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Climate Safe Rooms

Subsidies for eligible concession card holders to create a thermally comfortable room at home

If you receive support services for a health condition that puts you at risk from extreme heat or cold, you may be eligible to receive free energy upgrades worth up to $10,000 to upgrade a room in your home so it stays a comfortable temperature on hot and cold days.   

The Yarra Climate Safe Rooms pilot program provides subsidies to eligible households for home improvements that can:

  • improve your comfort and health
  • bring down your energy bills
  • make your home more resilient to extreme temperatures

Expressions of interest are open now for the pilot program beginning in January 2025. A limited number of places are available in this pilot program.

Expressions of interest for the pilot program closed on 15 January 2025.

You can still express your interest in being placed on a waitlist for a Climate Safe Room. 

You may also be eligible for the Yarra Home Energy Upgrades pilot program. 

A Climate Safe Room is a room in your home or apartment that has been upgraded so it stays comfortable even on very hot and cold days.

This pilot program will upgrade one room in your home as a Climate Safe Room.

Depending on your home’s needs, upgrades may include: 

  • Insulation for your ceiling, walls or under your floor
  • Draught proofing to seal gaps and cracks
  • Reverse cycle heating and cooling
  • A small solar system to offset the costs of running the heating and cooling  
  • Passive cooling upgrades such as window coverings or ceiling fans

You will receive a home energy assessment to determine the best upgrades for your room. 

No, there is no cost to you to participate in this program. 
 

Concession card and health care card holders living in the City of Yarra who receive support services for a health condition that puts them at risk from extreme heat or cold. 

This includes renters, homeowners and community housing residents. Public housing owned by the Victorian Government is not eligible. 

To be eligible for a Climate Safe Room, you or someone in your home must: 

  • Live in the City of Yarra and be aged 18 years or older
  • Own your home, rent your home, or live in community housing (not State Government-owned public housing)  
  • Hold one of the Commonwealth concession cards listed below:  
    • Centrelink Pensioner Concession Card  
    • Veterans’ Affairs Pensioner Concession Card  
    • Centrelink Health Care Card  
    • Veterans’ Affairs Gold Card for All Conditions  
    • Veterans’ Affairs Gold Card War Widow/er or TPI  
    • Veterans’ Affairs Gold Card POW & EDA  
  • Currently receive support services for an existing chronic health condition that puts you or someone in your home at risk during heatwaves and/or extreme cold
  • Live in a home that does not currently have at least one room that can be effectively and affordably heated and cooled, and where the program’s energy upgrades can be installed safely. Through the program you will receive a home energy assessment which will determine this. In apartments, units or townhouses, only upgrades that do not require owners’ corporation approval can be installed through this program. 
     

Examples of eligible health conditions include: 

  • severe persistent asthma
  • cardiovascular disease
  • cerebral palsy
  • chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
  • diabetes
  • fibromyalgia
  • motor neuron disease (MND)
  • kidney disease
  • lupus
  • lymphedema
  • multiple sclerosis (MS)
  • Parkinson’s disease
  • polio / post-polio syndrome
  • quadriplegia / paraplegia
  • severe respiratory disease
  • rheumatoid arthritis or other severe musculoskeletal condition
  • scleroderma
  • or other medical or mental health condition that puts you at risk from extreme heat or cold, as confirmed a medical professional or community health professional.  

You'll need to provide confirmation from a health professional that you meet the health condition eligibility requirement. You do not need to disclose to us what your eligible health condition is.

Health professionals able to confirm eligibility include: 

  • General Practitioners or Community Health Professionals with knowledge of the applicant’s health condition. 

Community Health Professionals include: 

  • community nurses
  • case managers
  • allied health staff
  • social workers
  • service facilitators. 

Download a template letter confirming health eligibility [ PDF, 136.72 KB] that a health professional can sign to verify that you meet this eligibility requirement.

 

Expressions of interest for the pilot program closed on 15 January 2025.

A limited number of places are available in this pilot program.

You can still express your interest in joining the waitlist for a Climate Safe Room.

You may also be eligible for the Yarra Home Energy Upgrades pilot program. 

Eligible concession cards

 

Expression of interest

Expressions of interest for the pilot program closed on 15 January 2025.

You can still fill out the online expression of interest to join the waitlist. Your home care team or support worker may be able to help you do this. Community housing providers and rental providers (landlords) can also express interest on behalf of an eligible tenant. 

