Air-conditioning Program
Project objectives
The Department of Defence has commenced a project to improve home cooling systems for members in Service Residences across Australia. This is a major project that will add or improve cooling to over 3,000 Service Residences in Defence priority locations. The project is fully funded by Defence and managed by Defence Housing Australia (DHA) in a planned and co-ordinated manner to ensure the best use of Commonwealth funds.
Project delivery
- A DHA Contractor will contact tenants to conduct an assessment of houses that may not currently meet Defence's minimum cooling requirements for their region.
- This assessment will be independently reviewed to ensure that the proposed solution meets the relevant Defence requirements and industry standards.
- Where required, installation of air-conditioning equipment will be performed by the DHA Contractor. Not all assessments will result in the installation of air-conditioning.
- There will be an inspection conducted on selected properties as part of a quality assurance process to ensure that the installation meets the relevant Defence requirements and industry standards.
- Tenants will be contacted for feedback about the project delivery.
- The project will run over a two year period.
Project milestones
- August 2010 - DHA commenced sending the first round of letters to tenants of houses that require an assessment due to the property not currently meeting Defence's minimum cooling requirements for the region.
- August 2010 - DHA Contractors commenced contacting tenants to conduct the assessments.
- September 2010 – DHA Contractors commenced installing air-conditioning in assessed properties.
- September 2010 – Tenants with installed air-conditioning may be contacted to complete a survey as part of the audit process for the project.
- November 2010 – DHA commenced sending the second round of letters to tenants of houses that require an assessment due to the property not currently meeting Defence's minimum cooling requirements for the region.
- February 2011 - over 600 houses have had air-conditioning installed. Another 600 properties are in the process of having air conditioning fitted and 1300 properties will commence over the coming months.
- 30 June 2011 - The first stage of the project is expected to be completed. Subsequent stages of the project will continue into the 2011/12 financial year.
Examples of work completed to date
Some myths circulating about the project
- All properties are eligible for air-conditioning. Air-conditioning is not a Defence requirement in some regions of Australia. This project is focused on fitting air-conditioning in those regions where the current contractual standard includes air-conditioning. Some leased properties where the lease will expire in the next few years have also been excluded from the project as installing air-conditioning in these properties would not be an appropriate use of Commonwealth funds.
- If you do not have your air-conditioning installed by March 2011, you will not receive it. Tenants living in a property that is eligible for the air-conditioning upgrade may have the air-conditioning installed on any date up to the end of the project in 2012.
Other information
- To ensure value for money from the funding available, only properties that will remain in DHA's housing portfolio long term will be fitted with air-conditioning.
- The project is funded by Defence who have set the parameters for the houses to be included in this project.
- These Defence parameters set out which houses have been included in the project, the types of air-conditioning fitted or which room/s the air-conditioning is fitted into. As the project is funded by Defence, DHA is unable to change these parameters.
- Currently air-conditioning is not a Defence requirement in some regions of Australia. This project is focused on fitting air-conditioning in those regions where the current contractual standard includes air-conditioning.
- If a Service Residence is not included in the project, there is another option available in accordance with Clause 6.6.14 of the Australian Defence Force Pay and Conditions Manual (PACMAN), and subject to approval by the Chief of Defence Force or his delegate, tenants may wish to purchase and install a window mounted air-conditioner. As a result any reasonable labour costs associated with dismantling and the reinstallation at future relocations will be reimbursed by the Commonwealth.
Project Support Centre
Further information will be made available on this web page as the project progresses.
Email: aircon@dha.gov.au
Urgent enquiries: 1300 366 615.