A new energy policy announced by the Australian Greens has the potential to save households in the Richmond electorate more than $15.7 million on their electricity bills each year.
Under the policy, a new federal Energy Savings Agency will be established to find $1 billion in energy savings and help drive down power bills and the emissions causing global warming, according to federal candidate for Richmond, Dawn Walker.
‘The Greens Energy Policy will cut the average family’s electricity bills by approximately $250 a year. That’s a saving of over $15.7 million for households in the Richmond electorate,’ Ms Walker said.
‘Our policy would also ensure that North Coast locals who are feeding solar power back into the grid are paid a fair price for that contribution.
‘Local homeowners and businesses have installed nearly 29,000 solar panels and solar hot water systems to date. This places Richmond as the federal electorate with the third highest uptake of solar energy systems, demonstrating how much our community embraces clean energy,’ she said.
The proposal has received support from Byron Bay based solar business operator, Patrick Halliday.
‘Solar energy, solar hot water, and energy efficiency are all working together on the North Coast to ensure expensive network upgrades are delayed or cancelled,’ Mr Halliday said.
‘Solar energy allows businesses to cap or decrease reliance on imported energy while creating and supporting skilled employment on the North Coast,’ he said.?’For every $100 of your electricity bill, $51 is spent on new poles and wires. Only $9 is due to carbon pricing and low to medium income households are compensated for that.’?Ms Walker said renewable energy is also a growing part of our economy that provides many local jobs.
‘Unlike the coalition, the Greens recognise that clean energy has the potential to be an economic boom for Australia,’ she said. ?The Greens proposal has been fully costed by the Parliamentary Budget Office at $405 million per year.
