The tax tweak that could cut renters energy bills

About this episode

The episode discusses how tax incentives for landlords could help reduce energy bills for renters by promoting the use of heat pump hot water systems over gas.

Gas prices are rising as global conflicts tighten supply and expose Australian households to volatile international markets. But millions of renters remain locked into using gas, even though cheaper electric alternatives like heat pump hot water systems are easily available. The barrier is a split incentive - landlords pay for appliances that tenants have to use. Harry Barber from Electrify Yarra is calling on the Treasurer to use the upcoming budget to fix that, by extending instant tax write-offs to landlords for heat pump installations. He argues this would bring landlords into line with small businesses and unlock investment in rental properties. Without that signal in the budget, the shift to cheaper, cleaner energy risks leaving renters behind as the energy transition ramps up.

People in this episode

Guest: Harry Barber

Topics covered

• energy bills
• renters
• gas prices
• heat pump installations
• tax incentives
• energy transition

Keywords

• renters
• energy bills
• gas prices
• heat pumps
• tax write-offs
• landlords
• energy transition

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Electrify Yarra, Treasurer

Places: Australia

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