05 Apr, 2016

Solar Savers Scheme Makes Solar More Inclusive

The City of Adelaide is aiming to make solar possible for everyone, with a new initiative “Solar Savers” tailored to residential landlords, tenants and low income households, with information sessions on how to become a solar saver scheduled throughout April.

Solar Savers will help bridge the gap between homeownership and tenants, where traditionally solar has been difficult to access and in doing so help the City of Adelaide to reach its goal of the world’s first carbon neutral city.

Acting Lord Mayor Megan Hender and hers fellow elected members are strong supporters of Adelaide achieving carbon neutrality by 2025 or earlier and she is pleased to be offering this scheme to residential landlords, low income households and tenants.

“The Solar Savers Scheme will give residential landlords, tenants and low income households the ability to install solar without the usual upfront costs. The proposed scheme will provide a long term payment plan which transfers to the new building owner should the property be sold,” said Megan.

“It truly is a win for both the landlord and the tenant – the landlord improves the market appeal of their property and the tenants gain access zero carbon renewable energy from the sun and reap the rewards of lower energy bills. Who wouldn’t want to add value to an asset, and save money on power consumption?

“We anticipate households could save up to $500 per year on their electricity bills. Landlords will be able to attract and retain tenants for longer as they will have the advantage of lower power bills. Low income households will gain access to solar and avoid the upfront cost of installation.

“We have a target to double the residential population in the city by 2050, and providing attractive incentives for coming in to live in the city such as solar savers will help us achieve this goal. More residents in the city, means more business and activity in the city which really is good for everyone, I just can’t stress that enough,” she said.

“As a carbon neutral Adelaide initiative, we are providing advantages for sustainable investment strategies and reducing the cost of living for city households. In so doing, we are strengthening our reputation as one of the most liveable cities in the world.”

Drop-in energy information sessions, will provide help with registering interest in the Solar Savers program and provide other useful information around home energy, understanding and managing energy bills, and the Sustainable City Incentives Scheme.

For Solar Saver session dates, times and locations go to cityofadelaide.com.au/takeaction .

City of Adelaide has partnered with the Government of South Australia to make Adelaide the world’s first carbon neutral city. People involved in Solar Savers will play an integral role in the Carbon Neutral Adelaide initiative.