But importantly the second reason is to ensure that government insulation is installed by suitably trained and qualified installers whose work is supervised. To be eligible for the Home Insulation Program, insulation materials must meet the insulation product standard AS/NZ 4859.1:2002 (incorporating Amendment 1, Dec 2006) 'Materials for the Thermal Insulation of Buildings'.
The whole Energy Efficient Homes Package has a very strict audit and compliance program. Site inspections are now being undertaken on households where ceiling insulation has been installed to ensure compliance with the Home Insulation Program. United Group Services has been contracted to undertake the site inspections. Initially a letter will be sent to the householder and this will be followed by a phone call to arrange a mutually convenient time for the inspection. All inspectors will carry formal identification and householders can contact the call centre to verify inspectors names if they have any concerns.
The inspections will involve appropriately qualified roofing inspectors conducting ceiling inspections of random samples of households to confirm that: the insulation has been installed effectively and the appropriate records have been provided to, and are retained by, the householder. If any installation of government insulation is found to be substandard in any way, the householder will normally be provided with a letter from the inspector and information about how to seek remediation through the installer. These inspections are essential to provide the Australian Government with an assurance that the Program is being effectively implemented.
