Door knockers “unacceptable behaviour”

THE Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) is set to clamp down on aggressive door-to-door salespeople and telemarketers offering free, and sometimes unwanted and unnecessary, showerhead replacements by May 1.

DEECA has announced plans to release a response to stakeholder and community feedback in April 2024.

This follows a period of consultation that took place between February and March of this year, during which they gathered input on the issue.

The salespeople have sparked a backlash due to their pushy approach and sometimes poor service.

Member for Bellarine, Alison Marchant, said the behaviour would not be tolerated.

“It’s been disturbing to learn that local Bellarine residents, many elderly, have been pestered, yelled at and aggressively pressured by telemarketers and doorknockers who are promoting the Victorian Energy Upgrades (VEU) program,” Ms Marchant said.

“It’s frankly unacceptable behaviour.”

“The VEU program itself is a terrific initiative. It’s about helping households switch to energy efficient appliances, receiving rebates or discounts on products like heat pumps, induction cooktops or clothes dryers.”

The Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) has laid out three policy options to address these aggressive sales practices.

Option A targets “cold-call” telemarketing, proposing an immediate ban for all consumers and energy upgrades starting May 1, 2024, but allows doorknocking to continue under certain conditions.

Option B advocates for a more comprehensive ban, eliminating both telemarketing and doorknocking from the program as of May 1, 2024.

Option C suggests a phased approach to the bans, with telemarketing prohibited from May 1, 2024, and doorknocking cessation delayed until August 1, 2024, allowing for a transitional period for stakeholders to adapt.

Under the Victorian government’s Victorian Energy Upgrades (VEU) program, Victorians are eligible for up to two water-saving showerheads if their existing showerheads have a high flow rate or a low star rating.

The free showerheads can be quite profitable for those giving them away.

Under the existing policy, door-to-door agents earn Victorian Energy Efficiency Certificates (VEECs) for each tonne of greenhouse gas savings from these upgrades.

The market value for each VEEC is currently $94.00. According to the VEEC website, installing two free showerheads can result in earning three VEECs, translating to about $282.