In the last year, Victorians helped the state move towards a cleaner renewable energy future, and so Victoria was with them every step of the way. Our rebates and loans helped Victorian households save on bills generate store, and use their own energy sooner. Last year, we approved more than 65,000 rebates to install a solar batteries or energy efficient hot water systems, and we know that it's more than a rebate.
90% of solar customers start using their energy better by running appliances while it's being generated, and nearly two thirds plan to or have replaced their old appliances with more energy efficient models.
They realized that switching to electric appliances like a heat pump, hot water system, will do even more to tackle climate change and cut their bills. Last year, we improved our hot water program and cut application times by 80%.
Demand for hot water rebates increased by over 600%. Our solar battery rebates help more than 15,000 households install over 150 megawatt hours of energy capacity. That's enough for a zero emissions vehicle to drive from Melbourne to the moon and back.
Our new interest-free solar battery loans will continue to help Victorian households to reduce their bills and get as much power from solar as possible. Our ZEV subsidy program helped get over 9,000 new electric cars onto the road providing clean, renewable transport.
Our training and audit programs continue to build a safer, reliable, and growing solar industry so that all our customers know they're supported for years to come. Victorians everywhere are paving the way for our renewable energy future.
So thank you for a fantastic year. What a great way to see what solar can do for you, for your community, and for Victoria.
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