<
https://reneweconomy.com.au/australias-clean-energy-transition-has-been-powered-by-people-solar-for-renters-is-the-next-chapter/>
"In Australia’s federal election, household renewable energy wasn’t just a
winning policy – it also connected Australians to our common values of
resilience, innovation, and respect for our sunburnt country.
The Cheaper Home Batteries Program – a rebate of around 30% on home batteries –
was the major federal energy announcement and since its launch it has proven
incredibly popular.
Since last July, around 1,000 batteries a day are being installed – mostly in
outer suburbs and regional Australia. It built directly on the success of
rooftop solar, one of the quiet triumphs of Australian households over the last
two decades. And this matters, because it gives the second term Albanese
government a mandate to do more on home electrification.
But there was one glaring omission from the Albanese election package –
renters. The missing piece in Australia’s solar success story.
More than one in three Australians rent their home. Yet most of our clean
energy success stories – rooftop solar, batteries, energy efficiency upgrades –
still assume you own your house.
The Greens released a solar rights for renters policy just weeks before the
federal election, but there simply wasn’t time for it to gain traction in the
campaign.
At Solar Citizens, we know this gap well. We’ve been working on
solar-for-renters solutions since 2022, when the energy crisis collided with
the cost-of-living crisis. We’ve tested policy ideas with experts, allied
organisations, our supporters, and the wider public.
The challenge is well known: split incentives. Landlords pay. Renters benefit.
That’s exactly why the federal government has a key role to play to unlock
solar for renters."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
