LABOR BACKING SMALL BUSINESSES IN NEPEAN TO BRING ENERGY BILLS DOWN FOR GOOD

An Emu Plains business has had a role in rolling out energy efficiency measures to small businesses as part of a Federal Government $41 million program.

Federal Member for Macquarie, Susan Templeman, took Assistant Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Josh Wilson, to Good Earth Group in Emu Plains to discuss the program with owner Lorenzo Tassone.

Across the Federal electorate of Macquarie and Lindsay, 24 local businesses, including Nepean Rowing and Freak Penrith, have shared in more than half a million dollars as part of the Albanese Government’s Energy Efficiency Grants for Small and Medium Sized Enterprises program. 

The program, which awarded grants of between $10,000 and $25,000, provides direct support to small- and medium-sized businesses to bring down the cost of doing business by improving the energy efficiency of their operations.

For business, energy efficiency upgrades give an immediate cut to energy bills, while minimising environmental impacts, improving productivity and conditions for staff, lowering maintenance costs, increasing competitiveness, and reducing exposure to fluctuating energy prices.

The grants enable a broad range of measures including replacing inefficient hot water systems with heat pumps, swapping energy draining lights for new LEDs, commercial refrigeration upgrades, and installing energy monitoring systems.

Quotes attributable to Assistant Minister for Climate Change and Energy Josh Wilson:

“The Albanese Government is committed to helping small- and medium-sized business with energy-saving performance upgrades like LED lighting, efficient refrigeration and heating to ease cost pressures and make every watt count.

“Improving the energy performance of businesses is a key component of our work aimed at lowering energy bills for good while also securing Australia’s cleaner and cheaper energy future for the long term.
 
“On the other hand, you have Peter Dutton’s monomaniacal nuclear obsession that would create an energy crisis, cost every household an additional $1200 per year, rip $600 billion out of the budget funds that support pensions and healthcare, and force homeowners to switch-off solar.”

Quotes attributable to Member for Macquarie, Susan Templeman:

“Lorenzo is at the forefront of helping businesses make decisions about how best to reduce their energy use and cost, and his input into ways we can support businesses to do this even better is valuable.

It’s been great to see businesses like clubs and kindergartens, GPs and gin makers, through to fitness centres and clubs use this funding to boost their energy efficiency and reduce their consumption.

“As a former small business owner, I am not surprised that this showed the willingness of small businesses to invest in improvements that they can see tangible benefit from.

“In one café, the funding helped replace several fridges and freezers with a single, much more efficient unit – and helped keep bills down.”

In Round 2, the Albanese Government has delivered more than $41 million to help over 1,700 small businesses across Australia. This builds on $15.5 million granted to 67 businesses in the program’s first round.

Quotes attributable to Lorenzo Tassone, Good Earth Group:

“There are so many energy efficiency options out there and my focus is on helping people get the best return on investment.

“We look at government grants, data about a business’ usage and our knowledge of each product to help people make the best choice to reduce their energy and costs.”

For more information about the Energy Efficiency Grants for SMEs program, visit: https://www.dcceew.gov.au/energy/programs/energy-efficiency-grants-small-medium-sized-enterprises