Just wondering now that the Green loans are not available anymore is the programme still called the Green loans programme.
Is the green loans program going to run out?
(161 posts) (53 voices)-
fairsjk
MemberNew applications are now not being accepted by Westpac and ANZ. Not sure about the others. Once again guys the media needs to know about this. Garrett is getting off far too lightly. No use just whinging here lets email as many media outlets as we can. Just type one letter and cut and paste it.
Posted Wednesday 24 Feb 2010 @ 4:23:24 am from IP # -
Assessor Probs
MemberI think you are right Fairsjk Garrett is getting off far too lightly and letters need to be written to the editors of newspapers.
Who amongst the general population would ever know that there was now no longer a Green Loan Program. Why would they be any the wiser because, on the surface, everything appears to be the same - until they are personally involved in trying to get a loan that is. This farcical situation needs to be brought out in the open.
And I may have been a bit hasty with my damning criticism of ABSA earlier, it seems, from what I read in the posts here that they are none the wiser either!Posted Wednesday 24 Feb 2010 @ 5:21:16 am from IP # -
gazgc
MemberThe banks are now ignoring Garrett's timeline and closing down their Green Loan applications prematurely:
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/bank-closes-green-loans-early/story-e6frf7jo-1225834052967
That means people who have been waiting months for their printed report have missed out, simply because DEWHA was too slow:
Meanwhile, DEWHA and ABSA met all day yesterday and we still get no news????
Posted Wednesday 24 Feb 2010 @ 9:13:13 pm from IP # -
Assessor Probs
MemberI guess we have all received an email from ABSA now indicating that there was a meeting on yesterday and outlining the questions they intended asking. Obviously, gauging from the quesions ABSA intend asking Peter Garrett, they have not been part of the decision making on the restrictions and compensation etc.
It seems also, from the list of questions they were taking to the meeting, that they are trying to get some answers to the questions we are all wanting to know.
I accept that, as an applicant who had only just scraped into the system, (even though I didnt know anything about excessive numbers when I joined) that I will and should be culled from the list of 5000 people who Garrett is going to somehow choose. Mind you, I believe that those others who have been seen to have rorted the sytem up to now should also be culled as well. In that way, at least those that are left in the system will have more commitment to the program than the others ever had.
ABSA are seeking an answer as to how and when those of us who are cut off will be compensated for the expenses of insurance, company purchase and training let alone equipment purchases. I think we are going to have to wait in a long queue for that money.Posted Thursday 25 Feb 2010 @ 1:45:46 am from IP # -
out in the cold
MemberHi, maybe just coincidence but I applied to be an assessor in early January and I ended up in the second 5000. I sent a cheque to ABSA and received my HO number a while ago. The cheque wasn't cashed. I rang ABSA up to check and was told they were all put together ready for banking. It was cashed on Tuesday the day before the meeting with DEWHA when they were to find out what was going on.
Posted Thursday 25 Feb 2010 @ 2:51:25 am from IP # -
Equipment purchases like Netbooks and such will probably be excluded as they aren't that much and can be used elsewhere. Training course fees, insurance and ABSA accreditation should be refunded but not out of DEWHA's budget. I can see admin charges happening here so you won't get 100% back, which is a bit sad.
Posted Thursday 25 Feb 2010 @ 3:22:55 am from IP # -
TonyC
MemberIt seems that Kevin has got the message and has brought in Saint Greg to sort out the mess. He is now the Minister assisting the Minister of Defence, The Minister assisting the Minister for Climate Change the Minister assisting ............. Here is what Kevin said:
After careful consideration I have today decided to recommend to Her Excellency the Governor General a number of changes to Ministerial responsibilities and the establishment of a standalone Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency.This move is designed to achieve stronger coordination and greater efficiency in the development and delivery of climate change policies and programs, especially in relation to energy efficiency and renewable energy.
The Honourable Senator Penny Wong will be appointed Minister for Climate Change, Energy Efficiency and Water. Senator Wong will take on additional portfolio responsibilities for the Government’s energy-efficiency and renewable energy programs, particularly for households and the community.
The Honourable Greg Combet MP, as the Minister Assisting the Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, will be given direct responsibility for the oversight and implementation of the wind-up of the Household Insulation Program and of the roll-out of the new household Renewable Energy Bonus Scheme.
Minister Combet will retain his existing Defence responsibilities.
The Department of Climate Change will become the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency.
The Honourable Peter Garrett MP will be appointed Minister for Environment Protection, Heritage and the Arts.
I will recommend to Her Excellency the Governor-General that changes be made to the Administrative Arrangements Orders in due course.
