Apply for a ZERO Project Loan

The AMRCCE ZERO Fund provides interest-free loans to help fund climate projects in the Shire of Augusta Margaret River in cases where the up-front capital cost is a barrier.

We welcome loan applications for projects at the premises of non-profit organisations that provide tangible community benefits, but also for other entities if the proposed project has associated community or climate breakthrough benefits. We particularly welcome applications from organisations that are willing to assist with local awareness of their climate project.

Our interest-free loans and technical advice are intended to overcome the up-front cost and knowledge barriers to implementing cost-effective climate projects, so please do not apply IF your organisation can afford your intended project without our help.

Note that we favour projects that represent cost-effective climate benefit and that ‘pay for themselves’ in a reasonable time (with your loan repayments to us covered by your savings on bills). Accordingly, operational differences and the source of grid electricity supplied in your area might affect the type of project or project package for which we will offer you a loan.

You don’t pay any interest on your AMRCCE ZERO loan, and the quarterly loan repayments are set to be a little less than the savings on your operating costs averaged over a year. This means you are never out of pocket, but you don’t save much overall in the short-term. But after your loan is fully repaid you reap the full financial benefit of having lower operating costs.

Solar PV and energy efficiency projects typically ‘pay for themselves’ in 3-7 years. For electric vehicles or projects for getting off fossil gas, the payback time will depend heavily on the project details.

What happens after you submit the Expression of Interest form below?

First steps

• We check whether your application is suitable, based on your responses in the EOI form, and we may ask for more details from you.
• We then send you our loan agreement template so that you can see what you will eventually need to sign if your solar and/or energy efficiency and/or electric vehicle loan goes ahead.
• Please make sure your decision makers, including your Board, are familiar with the way AMRCCE ZERO loans work and have seen the loan agreement template, and that they give ‘in principle’ approval to go ahead subject to mutually satisfactory project/loan details being worked out. It is important to have their provisional approval at this stage since working out the project details requires time and effort from you as well as from AMRCCE.

Setting the project details

• For solar PV projects, applicants are required to obtain three quotes/indicative costing for the project from providers based in the Shire of Augusta Margaret River. Providers from outside the Shire will be considered where the necessary skills or service are not available locally, or where an outside business can provide a comparable service for at least 10% cheaper. Providers will be required to advise plans on how to remove and dispose of the installation at end of life.

A list of acceptable solar panel brands can be found here:

Solar 101: A Guide To Buying Solar Power Systems

A list of acceptable inverters can be found here:

Solar Inverters: How To Choose A Good One | Solar Quotes

• Please note that we insist on top quality products, and you must use an accredited installer.
• Once you and AMRCCE agree on the preferred project details, we will advise you of the expected savings on your power/fuel bills (conservative estimate) and suggest a slightly lower amount as the monthly/quarterly repayment instalment amount. If you are covering some of the cost yourself, the repayment instalment amount will take into account the proportion of the total cost covered by our loan.

Locking in your project

• At this stage, please confirm approval from your Board for the proposed project details, its cost, the loan amount you require, and the repayment schedule.
• We will then add your project to our funding queue. Putting you in our queue means AMRCCE commits to raising enough funds for your project and, once we reach the target amount, we will give you an interest-free loan to pay for your project. It also means that you are committed to the project (unless unforeseen problems arise). Note: the loan agreement is not signed until we have raised the target amount for your loan, but it looks very bad for us if you change your mind after we’ve started accepting donations specifically for your project.
• Once we start raising the funds for your loan, we appreciate any efforts you can make to raise the local profile of your project. This will depend on what suits your organisation, but might be a mention in your newsletter, a poster in your window, a donation jar at your front desk, or an article in a local newspaper.

Final Steps

• When we are close to reaching the funding target for your project, we’ll ask you to sign the loan agreement with us (and book in an install date if your project involves a solar PV installation). We then send you the loan cheque so you can pay for the project.
• Finally, you just need to send us photos of the work-in-progress and the completed project, or a photo of the vehicle you have purchased, for display on our website so that the people who have donated can see what their money has achieved!

Expression of Interest Form

Please submit this form if your organisation would like to apply for an AMRCCE ZERO interest free loan to pay for a community climate project within the Shire of AMR.

Loans are available for projects at the premises of non-profit organisations that provide tangible community benefits, but also for other entities if the proposed project has associated community or climate breakthrough benefits. We particularly welcome applications from organisations that are willing to assist with local awareness of their community climate project.

Our interest-free loans and technical advice are intended to overcome the up-front cost and knowledge barriers to implementing cost-effective climate projects, so please do not apply IF your organisation can afford your intended project without our help.

Types of projects eligible for AMRCCE ZERO climate loans include:

• Renewable energy (e.g. rooftop solar PV)
• Energy efficiency measures (e.g. insulation, LED lighting, replacement of old inefficient appliances)
• Electric vehicles (difference in cost between a suitable EV and a petrol vehicle)
• Replacement of gas use with electric alternatives (e.g. for space heating, hot water, cooking, pool heating)
• Other cost-effective tangible climate-focused projects – contact us if you have something else in mind!

…or a combined package of two or more of the above. If applying for a solar PV project, please also fill in the gas replacement section of this form if you use gas at your premises. If you are generating your own carbon free (and free) energy on your roof, it doesn’t make climate sense to continue to use gas when you could be using your new solar generation instead.

Note that we favour projects that represent cost-effective climate benefit and that ‘pay for themselves’ in a reasonable time (with our loan repayments covered by your savings on bills).

BEFORE FILLING IN THIS FORM – Look through all the questions and collect the information you will need to complete this form. For example, you may need to refer to tariff and usage information in your electricity and gas bills from the last year or check your vehicle usage records. Please answer all questions as fully as you can. If you wish to discuss eligibility before completing this EOI form, you can email us at [email protected].

Begin Expression of Interest Form