The Solar Savers program is the flagship initiative of local government, aimed at supporting vulnerable households in installing solar panels through a trusted facilitation service. This program has been at the forefront of utilizing council property rates as a finance mechanism.
Currently, EAGA is responsible for delivering Solar Savers to 15 councils, including six EAGA members (Boroondara, Glen Eira, Knox, Maroondah, Monash, and Yarra Ranges) as well as nine non-member councils. To learn more about the program or to participate, please visit the dedicated Solar Savers website. As of November 2022, the program has successfully facilitated the installation of approximately 550 solar PV systems, with around 125 of those being installed in pensioner households.
Solar Savers has now expanded its scope to include assisting businesses in installing solar panels. Additionally, the program will soon be expanding its residential offerings to include a range of electric appliance technologies, in support of the growing electrification ambitions of councils.
Background
Solar Savers was initiated in the City of Darebin in 2014 and pioneered the use of council rates as an underpinning finance mechanism to support low-income households access solar. In June 2016, EAGA and its partners secured a $0.76M State Government Grant through the New Energy Jobs Fund to extend delivery of Solar Savers across 26 councils and four of Victoria’s Greenhouse Alliances. The grant funded program delivered over 434 solar systems (1.6MW) saving households an average of $260 per year. Independent evaluation demonstrated:
- solar provides low cost energy throughout the day meaning that householders could cool their homes during heatwaves without fear of ‘price shock’
- councils can facilitate private-sector investment within a community segment traditionally viewed as high risk to investors by establishing partnership finance models with the banking sector
- a shared services approach to project implementation enabled access to dedicated capability and thereby reduce resource requirements and risks to councils
The project methodology has been informed by two detailed business cases, available here.
To find out more, please contact Anna Imberger, Program Leader here.