One of the country's largest energy retailers has recorded a 95 percent spike in Australian households opting for renewable electricity to help the environment, save on bills and add value to their homes.
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Energy Australia chief customer officer Mark Brownfield said in the last four weeks, a staggering 95 percent of its customers are taking up their solar panel and battery bundle offer which comes after trialing their product since September last year.
In the Central West and Orana region, Brian Parker of Solahart Central West, which operates in Dubbo, also confirmed more local households' interest in installing solar hot water or panel systems with battery storage "for environmental perspectives" and to save on power costs.
"Others come for environmental perspectives but the main trigger is the increase in power bills with some having their per kilowatt costs rise from 20 cents per kilowatt to 40 cents," Mr Parker said.
"If they are paying double per kilowatt usage, renewable electricity becomes more viable because the battery storage can save them some kilowatts at night.
"They want to have a bit more control on where their bills are going."
At night, battery storage from hot water or solar panels can generate up to 15 cents per kilowatt savings on households, Mr Parker said.
Mr Parker's company based in Dubbo is installing Solahart's brand of hot water systems and different brands of solar panels in the region.
Energy Australia, the third-largest provider, services 1.7 million across Australia and in NSW, it has 857,000 households or 25.5 percent of the market.
Origin Energy is the largest retailer with 29.3 percent of households connected to their services while AGL comes second at 22.4 percent of households across Australia.
Energy Australia trialed its Solar Home Bundle product in September 2021 and has since received rave reviews, prompting it to open up more areas in NSW, Mr Brownfield said.
The energy comparison site, Finder, named Energy Australia's Solar Home Bundle a finalist in its 2021 Innovation Awards.
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"We believe the Solar Home Bundle changes the landscape for people wanting to enter the renewable energy market now. It puts transitioning to a solar and battery system in the home within reach," Mr Brownfield said.
"Australians have for some time faced a significant barrier to their renewable energy aspirations buying solar and batteries outright has been cost-prohibitive, not to mention confusing for many."
But now, Mr Brownfield said homeowners opting for the bundle can pay the plan over seven years and both solar panels and batteries are installed and maintained by Energy Australia.
After seven years, homeowners own the panels and battery outright and it is an attractive offer because having solar energy has become an added asset to homes as recent studies have shown.
Energy Australia's "virtual power plant" uses smart software to balance electricity supply from the national grid, solar and battery.