Australian Carbon Trust and Origin have signed an agreement to develop a strategic alliance for dedicated and more accessible financing, designed to accelerate the uptake of energy efficiency technologies and practices by Australian businesses.

This Memorandum of Understanding is the first step in a co-funded $12.7 million energy efficiency partnership to deliver cost-effective energy saving projects to Australian businesses, industrial and public sector organisations.

Australian Carbon Trust will provide loan finance to Origin as well as sharing energy efficiency experience and expertise. Origin will offer its business customers an Energy Savings Guarantee product so they can access energy saving equipment without upfront capital expenditure.

Available technologies will include lighting upgrades, upgrades to heating and cooling systems, chiller control upgrades, more efficient escalators and lifts, trigeneration and co-generation, electric hot water replacements and real time energy monitoring in buildings.

Australian Carbon Trust and Origin plan to roll out this program under a pilot initially. Based on take up rates, the program will be progressively scaled up to engage 200 to 300 businesses, helping them to realise their significant operational energy savings.

Origin's Managing Director, Mr Grant King said that in order to address national challenges like climate change, a national approach was required.

'We are pleased to be involved with Australian Carbon Trust's national Energy Efficiency Program. Energy Efficiency enables all Australians to take proactive action both in relation to emission reductions as well as their own power usage and costs. At Origin, we are committed to delivering value to customers and through our alliance with Australian Carbon Trust, we will be lowering the cost for businesses to take up energy efficient technologies,' Mr King said.

CEO of Australian Carbon Trust Meg McDonald said this important energy efficiency partnership meant more Australian businesses would have access to energy saving and cost saving technology.

'We are very pleased to be co-funding this program with Origin to make more Australian businesses and commercial buildings energy efficient and look forward to getting even more Australian companies on board.

'This is another important step forward for Australian Carbon Trust in accelerating Australia's move to a low carbon economy.'

Tags: Origin Energy