Two innovative community rebate programs funded by the Andrews Government are helping Victorians doing it tough to reduce their water bills.

Since July 2015, Victorian urban water corporations have delivered the government funded Community Rebate Program to assist their vulnerable and customers and those experiencing hardship.

Member for Wendouree, Juliana Addison, said 11,000 Victorian customers have taken advantage of the program – saving an estimated 212 million litres of water, which equates to over $700,000 or $65 per customer per year.

This includes 1,450 customers serviced by Central Highlands Water.

Through the Community Rebate Program, water corporations will send someone out to the customer’s house to replace a showerhead, change to a dual or low flush toilet, install flow control devices or repair or fix inefficient water fittings. All costs are covered up-front by the grants program.

Ms Addison said many customers report having water leaks or inefficient appliances but are unable to afford the cost of repair or replacement.

“While changes like altering a showerhead may seem minor, over time these changes can make a huge difference to residential water usage and water bills,” she said.

“I encourage all residents of Ballarat to think about how they can use water more effectively and contact Central Highlands Water to find out if you are eligible for the rebate program,” Ms Addison said.

The program will continue until 2020 and is expected to assist an additional 5,000 customers.

The Labor Government is also funding a Community Housing Retrofit Pilot Program, to provide assistance for emergency and community housing that are owned or managed by community welfare organisations.

This pilot has helped over 300 community housing properties save around 32 million litres of water per year, equating to around $75,000 or $250 per property per year.

The Pilot is being tested in the Central Highlands region as well as Melbourne and the Lower Murray region.