So a new Minister and a renamed Department. By the time they work out what Logo they want and reprint all their business cards (lots more trees gone)the election will be upon us - if you have managed to get through to the call centre and got any work that is.
Posted Friday 26 Feb 2010 @ 9:57:12 am from IP # -
TonyC
MemberJust another point - I am still waiting for the AN numbers for about 7 assessments that were notified by e-mail before they closed it down. I was told that I could go ahead and do the assessments and the AN numbers will be sent later as they had a big backlog. I have been waiting over a month now. Is anyone else in the same situation?
Posted Friday 26 Feb 2010 @ 10:00:20 am from IP # -
gazgc
MemberIt's not clear from the above K. Rudd statement whether Combet will be managing the fallout of the Green Loans mess or (more likely I think) Ms. Wong will take over. Either way, it sounds like a great opportunity for someone to step in and say "Don't blame me, it wasn't my fault. Now give me a few more months to work out what's going on..."
Sigh... Yeah, I know. Try to stay positive!
Posted Friday 26 Feb 2010 @ 8:49:17 pm from IP # -
banjofran
MemberTonyC, There are a lot of assessors in the same boat Re: Emailed bookings, I myself did everything I could think of to find a solution
Then just last week I spoke to a supervisor on the CC who told me to forget about them as they are considered lost. I then sent a email to the greenloans dept. threatening to go to the ombudsman to report a breach of contract but of course the greenloans is disbanded, I then rebooked my appointments for the first available slots and I now have successful bookings my HHs have no chance of a loan and I am not going to break this news to them but at least I will get paid. I hope this helps you to move forward with this screw up. .........banjofranPosted Saturday 27 Feb 2010 @ 12:20:19 pm from IP # -
pk
MemberI just need to vent really at the whole Green Loans Shenanigans that I have experienced. Gees I was exited to find out about the Green Loans. I have always dreamnt of having Solar Panels. So I booked my Home Sustainability Assessment and was as exited as a little kid in a candy store. Our assessment was completed on the 1st of Feb. We waited patiently for the report that just never really came.I spent all day Thurs 18th of Feb and Friday 19th Feb calling the government hotline 1800 895 076.
Except there was no one there(....maybe they were at my candy store?).The hotline was simply engaged for those two whole days. They must have known what was coming I read about the axing in the Saturday paper and started to panic. Holy Crap I thought I have to get my report. Come Monday I thought don't panic just ring the government hotline, surely there will be someone there now. Nope just a pre recorded message. I had no way of getting my report.
I called ANZ on Monday only to be told they cannot accept any applications without the report.Tuesday I call hotline again and just a message. So I called ANZ again only to now be told that they were only accepting applications from people whose repports started with BK or VK (can't remeber which). Thanks ANZ you're awesome. My report starts with AN.
Still no report though and no way of even getting to talk to a human about it. Government hotline still only has pre - recorded message. What a load of Crap. I call Peter Garretts office in Canberra and am shocked to hear a human on the other line. It is now late Tuesday and I am told someone will get back to me on Wednesday. Wednesday I wait till midday then call again, explain that I need that report to get a loan before the whole thing is axed as we have already placed a $250.00 deposit on some Solar Panels that we do not want to lose. They were awesome and emailed and mailed out our report. They advised that we still had till the 22nd of March to apply. Happy Days what a relief.
I relax a bit and enjoy our a couple of days interstate for a wedding. On Saturday I call ANZ Green Loans to be greeted by a message saying that the Green Loan is no longer available, I panic, I call Westpak, Crap, same, Teachers Credit Union, same, Victorian Credit Union, same.
The only two still accepting new applications were Community First Credit Union and Heritage Building Society who have a cut off by Monday (today) close of bussiness. In saying that they do have a little note on both of these sites saying that they cannot guarantee all applications will get looked at in time as they have had so many.
So fingers crossed very tightly that we somehow manage to just scrape through. Hopefully the sun will shine down onto our application so that someone will somehow look at it but I highly doubt it.
Now we wait and see. Really really dissapointed that we will most likely miss out as this was our only chance. In disbelief as to how quickly things are allowed to change and how banks are able to dictate what letters your application needs to start with.
A little baffled as to what good all this extra funding for extra assessments is for? What good is a report if you don't have any support on the funding side of things?
I know that a lot of people out there dislike Garrett but I like the poor bugger. He had some awesome ideas that I think were taken advantage of by Shonky Greedy People who saw easy loopholes to make some quick cash and ruined it for everybody else. Also ruined a lot of lives with their greediness.
