Through the pilot program, eligible Hunter residents will be able to access interest-free loans for battery and solar-battery systems which could deliver more than $250 in savings a year (whilst paying off the system).
Environment Minister Matt Kean said the pilot is an important first step in the delivery of the NSW Government’s Empowering Homes program which will reduce energy bills for up to 300,000 households while helping the State to transition to a clean energy future.
“This is about unlocking the saving and sustainability benefits offered by solar-battery systems” Mr Kean said.
“This will help create jobs, reduce emissions, increase system security and reliability, and place downward pressure on energy costs for everyone.”
Of the Company’s involvement in the program, Beau Savage, co-founder and director said it aligns with Smart Energy’s mission; to make solar and batteries accessible and affordable for everyone, whilst helping people to reduce their green footprint.
“Although feed-in tariffs in NSW can be quite high in certain areas, they’re not a solid guarantee. Having stored energy available will give people the opportunity to access far cheaper, and cleaner energy to significantly reduce their household outgoings,” said Mr Savage.
“Given our high penetration of customers in the Hunter region and ability to install multiple locations at high volume, Smart Energy is an ideal partner for the program,” said Mr Savage.
“And the benefits aren’t limited to households either. The program will soften the load which is already causing problems on the grid in Australia.”
Interest-free loans of up to $14,000 for a solar-battery system, or up to $9,000 for the addition of a battery to an existing solar system will be available to owner-occupiers with an annual household income of up to $180,000.
Running for up to 12 months, the pilot will be available to residents who live in eligible postcodes in the areas of Cessnock, Dungog, Lake Macquarie, Maitland, Mid-Coast, Muswellbrook, Port Stephens, Singleton and Upper Hunter.
Homeowners in the Hunter region are encouraged to get in touch with Smart Energy for a quote via the Smart Energy website (see link below), and more information about the program can be accessed at the solar-battery loan-offer page (link below).
By submitting this form you agree to pv magazine using your data for the purposes of publishing your comment.
Your personal data will only be disclosed or otherwise transmitted to third parties for the purposes of spam filtering or if this is necessary for technical maintenance of the website. Any other transfer to third parties will not take place unless this is justified on the basis of applicable data protection regulations or if pv magazine is legally obliged to do so.
You may revoke this consent at any time with effect for the future, in which case your personal data will be deleted immediately. Otherwise, your data will be deleted if pv magazine has processed your request or the purpose of data storage is fulfilled.
Further information on data privacy can be found in our Data Protection Policy.