Nexa Advisory’s Submission: National Energy Performance Strategy Consultation Paper

Nexa Advisory shares its submission on the National Energy Performance Strategy (NEPS) Consultation Paper, a crucial initiative from the Australian Federal Government.

This paper outlines steps towards improving energy performance, enhancing the reliability of the energy system, and reducing consumer costs. Notably, the government is working on targeted actions, such as the Powering the Regions Fund, New Energy Apprenticeship, and New Energy Skills program, and the National Reconstruction Fund.

We believe the clean energy transition is critical for climate goals, energy security, supply stability, and cost of living. To this end, the NEPS is vital as it sets targets and provides mechanisms for proactive consumer engagement. We stress the importance of reframing the conversation from ‘energy efficiency’ to ‘energy performance’, necessitating a holistic, coordinated response across all levels of government.

In our submission, we delve into Distributed Energy Resources (DER), governance, targets, residential, commercial, and industrial aspects of energy performance. We urge the government to establish a consumer-focused commission for DER, create national policies that build trust, develop clear energy performance targets, and ensure sufficient residential energy efficiency funding.

We also highlight the need for effective energy efficiency regulations for commercial businesses, policy and market-driven energy-efficient technologies for industries, and strengthened energy supply chains. All of these are critical for the net-zero emissions transition.