Last night the Victorian Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change, Lily D’Ambrosio, announced the VEU target for 2021 would remain the same as the 2020 target (6.5 million tonnes). Please click HERE to view the letter from the Minister.

This announcement was made in the context of the delayed outcome of the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning’s (DELWP) December 2019 Regulatory Impact Statement (RIS) concerning the annual targets for 2021 to 2025, originally due to be handed down earlier this year. With the uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, the RIS, along with the accompanying Lighting Activities Issues Paper, were not announced to market against their original timeframes.

Importantly, the minister also announced that, “there will be minimal changes to the program in 2021”. This implies that DELWP’s proposed decision to remove the majority of lighting activities from the program by February 2021 would not occur, instead that this decision would be left to a later date. 

In a positive move for the VEU, the minister reiterated the government’s commitment to, “setting ambitious targets for the VEU program out to 2025”. The setting of these targets is proposed as an inclusion in the government’s broader climate change pledges, due for release later this year.

Whilst the temporary suspension of high-volume residential activities under VEU remains in place, the minister’s announcement signals a continuation of the current activities, including lighting and shower heads.

Overnight, a series of factsheets were also released, including concepts for new activities to be included in VEU, beneath the mantra of Digitalisation, Decentralisation and Decarbonisation: 

• Energy Management Information Systems
• App based In home displays
• Smart HVAC thermostats
• Large (>100kW) solar PV systems
• Solar optimisation
• Cool room upgrades
• Gas boiler upgrades

Click HERE to view the series of factsheets.

If you have any questions or would like further information, please contact the Emerald Planet team [email protected] or 1300 511 148.