Well I feel a little bit better now that I have let it all out. will keep you updated about how I go : )
Posted Monday 1 Mar 2010 @ 10:33:24 am from IP # -
fairsjk
MemberI really feel for you and I may very well be in the same boat. More annoying now that recs have gone up to $36 and would save me another $1000. Pk if you don't get the loan I think the Community First Credit Union do offer a low interest green loan at the same rate as their variable home mortgage rate. The difference on a loan of $10000 is only $29 a month and is extendable to 5 years which would mean that the monthly repayment would be the same. Look I know that increases the payback period a little but hey if you are in NSW then you are still making a handsome return on your money. If you are living elsewhere then it would probably make sense just to stick to a basic 1.5kw system to minimise payback period.
P.S With the increase in RECs you have probably saved the money anyway. The increase of $6 will save around $930 on a 1.5kw system. Food for thought PK
Posted Monday 1 Mar 2010 @ 11:09:33 am from IP # -
gazgc
MemberHi everybody, I have just had a "Green Loans" story published at ABC online, which highlights the problems faced by would-be HSA Assessors like me, and addresses broader issues about how the government needs to manage these kind of programs better if they are not to lose public confidence on climate change issues.
Please go take a look, leave a comment, and let others know about the article. With Penny Wong due to meet ABSA tomorrow, this could help get some decent resolution:
Posted Monday 8 Mar 2010 @ 10:33:50 pm from IP # -
Tony C
Memberpk it appears that you are one of many to be penalised when the loan was scrapped. Good luck with your application.
If you are unsuccessful, have a look at http://www.greenloansfinance.com for some more information about options. They can arrange an obligation free assessment of your finance options. You will have to pay interest, but you might as well pay as little as possible.
When you look at the overall benefit the interest is worth it. Have a look at other threads on here about what results people are getting from their PV.
http://www.ata.org.au/forums/topic/first-energy-bill-after-pv-installation
Good luck
TonyPosted Monday 8 Mar 2010 @ 11:10:08 pm from IP # -
Nice article, its a pity you don't find out about the problems until you've spent your $3,000 odd bucks. I was at a point in the week leading up to the GL changes that if I couldn't get through to make at least 5 bookings I was out of there and would loose $5k.
At least I don't have a family and credit cards to support, but I do have an existing IT business to fall back on!
Posted Wednesday 10 Mar 2010 @ 6:38:56 am from IP # -
gazgc
MemberRumour has it that ABSA and DEWHA are set to announce (next Tuesday?) a compensation package for people who completed HSA training but will not gain employment as assessors. I would think $3000 is surely the absolute minimum, given the associated costs involved in submitting the ABSA paperwork, but of course that provides no consideration for the time wasted, peripheral expenses, etc. I would hope that they consider offering $10K interest free loans to anyone who has suffered hardship as a result of taking the government at their word.
As I said in my ABC article, many sincere, educated and eco-conscious individuals (along with money-hungry cowboys) took part in this Green Loans program, and if they are burned without fair compensation then they will probably not trust the government again, and may well be lost to the sustainability industry. That's a tragedy for the planet.
Posted Friday 12 Mar 2010 @ 6:39:20 am from IP # -
Nice ABC article and it was well written too and however did you get to post on the ABC site?
Honestly I think you'd get the course fees of $1200-$1500 and the ABSA $660 and part of your insurance less an admin/brokerage fee? Also it has been mentioned before it wasn't part of the stimulus like the insulation was, it should have been but it wasn't, sadly.
If your suffering hardship the banks are not going to lend you $10k as you'd have no way of paying back the loan!
I do think that credit unions should work on developing some form of a green loan of a smaller amount so that people can make the changes to the future low carbon economy. It would also give the Green Loans Scheme the boost to momentum and to gather public interest for another few years.
Posted Friday 12 Mar 2010 @ 2:26:36 pm from IP # -
putuguq
MemberI just applied to community first, they will close applications tomorrow and are still processing today (Sat 13 March).
They are able to accept applications online and will accept draft copies of the home assessments.
The process took me about 40 minutes.
They seem to be the last and only financial institution accepting applications from the general public.
Congratulations to them for supporting sustainability!Posted Saturday 13 Mar 2010 @ 1:41:42 am from IP # -
xanthe
MemberGuess what! Today, Monday 22 March 2010, I received my green loans assessment report after hassling for several months. (my home assessment was done in November) Is it coincidental that it technically happens to be the last day I can apply for a green loan ? (regardless of the fact that no financial institution is offering them as at today's date). I wonder whether the government is preparing to do the great white wash (yet again)by being able to report that x thousand reports were done and only y% applied for loans. The only reason I applied for the home assessment was to verify what I already knew and to get a green loan to enable me to go ahead and purchase my solar hot water system and assist with my PV system. I live in Tasmania and we have the worst level of government assistance for rebates/ feed in tariffs etc in Australia. The green loan would have gone some way to assisting us.