You can also download a printable form [ PDF, 316.53 KB] , call us on 03 9205 5555, or visit a customer service centre. 

For interpreter services, call 03 9280 1940.

 

Phone call  

In January, our project partner will call you to check your initial eligibility and follow up on any eligibility documents not yet provided.

 

Home visit  

A Home Energy Assessor and Electrician will visit your home for a home energy assessment. You'll also complete participation consent form and a survey. The home visit confirms if your home can receive an upgrade.

 

Recommendations

The home energy assessment recommends the best upgrades for your Climate Safe Room. You (and your landlord) sign upgrade works consent forms. 

Our project partner can answer any questions and discuss recommendations and options.

 

Upgrades installed

We'll arrange for licensed tradespeople to install your upgrades at a time that works for you. If you have multiple upgrades, we'll aim to coordinate on the same day to minimise disruption to you. 

We'll aim to arrange installation soon after your upgrade works consent forms are signed. All Climate Safe Rooms will be installed before 30 June 2025.

The installer will show you how to use your new energy upgrades.  

 

Follow up 

Our project partner will call you in the next few days to make sure everything went smoothly and answer any questions. 

After you've had some time to use your Climate Safe Room in hot or cold weather, we'll ask you to complete a survey to help us learn from this pilot program. 

Renters, community housing residents and people living in apartments are eligible to apply, as long as they meet the eligibility requirements. 

Victorian Government-owned public housing is not eligible for this program.

Renters and community housing residents will need approval from their landlord or community housing organisation for upgrades to be installed. Either the tenant or the rental provider (landlord) can fill out the expression of interest. Evidence of the tenant’s eligibility will be required to participate in the program. 

For apartment buildings and townhouses, only energy upgrades that do not require owners’ corporation approval can be installed. Some products can be installed in some building types. 

You will receive a home energy assessment to determine if your home is able to be upgraded with a Climate Safe Room, and which types of energy upgrades can be installed.

You do not need permission from your landlord to receive the home energy assessment. 

Yarra residents who meet the eligibility requirements can apply, even if their home is in a heritage overlay. 

If your home is in the heritage overlay, most Climate Safe Rooms upgrades can be installed in the same way as in another home.

Some upgrades, such as solar, may require a planning permit if visible from the street or a public park. 

Our project team can help you with the planning permit application process. 

There is no fee for a planning permit for solar in the heritage overlay. If your solar will not be visible from the street or a public park, you do not need a planning permit. 

A small number of properties have additional heritage controls. In this rare case, our project team can advise you of your options.

Find out more about solar in a heritage overlay.

Yarra Council has committed to urgent action on climate change through its second Climate Emergency Plan [ PDF, 9.51 MB] , 2024-2030, and its Climate Emergency Action Plan 2024-2027 [ PDF, 2.72 MB] .

This pilot program is part of our commitment to support households facing barriers to make their homes more comfortable in hot and cold weather, improve energy efficiency, electrify, and power their homes with renewable energy.

This includes a commitment to support people living on low incomes, renters, and apartment residents to ensure no one is left behind in the transition to a zero emissions city powered by 100% renewable energy. 

If you are not eligible, or if the program is full, you may be eligible to receive free energy upgrades worth up to $3,000 for home improvements to keep your home a comfortable temperature on hot and cold days through the Yarra Home Energy Upgrades pilot program. 

The Yarra Home Energy Upgrades program is open to concession card and health care card holders living in the City of Yarra.

Find out more about the Yarra Home Energy Upgrades program.

Eligible residents can participate in either the Yarra Home Energy Upgrades program or the Climate Safe Rooms program.

Yes. In your expression of interest form, we will ask if you need interpreter support.

We can arrange a phone interpreter or in-person interpreter to support you throughout the program, for most common languages spoken in Yarra.

For interpreter support, call 03 9280 1940.

Yes, you can download a printable expression of interest form here [ PDF, 316.53 KB]

You can also call us on 03 9205 5555 to request a paper form, or visit a customer service centre at Richmond Town Hall or Collingwood Town Hall. 

You can return your paper form to:

By email:
info@yarracity.vic.gov.au 

By mail:
Attn: Sustainability team
Yarra City Council
PO Box 168 
Richmond, VIC 3121

In person: 
Richmond Town Hall, 333 Bridge Road, Richmond
Collingwood Town Hall, 140 Hoddle Street, Abbotsford

Download a fact sheet about the Climate Safe Rooms pilot program in other languages: 

For interpreter support, call 03 9280 1940.