About the Go Electric Newcastle program
City of Newcastle has partnered with ZapCat, a certified social enterprise, to help local apartments and townhouses electrify and save on energy bills. Through this free program, apartment owners and renters can access expert, independent advice on switching to clean electric appliances such as solar panels, batteries, hot water heat pumps, electric vehicles (EVs), EV chargers, induction cooktops, reverse cycle air conditioning and more. You can also get practical advice on reducing energy bills through insulation, draught proofing, and other energy efficiency upgrades.
ZapCat provides instant online estimates for costs, savings, and available rebates. Their expert advisors offer free virtual consultations to answer your questions, review quotes, and help you make confident, informed choices. You do not need to be a member of the strata committee and ZapCat provides assistance with strata processes.
While City of Newcastle has subscribed to ZapCat’s advisory service, it is not involved in the vetting process or endorsement of local installers nominated by ZapCat. Learn More
To get started online:
- Get an instant online estimate for costs, savings and rebates
- Book a free virtual consultation with an expert
- Submit quotes for review
This free service is also available to Newcastle businesses, homeowners and people who rent.
Prefer to speak over the phone?
Call ZapCat on (02) 6145 0446
Individual units and townhouses
Get an instant cost, savings and rebates estimate for your individual unit. It only takes 2 minutes.
Insulation & Draught Proofing
Improve comfort with insulation, draught proofing and double glazing.
Energy Efficiency
Simple tips that everyone can use to reduce their energy bill.
Suitable for renters
Whole apartment blocks
Our experts can provide a cost, savings and rebates estimate for a whole apartment block, for the following items. Any apartment owner can request an estimate, you do not need to be a member of the strata committee.
Some estimates can be done instantly online, others require a virtual consultation.
Hot Water Heat Pumps
Efficient electric hot water heaters for your block.
Free virtual consultation
Book a free virtual consultation with one of our independent energy experts. We can give advice on the process of electrifying your unit or apartment block, including:
- Calculating savings.
- Identifying which rebates you qualify for.
- Estimating costs and payback periods.
- Identifying products that suit your needs.
- Helping you find quality installers.
- Identifying financing options if needed.
- Price benchmarks.
Quote review
Have you received quotes from installers? Are they difficult to understand? Are you unsure what the differences between them are, or which ones are good value for money?
Send us your quotes and one of our independent experts will review them and provide feedback.
Learn
Our simple guides to home energy upgrades explain the essential information you need to know.
Save on bills
The average Australian household can save almost $4.5k per year in running costs by implementing clean energy solutions (Source: Rewiring Australia).
The cost of energy is rising every year, so these savings will increase over time.
Our instant savings estimate will show you the amount you could save with different clean energy solutions.
Source: Rewiring Australia
About us
We are a certified social enterprise.
Australia needs to rapidly accelerate its transition to clean energy if we are to curb the worst effects of climate change. Our mission is to make it as simple as possible for ordinary Australians to transition their homes to clean energy.
Important note from City of Newcastle
City of Newcastle has engaged Zap Cat Pty Limited (trading as ZapCat) to provide advisory services to City of Newcastle residents and businesses to make switching to clean electric appliances easier. Whilst the City of Newcastle has subscribed to the ZapCat advisory service, it is not involved in ZapCat’s vetting process or endorsement of local installers. Furthermore, the City of Newcastle is not liable for the outcomes arising from any advice or installations by ZapCat or its endorsed installers.
Any information you provide to ZapCat will be handled according to ZapCat’s privacy policy available on the ZapCat website. City of Newcastle is not responsible for how ZapCat or any third-party providers collect, use, or store this information. If a resident opts in to allow ZapCat to share their information with City of Newcastle for the purpose of program feedback, it will be managed in line with City of Newcastle’s privacy policy, available on City of Newcastle’s website.