Episode 193

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Published on:

21st Apr 2026

Banking on green loans

Green loans & cheaper home batteries: How the CEFC Is Powering Australia’s Household Energy Transition

This week on The Greener Way, host Michelle Baltazar chats with Grace Tam, head of consumer finance at the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC), on how the Australian government, through the CEFC, is driving record levels of green loan applications.

According to the CEFC, the number of loans made under the Household Energy Upgrades Fund™ more than doubled between the first and second halves of 2025, up by 158 per cent. More than 4,100 loans have been made and over 10,000 technology installations completed since the fund was launched.

Tam explains what's worked, the misconceptions around green loans and how lenders are adopting a new approach to appeal to investors and 'green' households.

00:49 What is the CEFC's purpose?

01:02 The latest on the $1bn Household Energy Upgrades Fund

02:33 What is a green loan?

03:21 The green lending ecosystem

05:38 The uptake and key lessons

07:16 The rise of virtual power plants

08:41 Has the risk around green lending changed?

09:54 Barriers and the need for more consumer education

11:10 How lenders are partnering with third parties

12:53 A small window of opportunity

We record on Gadigal land and we pay our respects to the traditional custodians of country and elders, past and present.

https://www.fssustainability.com.au/



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About the Podcast

The Greener Way
Conversations about people, planet and profit-for-purpose in a complex world, brought to you by the publishers of FS Sustainability.
The Greener Way is your podcast for exploring the big environmental, social and governance questions. Each week, The Greener Way will focus on deep conversations with investment and corporate experts who are deeply engaged in managing the sustainability challenges facing our planet.

From climate change to biodiversity, human rights and modern slavery to corporate purpose and governance, we tackle head-on the nuances and trade-offs of our complicated world.

The Greener Way is the podcast of FS Sustainability, the premier weekly trade publication that covers how investors and companies are changing real world outcomes across environmental, social and governance issues.