Energy Efficiency Program - Round 3

Who we are:

The Aboriginal Housing Office (AHO) is a statutory body established under the Aboriginal Housing Act 1998 (NSW) to ensure that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have access to affordable, quality housing.

The AHO is governed by an all-Aboriginal Board, which provides advice to the Minister for Housing in NSW. In addition, the AHO manages and coordinates an annual capital works program, along with developing and implementing financial and resourcing strategies.

It is the AHO’s Vision to ensure every Aboriginal person in NSW has equal access to, and choice in, affordable housing. The AHO achieves this vision by ensuring they continue to provide support to a sustainable housing sector through accessible, culturally appropriate and affordable housing solutions for the Aboriginal people of NSW.

In line with this Vision, the AHO is pleased to offer this funding grant opportunity to the Aboriginal housing sector of New South Wales.

The AHO received funding in January 2024 through the Social Housing Energy Performance Initiative (SHEPI) to deliver an overarching co-funded Energy Efficiency Program worth $12 million. A total of $6 million has been approved for co-contribution funds to extend the Aboriginal Community Housing Provider (ACHP) Energy Efficiency Program.

The AHO will allocate $4.5m of this funding to Aboriginal Community Housing Providers (ACHPs) through Round 3 of the Energy Efficiency Grant Funding Program. The Energy Efficiency Grant applications may fund up to a maximum of $250,000 per Provider, to ease the cost-of-living pressures, whilst improving living conditions with improved heating and cooling options.

The Energy Efficiency Program may consist of but not limited to:

• Supply and install new Solar Panel PV systems;
• Supply and install solar hot water systems and heat pumps; and
• Supply and install air-conditioning split systems and ceiling fans.

The AHO has delivered similar projects for AHO housing / tenants with achieved benefits including improved living conditions and the reduction in the cost-of-living pressure due to Solar PV installation and other thermal programs. The AHO sees a clear gap with tenants living in Aboriginal Community owned homes who may have missed out on these improved living conditions due to the limited funding opportunities. This funding is looking to partly address this gap.

'Community owned’ being Assets owned by Aboriginal Housing Providers including Local Aboriginal Land Councils (LALC’s), Aboriginal Corporations (AC’s) and Aboriginal Community Housing Providers (ACHP’s).

‘Providers’ means NRSCH or NSWLS registered Aboriginal Community Housing Providers (ACHPs), AHO registered Aboriginal Community Housing Organisations (ACHOs) or Aboriginal Organisations who are not yet registered (but will need to apply and be approved for transitional registration with the AHO for the duration of the program).

The objectives for this funding program is outlined below:

• To identify a suite of eligible properties that will benefit from the upgrade of energy related assets including solar upgrades and temperature control upgrades (air conditioning) with delivery to be managed by the relevant Providers
• To increase the value of Provider properties and reduce ongoing maintenance requirements related to aged or unsuitable heating and cooling options
• To reduce the operating costs of Provider properties by completing a works program that aims to reduce electricity costs through the implementation of solar power options.
• To increase environmentally sustainable solutions in Provider properties by delivering a works program that considers a reduction of costs of living for heating and cooling (implementation of solar).
• Spread funding across suitable Providers with a maximum allocation per application capped at $250k
• To manage a fair, transparent and auditable process in the identification of suitable properties and the allocation of funding.

Assets must meet the eligibility criteria and the project criteria for expenditure to be considered eligible under the funding program, including:

• Respondents must be a NRSCH or NSWLS registered Aboriginal Community Housing Provider (ACHP), an AHO registered Aboriginal Community Housing Organisation (ACHO), or Aboriginal Organisations who are not yet registered but will apply and be approved for transitional registration with the AHO for the duration of the program.
• Assets must be Community owned.
• Property must be in New South Wales.
• A list of affected properties / assets will need to be submitted through the SmartyGrants process to be considered
• Provide sufficient details to meet program requirements through the SmartyGrants process to assist to determine eligibility.

Before completing this application form, you should have read the program guidelines and conditions of application.

Incomplete applications and / or applications received after the closing date will not be considered.

The Applicant acknowledges and agrees that:

• submission of this application does not guarantee funding will be granted for any project, and the Department expressly reserves its right to accept or reject this application at its discretion;
• it must bear the costs of preparing and submitting this application and the Department does not accept any liability for such costs, whether or not this application is ultimately accepted or rejected; and
• it has read the Funding Guidelines and Conditions of Application for the Program and has fully informed itself of the relevant program requirements.

By submitting this application form, the Applicant acknowledges and agrees that:

• if this project application is successful, the relevant details of the project will be made public, including details such as the names of the organisation (Applicant) and any partnering organisation (state government agency or non-government organisation), project title, project description, location, anticipated time for completion and amount awarded;
• the Department will use reasonable endeavours to ensure that any information received in or in respect of this application which is clearly marked ‘Commercial-in-confidence’ or ‘Confidential’ is treated as confidential, however, such documents will remain subject to the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 (NSW) (GIPA Act); and
• in some circumstances the Department may release information contained in this application form and other relevant information in relation to this application in response to a request lodged under the GIPA Act or otherwise as required or permitted by law.

By submitting this Application form, the Applicant acknowledges and agrees that:

• the Department is required to comply with the Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998 (NSW) (the Privacy Act) and that any personal information (as defined by the Privacy Act) collected by the Department in relation to the program will be handled in accordance with the Privacy Act and its privacy policy (available at: https://www.dpc.nsw.gov.au/privacy);
• the information it provides to the Department in connection with this application will be collected and stored on a database and will only be used for the purposes for which it was collected (including, where necessary, being disclosed to other Government agencies in connection with the assessment of the merits of an application) or as otherwise permitted by the Privacy Act;
• it has taken steps to ensure that any person whose personal information (as defined by the Privacy Act) is included in this application has consented to the fact that the Department and other Government agencies may be supplied with that personal information, and has been made aware of the purposes for which it has been collected and may be used.

• It has been prepared by and is being submitted by an eligible applicant
• Project applications are specific to properties located in NSW
• Approved projects can only commence after executing a Funding Deed
• Applicants will notify the AHO if grant funding is secured from another source