Home solar and battery installs wanted by most Australian households: survey
A new household energy survey suggests 68% of home and property owners would spend up to $10,000 on rooftop solar and residential battery installation costs if it meant they could save $2,000 a year on bills.
Results from an independent commissioned survey of 1,000 people Australia-wide found similar numbers across all states and territories would spend up to $10,000 on a rooftop solar system[2] and residential battery installation[3] if it could save them $2,000 a year in energy costs.
The greatest support was in South Australia (76%) and the ACT (74%), followed by Queensland (70%), NSW and Western Australia (67%) and Victoria (66%).
After a record 57,000 battery or energy storage systems were installed in Australian homes in 2023 – a 21% growth on 2022 – and nearly 30,000 battery units were sold in the first half of 2024, rooftop solar accounts for 11.3% of Australia’s electricity.
Green Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder David Green said the study clarified the impact of energy costs on household budgets.
“Solar and solar batteries are and always will be the best way to take control and have a positive impact on power usage and bills. The increasing costs of power and decreasing pay back periods coupled with a dynamic and evolving energy market is giving solar with batteries even more power into energy consumers hands,” Green said.
“At Green.com.au, we have seen a 100% increase in battery sales in the last 12 months alone. Consumers need and deserve the ability to control their energy usage and consumption and solar and a battery gives you exactly that.”
The study also found that the significant interest in an alternative solution to household energy comes as one in two (49%) Australian householders expected winter energy bill shock – and 17% had already received a winter bill beyond their expectations.
The Australian government increased last year’s $1.5 billion (USD 1 billion) Energy Bill Relief to $3.5 billion in 2024-25 to provide households with a $300-$325 annual rebate, issued in quarterly instalments of $75 per quarter for households and $81.25 for small businesses, between 31 July 2024 to 1 April 2025.
The survey found that more than a quarter of households (27%) pay over $300 extra per month than the same time last year, including a small percentage (7%) who pay as much as $1,000 plus.
A separate study by Green found that 81% of Australians support Victoria[4]’s new minimum energy efficiency standards on rental homes, and 61% would support all state governments adopting the same.
The standards are part of Victoria’s Gas Substitution Roadmap[5] seeking to raise the current minimum of a fixed heater in the main living room and minimum of a 2-star rating, to include ceiling insulation, draught sealing, hot water, cooling and a revised heading standard, as well as a heating standard for rooming houses.
The government is incentivising uptake of the standards through the Victorian Energy Upgrades (VEU) program, a $1,400 solar-for-rentals rebate for landlords, and a price comparison website for consumers called Victorian Energy Compare.
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References
- ^ Posts by Ev Foley (www.pv-magazine-australia.com)
- ^ rooftop solar system (www.pv-magazine-australia.com)
- ^ residential battery installation (www.pv-magazine-australia.com)
- ^ Victoria (www.pv-magazine-australia.com)
- ^ Gas Substitution Roadmap (www.pv-magazine-australia.com)
- ^ editors@pv-magazine.com (www.pv-magazine-australia.com)