Other parts of NSW have been able to apply for up to $1000 in rebates since December 18. But until the beginning of February, most of the Riverina had been cut out of the program, due to a lack of registered installers in the region.

State member for the Cootamundra electorate, Steph Cooke, says this was indicative of poor planning.

“Could the roll-out for regional NSW have been better? Absolutely it could,” said Ms Cooke.

“It would have been appropriate for installers who were interested to receive communication earlier before the roll-out.

“In an ideal world, you would have the installers ready before announcing the program [but] in this situation, we had the program roll-out and simultaneously we were encouraging consumers to get on board, and technicians to get certified.”

Although there remains no certified installers in Junee, there is now one in Wagga, one in Cootamundra and another in Albury. 

Plus, a further three in Young and another in Cootamundra are expected to complete their certification soon.

“I think they’re moving through the process much faster now,” said Ms Cooke.

“I think the department did not anticipate the take up would be as big as it has been.”

In December, Environment Minister Gabrielle Upton announced that the initiative would generate “a statewide power bill saving of around $20 million”.

To be eligible for the returns, the air conditioning must be an approved model, and installed by an accredited technician, as listed on the Energy NSW website.

Households must also consent to the collection of personal data by the Office of Environment and Heritage – including full name, address and geographically identifiable photographs of  the unit.