Australian households will have more ways to lower their power bills and improve energy efficiency, with the Federal Government committing $35 million through the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) to Starling Energy Group.
The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water has announced it is expanding access to discounted finance for households looking to install rooftop solar, home batteries and virtual power plant (VPP) services.
By linking these technologies across multiple homes using smart software and communications tools, VPPs allow distributed energy systems to operate like a single, flexible power plant. This is positioned to strengthen the grid while helping households save.
Starling Energy Group estimates that customers who take up its combined solar, battery and VPP offering can save more than $1,100 each year on energy bills. Backing from the CEFC will deliver additional savings of between $130 and $240 annually over a 10-year period, making clean energy upgrades more affordable and accelerating payback periods for participating households.
The Starling investment marks the seventh deal delivered under the Australian Government’s $1 billion Household Energy Upgrades Fund (HEUF) to unlock cheaper finance for consumer energy resources across the country.
Previous CEFC partnerships under the program include: Plenti, Westpac, ING Australia, Bank Australia, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Brighte.
With the Starling commitment, total government investment under HEUF has now surpassed $420 million, signalling strong momentum behind household clean energy adoption.
Plico is offering discounted green finance directly to eligible customers, giving households another viable pathway to cut bills while reducing emissions.
To find out more about the HEUF managed by CEFC, click here.