Project
Climate Cosy Rooms
Building resilience to extreme weather
The Climate Cosy Rooms program provides free upgrades to selected, eligible households to improve your home's comfort and your health during both summer and winter weather extremes, without increasing your energy bills.
Following the success of our Climate Safe Rooms pilot program in 2019 to 2021, and a second iteration in 2025, we are now offering a revised version of this program to reach more people. Climate Cosy Rooms is a free program that helps low-income households experiencing chronic health conditions improve comfort in their home, lower energy bills and support better health and well-being.
The program creates a Climate Cosy Room by upgrading at least one room in their home to make it safer and more comfortable during summer heatwaves and winter cold. Climate Cosy Rooms is a variation of our award-winning Climate Safe Rooms program.
How does it work?
We assess your home to understand comfort and energy issues, identify the best upgrades for your home, and improve one room using approved energy-saving upgrades. Possible upgrades may include:
- ceiling insulation
- underfloor insulation (where possible)
- wall insulation (without removing plaster)
- draught sealing around doors, windows, vents and gaps
- window coverings such as external blinds or shutters
- replacing draughty recessed light fittings
The details are determined during our assessments, and upgrades are completed at no cost to the selected eligible participants.
Am I Eligible for this Program?
You may be eligible if all of the following apply.
General Requirements
You must:
- Be 18 years or older
- Live in the City of Greater Geelong or Colac Otway Shire
- Plan to live in your home for at least the next 2 years
You must hold one of these cards:
- Centrelink Health Care Card
- Centrelink or DVA Pensioner Concession Card
- DVA Gold Card (All Conditions)
Health requirements
At least one person in the household must have a chronic health condition that makes them vulnerable to heat or cold, such as (but not limited to):
- Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
- Motor Neurone Disease (MND / ALS)
- Raynaud’s
- Cardiovascular disease
- Kidney disease
A letter from a Medical Doctor who is registered for practice in Australia is required to satisfy the health requirements. The letter should clearly state the illness and how heat or cold affects the applicants' symptoms.
Housing requirements
Final eligibility depends on whether your home is suitable for upgrades. Homes must not have serious safety issues such as:
- unsafe electrical wiring
- unsafe gas supply
- unaddressed asbestos risks
This program is open to:
- owner-occupiers
- private rental properties (including not-for-profit landlords)
The program is not available for public housing (homes owned by government).
How Do I Apply?