ACT Government leadership acknowledged with Climate Innovation Award

2023-09-08

The ACT Government has won the Innovation Award at the Cities Power Partnership Climate Awards for our ‘Make Your Next Choice Electric’ web tool.

Minister for Water, Energy and Emissions Reduction Shane Rattenbury said that winning the award showcases the ACT’s unwavering commitment to phasing out fossil-fuel gas and electrifying our city.

The Cities Power Partnership is Australia’s largest local government climate network, made up of over 100 governments from across the country, representing almost 11 million Australians.

“We are thrilled to receive this recognition for two of the ACT’s key initiatives that are helping everyday Canberrans to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and reduce living costs,” Minister for Climate Change and Sustainability Shane Rattenbury said.

“We know Canberrans care about the climate crisis and want to take positive action to reduce emissions.”

“The Make Your Next Choice Electric online tool is helping Canberrans to develop their own tailored household electrification plan to switch off gas at a time that suits them and find the best energy efficient electric appliances for their needs.”

“The tool has been designed to be easy to use and it only takes 10 minutes to complete. Already almost 5,000 Canberrans have used the tool to develop their own transition plan and these plans have collectively identified more than 9,000 gas appliances to transition.

“If all of the 9,000 gas appliances identified in these transitions’ plans were switched out for electric appliances, Canberrans would save more than $6 million on energy bills and prevent more than 500,000 tonnes of CO2 from being generated.

“The ACT Government collaborated with CHOICE, Australia’s leading consumer advocacy group, to create this innovative solution to support households to make an informed choice and provide free expert advice to all Canberrans.

“Thank you to the Cities Power Partnership for recognising the work that has gone into this tool, which is part of our plan to address climate change in the ACT.

“With World EV Day tomorrow, this is also the perfect time to look into making your next vehicle choice electric.

“The ACT Government is a global leader in climate action offering a number of incentives to make owning a zero emissions vehicle a more affordable and accessible option for Canberrans. By making the switch, you will be contributing to reaching the ACT’s goal of zero emissions by 2045 and reducing some of the key pressures on everyday transport and rising energy costs.”

For more information on the ACT Government’s pathway to electrification and to try the ‘make your next choice electric’ tool, visit the ACT Government’s Energy website.