The thought of power from the sun is an exciting prospect for many home owners for both the environmental and financial benefits.
From 1 July 2025, Anthony Albanese’s election promise to subsidise the installation and cost of batteries will come to fruition.
The government’s Cheaper Home Batteries Program will provide around a 30 per cent discount on the upfront cost of installing eligible small-scale battery systems. The discount will be based on the battery’s usable capacity and will gradually decrease until 2030.
Cheap and clean solar power
The program aims to help households to make the most of cheap and clean solar power by storing it for when it is needed reduce costs for everyone – not just those who install a battery – because it means less expensive gas power generation, poles and wires.
The discount will be based on the battery’s usable capacity and will gradually decrease until 2030.
The discount will generally be provided via solar and battery retailers and installers. The Cheaper Home Batteries Program will be delivered through the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme (SRES), administered by the Clean Energy Regulator.
A community group
Electrify Byron Shire is a community group set up to encourage and inform households and businesses on solar, battery and electrification.
The man who set the group up, Graham Truswell, is currently talking to the Bangalow community about the benefits of electrification.
Mr Truswells says it’s important to know that the funding is a lump sum that will cover the subsidy for half a million batteries across Australia. And that home owners should be aware that four million households already have rooftop solar. If all those apply for batteries, the money will be used up rapidly.
‘When the subsidy comes into place, it will make home batteries the cheapest in the world. We are concerned that the money set aside will be a one off and once it is gone it might not be replaced. Generally having rooftop solar reduces electricity bills by 45 to 50 per cent, but adding a battery will reduce them by over 90 per cent.
Green low interest loans
‘Households can use green low interest loans and the ability to sell excess power stored in the battery to reduce the repayment period down to four to five years. After this they will be largely independent from the grid, free from electricity price increases and able to run the house during our increasing power outages.’
Electrify Byron Shire is working with the non-for-profit Rewiring Australia Organisation. They have looked at the statistics and found that 42 per cent of greenhouse gasses are produced by households in Australia. This means that, if we were all to electrify – that means having all electric appliances in and around the home, a solar and battery system and an electric vehicle – the benefit to the environment would be huge.
‘Electrification of our houses is an activity we can all get involved with when it is exasperating that politicians and industry don’t seem to be doing enough,’ says Truswell.
Electrify Byron Shire is also looking to improve the communication between domestic tenants and landlords and the same for our local businesses. The hope is to get more solar on rental rooftops.
‘The way we see it, landlords are eligible to all the same financial incentives as private households but also the benefit of having a solar system is tax deductible. If an arrangement can be made so that the reduction in electricity bills matches some of the costs of installation, then landlords, tenants and the environment benefit.’
National leaders in electrification
Mr Truswell says 64 per cent of the Richmond electorate has rooftop solar up, the national average is 40 per cent. This make’s Richmond ninth in the country. ‘Electrify Byron Shire wants to make our area national leaders in electrification. We could show the rest of the country how it’s done.’ says Mr Truswell.
‘We live in an ideal area. When it’s not raining, our subtropical climate gives us mild sunny winters and usually breezy summers with plenty of strength in the sun. Heating and cooling costs are less than other areas. We don’t have piped gas, we don’t live in high rise buildings and we have a generally environmentally concerned community.’
Electrify Byron Shire is door knocking Bangalow at the moment so please have a chat. They would welcome others to join the group by emailing: [email protected].
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