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Belinda Baker, of 1st Energy Rebates Victoria, said the agency had created an app called Rebate Mate, that allowed Victorians to simplify claiming their discount by uploading their receipt, evidence of an existing gas connection and checking they were eligible.
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“We then audit every application before submitting it to the Essential Services Commission,” Baker said.
“If there’s anything missing, we get in touch and make sure that it is a compliant application so we can get your rebate to you as quickly as possible.”
The Age revealed in December that the government was examining financial incentives to get more people to use electric cooktops.
But Labor has abandoned forcing the decision on households. Premier Jacinta Allan said in September that cooktops would not be included in a regulatory impact statement examining whether homes should be required to replace gas appliances with electric alternatives when they reach the end of their life.
The Victorian Energy Upgrades program works by awarding carbon credits, known as certificates, to accredited providers in return for electrifying or replacing inefficient appliances.
The certificates are currently valued at $104 each, allowing installers to provide discounted prices to customers because they can make money selling the carbon credits later. Every year, energy retailers must purchase millions of certificates on an open market, or they will face financial penalties and ultimately pass on these costs in energy bills.
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