Media release: Government and industry work together to accelerate Australia's heat pump hot water system take-up 18 July 2024
Developed through nationwide industry consultation and with the support of the NSW and Victorian governments, the Energy Efficiency Council has today released the Roadmap for Heat Pump Hot Water Systems in Australia.
With domestic hot water use responsible for a quarter of household energy use and around a fifth of Australia’s residential greenhouse gas emissions, heat pump hot water systems (HPHWS) are a critical technology to help Australia achieve net zero while driving down energy bills for households.
The roadmap was developed with a steering group of 29 industry leaders from across the country and supported by the New South Wales Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water and Solar Victoria within the Victorian Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action.
“This is about empowering industry to collaborate on a set of principles and recommendations it can rally behind to help transform the hot water market in Australia,” said Energy Efficiency Council CEO Luke Menzel.
“Developed using a consensus approach, not only does the roadmap create meaningful industry commitment to actions that will support the scale-up of the HPHWS market, its ambition can be scaled up over time, as Australia builds more capacity during this critical decade for action to reduce emissions,” Mr Menzel said.
“Victoria has seen rapid growth in sales of hot water heat pumps in the last two years due to the incentives offered by the Solar Homes program and Victorian Energy Upgrades,” Solar Victoria CEO Stan Krpan said. “Heat pump hot water systems will be an important feature in the smart energy homes of the future. The prosperity of this growing industry requires leadership, so we are pleased to support the industry in its shared commitment to collaborate and work in partnership with government, so we can continue to meet the interests of consumers.”
"The NSW government is pleased to partner with industry to develop the skills and resources needed for a safe, sustainable, and high-quality rollout of this critical low-emissions technology,” Terry Niemeier from the NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water said.
“The Energy Savings Scheme has helped NSW residents and businesses save energy and money through efficiency upgrades and this roadmap will further strengthen this program for the future."
The roadmap expresses a shared vision in which Australians can save money and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions using high quality HPHWS products, underpinned by a modernised regulatory environment.
It details the actions required to ensure a safe, sustainable, and successful scale-up, with signatories to the roadmap committed to taking meaningful action on:
- Building industry leadership in Australia
- Fostering excellence through quality products and professional installation
- Promoting a sustainable industry for the long-term
- Accelerating emissions reduction and support an equitable transition.
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Media enquiries: Tim Fisher, EEC Head of Engagement 0414 893 313 | tim.fisher@eec.org.au