Operators of older commercial buildings in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) can now apply for grants of up to $20,000 to upgrade their bathrooms with water-efficient toilets, urinals, wash basins and associated fittings.
The Commercial Bathroom Retrofit Program, announced on 2 March 2009 by Minister for the Environment, Climate Change and Water, Simon Corbell, will make grants available on a dollar-for-dollar basis.
“The non-residential building sector is responsible for about 20 percent of the ACT’s total annual water use, so this will be a valuable way to help reduce this consumption,” Mr Corbell said.
Applications are expected to come from light industry, schools, offices, hotels, shopping centres, nursing homes and club. A condition of the grants is that only products supplied by Caroma Dorf may be used in the retrofits – a restriction that acknowledges Caroma’s status as the only manufacturer in Australia to still fabricate vitreous china sanitary ware.
The Commercial Bathroom Retrofit Program is part of the ACT Government’s Think Water, Act Water strategy to help Canberrans become more water efficient.