I am furious with what has happened. A commercial entity would never be able to get away with this complete mess up and stay in business. I had already gone ahead and started paying the instalments for my PV system with the knowledge that "within 20 days of the home assessment I should receive my report". Well, time went on and and the time for paying the money fell due in December and January and still no report. Luckily I was able to stretch my finances and cough up the necessary, but it has been a big ask. The solar hot water system is now in an indefinite holding pattern for the present.
All I can add is that the home assessment program was a complete waste of time and money from a taxpayer point of view. It would have been much cheaper for the government to legislate the wasteful current hot water systems out of existence and provide householders with a suitable rebate for their first changeover installation. All new houses should automatically have mandatory solar how water systems or instant gas/electric(in Tas and country Aus with no natural gas access).
Posted Sunday 21 Mar 2010 @ 11:53:36 pm from IP # -
cool at home
MemberXanthe, you should also complain to your assessor - they could have sent you a PDF or printed copy of the report. While technically the 'policy' of the GL program was not to, the reports issued by assessors and the actual program were identical (unless there had been a software upgrade in between, and the differences only related to issues upgraded in the calculator). Knowing the problems HH were experiencing, really it was unprofessional for the assessor to not provide you a copy.
Posted Monday 22 Mar 2010 @ 1:49:58 am from IP # -
Now there is no green loan a few of the people I've spoken to during HSA's are still willing to add PV systems as it adds house value and makes it easier for the upcoming mandatory assessments.
I was pretty sure that the PDF the system generates was the same as that which got sent out but wasn't 100% sure, but I can't see a little man in DEWHA editing each and every assessment...
Posted Monday 22 Mar 2010 @ 2:54:27 pm from IP # -
xanthe
MemberDear Cool at home,
At the same time as I had been contacting the hotline I was also trying to contact my assessor for last few months in order to obtain my assessment. His mobile phone was never answered ie. all I got was "a free text message will be sent with your number....". I then tried the other person on the business card (incidentally the business card was for another business) and was told that he wasn't in business with the assessor and didn't know where the assessor was, and maybe he was in Darwin! (my assessment was in Tasmania). Altogether my sorry tale is one of woe and frustration.
Your last sentence "it was unprofessional" hits the nail on the head I think. I don't even have an avenue of complaint to the DEWHA because as you stated, the assessor was not bound to give me a copy.Posted Tuesday 23 Mar 2010 @ 10:14:04 am from IP # -
cool at home
MemberXanthe, so sorry to hear of your bad experience. It doesn't sound as if the actual assessment was very stimulating either, and they can be really good ways to identify money savings when done correctly. It is amazing how much 'low hanging fruit' a third party with an eye for thermal comfort and energy usage can identify. I share a number of information sheets with the people I assess, and if you want to email me (susan@coolathome.com) I'm happy to send these to you. They may at least make for concise and entertaining reading! Of course, can't go past ReNew and Sanctuary for some great ideas too.
If it helps, I know that Community First Credit Union does a 'green loan' at mortgage rates, which is a significant improvement on personal loan rates. I'm in NSW so not familiar with Tassie financial providers (other than the big ones, which have nothing 'special' in this regard), but I have a few other names that may help (I haven't actually used their financial products, so you'll have to do your own investigation... but the leads may help). Let me know, and my best wishes to you.
Susan
PS: I too think a PV system will add value to my place now, but I'm in NSW and have access to the 60c gross feed in tariff (which really changes the economics of the initial investment). Depending on what you pay to/would get paid by your power company, your daily usage and the kWh your system will generate, it may well make good sense for you too. Mind you, in Tassie don't you all have lovely hydro power? Brown coal here, so getting off it has to be a priority!Posted Tuesday 23 Mar 2010 @ 12:02:59 pm from IP # -
lmc6666
MemberRe alternatives to the now defunct Green Loan and photovoltaics in NSW. If you do your figures, and are a low power user, you will probably find you will be way ahead financially if you decide to go ahead, even with an interest-payable loan to fund the purchase as the RECS and 60c per kw gross feed in tariff means the government will basically still pay for your solar panels for you. Mine are fitted and just waiting for hook up. With a 63% price hike for power just announced over the next three years in NSW, the figures just keep looking better and better. Also worth noting, Origin has a 66c gross feed in offer till the end of May for all people with photovoltaics, not just systems installed by Origin. The lady I talked to today, also said my standard usage rates would stay under 17c per kw peak/shoulder, less for off peak - no huge leap to 35c plus in peak 2-8pm quoted by some companies when the required smart meter is installed.
Posted Wednesday 24 Mar 2010 @ 7:38:41 am from IP #
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