When we built our house, we were able to install solar panels on the roof. Every month, when the power bill arrives, I’m reminded what a difference they’ve made.
But I also know many Dunedin families don’t have that opportunity.
For the thousands of Dunedin people who rent, rooftop solar has often felt completely out of reach.
That’s the challenge Labour’s proposed SolarSaver policy is designed to solve.
The cheapest electricity available is the sunshine falling on our roofs each day. The expensive part has always been buying the equipment.
SolarSaver aims to remove that barrier through government-backed finance, with repayments designed to be lower than the expected savings on a household’s power bill.
That means families can start benefiting sooner, rather than having to save thousands of dollars before they can even get started.
Low and middle-income households would also be eligible for additional support of up to $3000 to help make solar more affordable.
But what about renters?
For years, that’s been the policy puzzle. It isn’t fair that only homeowners can benefit from cheaper, cleaner electricity.
That’s why two innovative parts of this proposal stand out.
The first is plug-in solar panels. Already used overseas, these systems plug into a standard power point, allowing renters to generate some of their own electricity without permanently altering the property.
A two-panel kit costs around $1500, saves $300-$400 a year on your power bill, and pays for itself in four to five years.
The second is a Community Battery Fund, helping neighbourhoods store locally generated solar energy and share the benefits, even if individual households don’t have panels on their own roofs.
Electric vehicles are increasingly part of the wider energy conversation, with smart charging systems allowing cars to charge when electricity is cheapest and, in future, potentially feed power back into the grid when demand is highest.
That can help make our electricity network more resilient, while making better use of the renewable power we’re already generating.
For Dunedin, this is about more than renewable energy.
It’s about lower household bills, local jobs for electricians and installers, greater energy security, and making sure the benefits of cheaper, cleaner electricity are available to everyone — not just those who can afford the upfront investment.
That’s a future I want every Dunedin household to be part of.
