SSA - Solar Savers Adelaide: Solar PVs for Low-Income Households

The aim of the project SSA was to help low-income households access solar energy which can help manage the costs of air conditioning (as Southern Australia is experiencing greater intensity and more frequent heatwaves). This project seeked to overcome this barrier by removing the upfront costs of solar PV for householders and instead making quarterly payments over a 10 year period.

The principle was that households are forecasted to save more on electricity bills than they will pay for the solar panels each year over the 10-year period. The initial phase involved a registration of interest from residents and landlords, the amount of interest allowed the project to go ahead. Following this, In January 2017 the Council contacted each of the respondents who expressed an interest in Solar Savers Adelaide to determine their eligibility for Stage 1 of the Program. Subsequently, the Council selected eligible participants and appointed South Australian Company Homeworks Co Pty Ltd as the solar system provider and installer through a competitive tender process. The contractor then carried out pre-installation site visits to assess the suitability of the properties for a solar system and to provide property-specific quotations. A public consultation process took place from April to May 2017 to allow all potential participants to engage with Council and the contractor to address any questions/concerns. If householders decided to participate in the Program, they signed a Property Owner Agreement with Council. The solar PV systems were installed in late 2017/ early 2018.

The project started in 2016 and has ended.

Main beneficiaries: the elderly, energy-poor and low-income consumers. 

It addresses the topics of: heating and cooling systems, climate change, income and energy prices.