SA Government initiative can help your home save on energy costs

More than 80,000 South Australian homes have saved on energy costs with FREE energy-saving products. These products tackle 3 areas of your home’s energy use:

Save on energy costs with LED lights

Find out more about Emerald Planet and their products by visiting their website.

UPDATE:

The REES Scheme ended on December 31st 2020. FREE LED globes, showerheads and Standby Power Controllers are only available to Priority Group households.

Non-Priority Group households can receive the service by paying the $33 REPS Surcharge.

Save on water heating costs with water efficient shower heads

Want to know more about our FREE showerhead replacement service? Read our post on why it pays to know your shower head’s flow rate.

Save on Standby Energy

Want to know more about Standby Energy? Read our post on this energy leech!

Why is it FREE?

Short answer: funding for this service comes from obliged energy retailers as required by a South Australian government initiative.

Long answer: The SA government has been encouraging South Australians to reduce their energy costs. The Retailer Energy Efficiency Scheme – REES was introduced in 2009. Originally known as the Residential Energy Efficiency Scheme. Its aim is to help reduce energy costs and lower greenhouse gas emissions. The scheme (sometimes just referred to as the “REES Scheme”) requires retailers of electricity and gas to meet yearly energy efficiency targets. These targets however are met by funding the delivery of pre-approved efficiency activities. Many obliged retailers, therefore, use the services of third party contractors to undertake these activities. YESS for instance is an approved third party contractor.

What else can I do to save energy?

Relevant government and consumer bodies have published useful tips on saving energy at home. And they all mention the use of LED lights as a way of becoming more energy efficient. Similarly, becoming more informed about your home’s energy use can help you save even more. Not just becoming more informed about the calculation of your bill, but what is using the most energy in your home right now. A “Home Energy Assessment” is one way you can find out this information, and it’s FREE for eligible households!

Want to know more about how energy is calculated? Read our post on “Benchmarking your Electricity and Gas Bills”

Home Energy Assessment

A portion of the set targets for energy retailers must come from activities performed for low-income households. In addition, these retailers are required to perform home energy assessments for these households. Your household is classified ‘Priority Group’ if you or another resident:

• is a holder of a current pensioner concession card issued by the Commonwealth Government; or
• is a holder of a current TPI Gold Repatriation Health Card issued by the Commonwealth Government; or
• is a holder of a current War Widows Gold Repatriation Health Card issued by the Commonwealth Government; or
• is a holder of a current Gold Repatriation Health Card (EDA) issued by the Commonwealth Government; or
• is a holder of a current Health Care Card (including a Low Income Health Care Card) issued by the Commonwealth Government; or
• is a recipient of the South Australian Government Energy Concession

Households that are actively participating in retailer hardship programs are also classified as ‘Priority Group’. You are welcome to Contact Us to find out how we can help you save on energy costs.

Eligibility

All house addresses in SA can claim our FREE services once. This means that your home’s eligibility generally depends on whether it has previously received the service YESS can offer you. You may however be eligible for a second visit if your home is still using halogen or incandescent globes. You can also Contact Us if you’re not sure if your home is eligible.

What’s the catch?

There is none. 

The REES is mandatory for all SA energy retailers who supply more than 5000 residential customers. It is implemented through Part 4 of the Electricity (General) Regulations 2012 under the Electricity Act 1996 and Part 4 of the Gas Regulations 2012 under the Gas Act 1997. It is administered by the Essential Services Commission of South Australia (ESCOSA).

Door knocking

When we get an unannounced knock on the door, we may assume it’s a salesperson. When they offer something for FREE, it can make us even less interested in listening. After all, if it’s too good to be true; it probably is, right? Well, not in our fieldworkers’ case. They’re delivering a state government program that could help you save on energy costs.
Our fieldworkers let the public know about REES services by door-knocking in the community. However, they do not knock on doors displaying a “Do Not Knock” sticker. They may do this between 9 AM and 6 PM Monday to Friday, and 9 AM to 5 PM on Saturdays. They do not door-knock outside of these hours, or on Sundays or Public Holidays. You can however Contact Us if you would like an appointment outside of these hours.
So if you meet one of our fieldworkers, you can expect them to introduce themselves and state the purpose of their visit. But if you’re not sure of their legitimacy, ask for a photo ID and check that it has our company logo and contact details. You can even Call Us to see if they are in our team.
If you really don’t want them to provide you with the FREE REES service, you can ask them to leave. And they will happily respect that. The SA government website has also published some information on “Door-to-door REES offers”

Why haven’t I heard about REES before?

The SA government doesn’t spend taxpayer dollars advertising the REES because the energy retailers are responsible for the program and its costs.

YESS is engaged by energy retailers to perform REES activities on their behalf. This often includes marketing, as well as the installation and delivery of REES services. Some energy retailers call their customers to let them know about REES services and transfer your request to us. This can also happen by email or by directly transferring you through to our call centre in Unley SA.

Summary

The Retailer Energy Efficiency Scheme (REES) is a SA Government program aimed at reducing energy costs and lowering greenhouse gas emissions. Above all, it can mean FREE energy-saving products that can help your home become more energy-efficient. In addition, eligible households can request a FREE “Home Energy Assessment” to further aid their energy-saving efforts. Being a state-wide initiative, various regulations are in place to ensure its proper implementation. All activities completed under REES must improve energy efficiency. We are therefore unable to install globes into empty sockets or replace non-working globes. 

More tips on saving energy at home

Reduce Energy Bills: Australian Government – Department of the Environment and Energy

Top 10 ways to save on energy bills: Victoria State Government – Environment, Land, Water and Planning

9 Ways to Save on Electricity Costs: Canstar Blue

Appliance standby energy use: Choice

References:

Review Report of the Residential Energy Efficiency Scheme (REES), Part 4 of the Electricity (General) Regulations 2012, under the Electricity Act 1996, and Part 4 of the Gas Regulations 2012, under the Gas Act 1997 -http://www.energymining.sa.gov.au/

ESCOSA – REES Overview: https://www.escosa.sa.gov.au/industry/rees/overview/rees-overview

Updated on 21 January 2020