It makes perfect sense to have power from the sun

Retired school teacher Ian lives on a hill in Trafalgar East, a stunning spot with views of nearby mountains and farmland.

His family home was built about 20 years ago. At the time, they were interested in having a “solar passive home” so they started off with the installation of a solar hot water system. “We have a northerly aspect and whenever there was an electrician or a plumber here, they asked us why we hadn’t yet installed solar,” says Ian.

Two years ago, Ian took the plunge and installed solar panels and a solar battery.

“We’re now a two-person household and we've both retired for some years, but the tariffs kept creeping up each year. Our power bill was getting up around $2,000 to $2,500. It just felt like it was time to try and control that really,” says Ian.

Like most of us, Ian was home for most of 2020 and he reaped the benefits of his solar set-up saving him money.

“It makes perfect sense to have power from the sun. I mean it's free and it's there.”

To enable more households to afford solar, Solar Victoria offers a rebate of up to $1,400 off the cost of solar PV, with the option of an interest-free loan up to the rebate value.

For more information, visit solar.vic.gov.au/solar-panel-rebate

Updated

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