A warmer home starts with the ceiling.

Ceiling insulation slows heat moving through the building fabric. It can help keep warmth inside in winter and reduce heat entering in summer. The improvement depends on the existing ceiling, the installation, the building and how you heat or cool it. A percentage saving for another house is not a forecast for yours.

Across our region, colder inland homes and milder coastal homes need different assessments. Ask about the condition and coverage of existing insulation before ordering a thicker product.

What to note before anyone visits

• Which rooms lose comfort quickly after the heater stops, and which stay warm.
• Any paperwork from an earlier installation, or photographs of product labels you can see from a safe, accessible spot.
• Whether the home has gas appliances or an open fireplace, so the assessor can keep their ventilation in mind.
• Whether you own the home or rent it, because that changes who arranges and approves the work.

A cold room can also need attention to draughts and the heater. Our winter comfort guide covers the draught side.

An assessment helps you put the jobs in order. In one published ACT Government case study, a home energy assessment recommended improving the building first: the family draught-proofed, added insulation and upgraded windows before replacing gas appliances in stages. They reported that the home’s energy rating rose from zero to four stars. That is one household’s experience, not a forecast for yours. Read the three homes stories.

Ask for the existing and proposed R-values, the product and coverage, preparation, access and any removal costs. Gaps, compressed batts and poorly treated edges can compromise an installation.

Have a suitable professional check roof-space electrical risks, clearances and any old or damaged material. Do not enter a roof space or cover equipment to complete this guide. Ask who is responsible for electrical preparation and the final inspection.

Put each quote on the same lines

Where you can, get at least two itemised quotes for the same scope, so an attractive headline price does not hide preparation or electrical work. If a support program is involved, ask for the price before support, each confirmed discount and the amount due on the day.

As checked on 16 October 2026, the ActewAGL ceiling insulation offer provides eligible ACT households with up to $2,000 off installation and $600 in electricity bill credits, paid at $50 a quarter over three years. The upfront discount can be lower if the installation quote is below $2,000.

The terms include an active ActewAGL electricity account, existing insulation no higher than R2, an eligible installation and an applicable concession, hardship or qualifying rental pathway. A concession card is not the only possible route. Use our checker to prepare the questions, then have the offer provider confirm the address and evidence.

Our checker asks about the address, the existing insulation, the electricity account and the support pathway. For the rental pathway, it asks whether a tenanted home is rented at $660 a week or less. An answer of “not sure” is something to check, not a refusal. The bill credits can stop if the electricity account closes, so keep that in mind if you expect to move.

ACT Government support

The ACT Government has separate household support. Do not assume its eligibility rules match the retailer offer or that both benefits can be added to the same quote.

• Home Energy Support rebates are for eligible concession homeowners living in an eligible existing ACT home. Ceiling insulation sits in a category paying up to 50% of eligible costs, capped at $2,500 and shared with heating and cooling, hot water and electric cooking. Get approval before accepting a quote; on the rebate-only route you pay first and claim afterwards.
• Sustainable Household Scheme loans can cover ceiling insulation. Eligible new applicants can borrow $2,000 to $20,000 at 3% over up to 10 years; earlier participants, and households that applied or were approved before 1 July 2026, keep a $15,000 lifetime cap. A loan must be repaid.
• Access to Electric fully funds approved gas-to-electric upgrades and any required ceiling insulation for eligible homeowners in financial hardship, who agree to replace all gas appliances. Care Financial assesses applicants.
• The Home Energy Efficiency Program offers free assessments and help with draught-proofing to eligible renters and homeowners.

Our ACT rebates article and Sustainable Household Scheme article set out the cards, land-value thresholds and application steps.

NSW homes

A NSW address needs the relevant NSW route, even if the installer or retailer also serves the ACT. Home Energy Saver loans can cover insulation for eligible NSW property owners and landlords: up to $15,000 at zero interest over up to 10 years, with combined annual taxable household income up to $210,000. Preparatory building work is excluded from that finance, so have it priced separately.

The separate Home Energy Saver discount had not opened as at 13 October 2026. If you might want both a discount and a loan for the same purchase, read the current application-order advice first: applying for the loan first prevents that future discount being used for the same purchase.

Keep the quoted installation price, any confirmed upfront discount, later reimbursements and future bill credits on separate lines. A credit received over three years does not reduce the cash needed on installation day.

Illustrative example only. Suppose an eligible ACT household receives an installation quote of $2,400 and the ActewAGL offer is confirmed. The upfront discount is capped at $2,000, so $400 is paid for the installation. The $600 in bill credits then arrives at $50 a quarter over three years. The quote amount is an assumption to show the calculation, not a market price.

A rebate paid after installation works differently again: on the Home Energy Support rebate-only route, you pay the installer first and are reimbursed later.

If finance is involved, compare repayments and total borrowing cost as well as the expected change in energy bills. A loan changes when you pay. It does not make the installation free. Keep any predicted energy savings in a separate calculation until the assumptions behind them have been checked.

As at 13 October 2026, an ACT rental with no ceiling insulation, or insulation below R2, generally needs an upgrade to R5. Existing insulation of at least R2 meets the standard, and exemptions apply. Existing tenancy agreements have a compliance deadline of 30 November 2026; new agreements generally require compliance within nine months of signing.

If you rent, you can ask the landlord or agent for documentary evidence that the property meets the standard or has a valid exemption. That is a more useful starting point than trying to judge the ceiling yourself. Anyone living in an ACT rental can also book a free assessment through the Renters’ Home Energy Program (opens in a new tab).

The ActewAGL offer includes a qualifying rental pathway, but the owner still needs to agree to the work. Agree who arranges access, who pays any amount not covered and who keeps the paperwork. In NSW, renters cannot take a Home Energy Saver loan themselves, although their landlord may qualify. Our renters’ guide covers what tenants can change.

Photograph accessible product labels or use existing installation paperwork. Ask for an assessment of coverage, condition and R-value, then an itemised quote. If the home is rented, agree permissions and responsibilities with the owner before booking work.

Before you accept, get eligibility, the discount and any approval confirmed in writing. Leave the roof space to the professionals throughout. If you have a question about your ActewAGL electricity account, call us on 13 14 93.

Use the insulation support checker, or read the ActewAGL offer and arrange an eligibility check (opens in a new tab).