Hume City Council’s Hume Household Solar Rollout program has been successful in encouraging residents in the region to install solar panels, with the suburb of Sunbury recording the highest number of installations through the program.
Sunbury was also in the top ten suburbs in Victoria for overall solar installations in February 2023, while Craigieburn is in the top five suburbs in the state for total solar generation.
Since Hume’s Solar Rollout program began in late 2020, 1,000kW of solar has been installed across households in Hume City through the program, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 1,050t (CO2-e) per year – the equivalent to removing around 205 average Australian cars off the road each year.
Hume City Mayor, Joseph Haweil, said, “The one-megawatt solar installation milestone is a great reflection of the Hume Household Solar program and proves residents are making positive impacts through solar.
“The impressive solar uptake results across our community – and for Sunbury and Craigieburn in particular – are testament to our residents and their commitment to a renewable future.
“Given the ongoing cost of living pressures that many in our community are facing, the Hume Household Solar Rollout program is an effective way for residents to save money and help keep our environment clean now and into the future”
On top of the positive environmental outcomes, Hume households who have installed solar panels through the Council program, have saved a collective total of around $215,000 in electricity bills.
As cost-of-living pressures continue to be an issue for many, now is a good time to consider installing solar panels, as the Victorian Government is offering rebates of $1,400 and interest-free loans up to the same amount.
Hume City Council offers an additional $700 rebate to concession card holders who install solar through the Hume program. With other rebates and the no interest loan this can reduce the upfront costs of solar by $3,500.
Solar panels can significantly reduce an individual household’s environmental impact and help save an average of $1,073 in annual electricity bills.
The Hume Household Solar Rollout program is a partnership between Hume City Council and the Yarra Energy Foundation (YEF), with an accredited solar provider, Green Home Green Planet.
