Australian businesses offered green grants

The Australian Government is to provide AUS$90 million (£44 million) in grants to fund energy efficiency improvements for businesses.

Grants of up to $200,000 will be available to help businesses retrofit more energy efficient lighting, air conditioning and heating. Business can apply for grants to cover up to 50% of the cost of installation.

Priority will be given to large buildings of over 5,000 square metres, as these have the biggest carbon footprints.

People training as energy efficiency operators will also be able to apply for grants from the fund to offset the cost of their training.

The fund is part of the $240 million Clean Business Australia initiative, a joint venture between Government and businesses aiming for efficiency in water and energy use.

In other news, Australia’s government will be providing every household in the country with a green renovation guide.

Households in Australia are able to apply for low-interest loans of up to $10,000 to install solar heating and other energy effieciency measures.

Furthermore, a ten star energy efficiency rating for new household appliances is soon to be brought into effect.