Funding Your home Upgrades
Paying for home Upgrades
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There's more help available than most people realise. NSW and federal programs can lower the upfront cost of insulation, double glazing, draught-proofing, heat pump hot water and efficient heating and cooling. Some take money off the price. One lets you spread the cost over ten years at zero interest.
The catch is that funding helps you buy things. It doesn't tell you which things your house needs first.
How do I get started?
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A rebate or loan is only good value if it goes to the right work, in the right order. A new air conditioner in a house losing heat through the ceiling has to work harder than it should. New windows won't fix damp coming from a bathroom fan that quietly vents into the roof.
A few questions worth answering before you spend:
Which rooms never feel quite right, and at what time of day?
Where does moisture show up: windows, ceilings, wardrobes, the roof space?
Do your bathroom, laundry and kitchen fans actually vent outside?
What's due for replacement anyway, like an ageing hot water system?
Most funding has a cap, so it pays to put it where it makes the biggest difference for your house.
NSW Programs
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Click here for link to current list that is updated every Monday
Federal programs
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Click here for link to current list that is updated every Monday
Most of these programs only work through approved businesses. For the Home Energy Saver loan, installers must be New Energy Tech Approved Sellers. You can check a business on the New Energy Tech Consumer Code site.
Approval is a sales-practice standard, not a guarantee of good workmanship. So:
Get two or three quotes, including one from a business you'd use even without funding.
Compare like for like: same product, same scope, same warranty.
Ask whether the price changes if you pay cash. Funding should lower your cost, not raise the quote.
Ask how the work fits with what comes next, like insulation before or after new ductwork.
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Choosing an installer
Not sure where to start?
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Start with what your house is telling you. Living Home Guide No. 01: How well is your home actually working? walks you through five simple checks you can do at home, so you can choose one thing to focus on first. Get the guide →
If you'd like a proper look, a Living Home assessment looks at your home as a whole system and turns what we find into a staged plan: what to fix, what to improve, what can wait, and what's worth funding first. Book an assessment →
The fine print
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This page is general information, not financial advice. Program details, amounts and eligibility change, so check the official pages before you apply. Living Home doesn't receive any payment for linking to these programs.