Covid lockdowns and restrictions have had a significant impact on the work of Renewable Energy Benalla (REB), particularly in relation to meetings and conducting any workshop activities. Implementing the Benalla Stationary Energy Transition Strategy developed in 2017 with assistance from Beyond Zero Emissions continues to be the major goal of REB. This strategy has the goal of achieving 100% renewables by 2028.
 
Benalla Community Energy Project
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The establishment of the Benalla Community Energy Project working group as a sub group of REB has been very successful. The goal of this working group was to establish a donation based Community Energy Fund, managed as a separate BSFG bank account, which makes interest free loans to community buildings to install solar panels or conduct other energy efficiency measures. Loan repayments by the community group to the fund are based on savings on energy bills. These repayments eventually enable funding of another system and the fund becomes a 'revolving fund'.
 
The Community Energy Project working group approached two Benalla kindergartens who accepted the offer of interest free loans to install solar panels. Panels were installed at Munro Ave kindergarten in May 2021 and Bernard Briggs kindergarten in late January this year. Grants from the Winton Solar Farm Community Benefit Scheme assisted with funding both these projects. The solar installer, Solargain, made significant in-kind contributions to both projects and have indicated that they are willing to assist REB in future projects. Loan repayments from both kindergartens are rebuilding the balance of the fund. The working group will now work towards identifying potential future projects to fund.
 
Energy Efficiency

Due to Covid we have been unable to conduct Energy Efficiency workshops during the last two years. While the 2019 workshops were seen to be excellent by those who attended, the number of participants was disappointing.

Improving energy efficiency, and therefore reducing energy use, is a major focus of the Transition Strategy and we need to focus on how to best promote this.
 
Community Power Hub
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A joint initiative from Goulburn Valley Community Energy and Indigo Power has resulted in the establishment of the Hume Community Power Hub. The Victorian government has established a number of such Hubs across the state and has provided them with significant funding. The purpose of the Hume Community Power Hub is to increase the deployment of renewable energy and energy efficiency projects across the Hume Region. In order to do this the Hume Community Power Hub will build the capacity of the North East Community Energy Network and its members.
 
REB is a member of this network, which is the largest community energy network in Australia. Kevin Smith is the REB/BSFG representative on this group.
 
BSGF obtained funding from the Hume Community Power Hub to conduct information sessions for landlords about the advantages of installing solar panels on their properties to enable renters to have access to cheaper electricity bills.
 
Future of REB

REB has been struggling for some time due largely to a lack of active members and the future of REB has been discussed at several REB meetings. The Community Energy Project working group had been meeting independently of REB but in November we held a joint meeting to discuss the future of REB. It was decided that the groups should combine. This should overcome some of the problems that REB has been having.

As a result of the BSFG Review process some new members have joined REB and this should also help.
 
Renewable Energy Benalla was established as an action group of BSFG in 2017, following a very successful public forum in October 2016 on 'Future Energy for Benalla'. After five years as Convenor this report will be my final involvement with REB as I am moving away from Benalla very shortly.
 
John Lloyd
June 2022  

Renewable Energy Benalla is an action group of the Benalla Sustainable Future Group (BSFG). We invite you to attend BSFG's Annual General Meeting: 7.30 pm Thursday 9th June 2022 at the Benalla Uniting Church Fellowship Room.  A report from REB will be presented at the meeting.

Guest Speaker, Dr Lisa Rasmussen, is a Mercy Health clinician and holder of an Environmental Master’s degree. Lisa’s work in reducing the carbon foot print of Mercy Health has resulted in “Caring for People and Planet, Mercy Health’s Strategic Response to Laudato Si”.

​Supper will be served at the conclusion of the evening.

On Tuesday May 31st Brad Foletta from Solar Gain spoke to Landlords from Benalla about the benefits of solar for landlords.

Brad presented information about Solar rebates for rental properties from the Solar Victoria website https://www.solar.vic.gov.au/solar-rebates-rental-properties.

To summarise the benefits:

• Reduce the living expenses for your tenants.

• Cost of living is set to further increase in the near future. By fitting renewable energy solutions like solar PV or solar hot water you reduce the cost of living for your tenant, which in return helps assure that they can afford to pay their rent.
• It also builds loyalty from the tenant, not only will they be better able to afford to stay in your rental property, but they will also want to stay longer term as they will want to reap the benefits of this renewable solution that you have installed which helps avoid the pain and lost income of changing over tenants.

• Improve the value of your property. Home buyers are now looking for features such as a good size, high quality solar system when buying a property. It is well tested that this feature can increase the value of a home when put to market.
• Reduce your impact on the environment. Installing renewable solutions on your rental property will directly reduce the carbon footprint of your assets and help combat climate change.
• Make your house safer

• Mandatory switchboard safety switches (RCD’s) are mandatory for rental properties. If you have a property that needs the switchboard upgrading then you can have it done at the same time as a solar PV install at a reduced cost.
• Old gas appliances which also need to be inspected for possible leaks or carbon monoxide issues can be replaced with heat pump technology for both hot water heating and home heating.

 
Subsidies available:

Small scale technology certificates (STC’s) are generated when you install a Solar PV system or Solar hot water (including heat pumps) This incentive works like a rebate giving you:

• around $3100 off the upfront cost of a typical 6.6kW system.
• Around $1000 off the cost of a solar hot water (heat pump) unit.

There is a further Victorian state rebate available that is administered from the Solar Homes Program (Solar Victoria) Upon being deemed eligible you can be approved for:

• A $1400 rebate from the cost of fitting a solar PV system to your rental property.
• A further $1400 interest free loan is also available, which you can request that your tenant pays half of this.

Victoria Energy Efficiency Certificates:   A further ~$1000 of VEECS state “rebate” is available for heat pump hot water units when replacing an electric storage hot water unit in Victoria. With these Solar PV subsidies combined there is an upfront discount of almost $6000 which can take the cost of a good quality 6.6kW solar PV system on a standard type house install down from the $10k mark to just $4k.
 
For a solar hot water, the cost of a fully installed, good quality iStore heat pump hot water unit is reduced from $4000 to just $2000 if both above mentioned rebates are taken.

Download the Solar for Rentals Fact Sheet.

This meeting was organised by BSFG President Peter Holmes and it was very well attended.  There will be another meeting for Tenants on Tuesday June 14th from 7pm-8pm in the Fellowship Room at the Uniting Church in Carrier Street Benalla, opposite the Coles car park.

Peter Maddock

​On 23rd, 24th and 25th May 2022 two of our members completed Voluntary Home Energy Efficiency Advisor training provided by the Hume Community Power Hub,  https://www.communitypowerhub.net.au/hume/.

Community Power Hubs provide grants for community groups to install renewable energy and undertake energy audits, https://www.communitypowerhub.net.au/.

Indigo Power  https://indigopower.com.au/about-us/, and GV Community Energy https://www.gvce.com.au/ are jointly delivering the Hume Community Power Hub.

Once endorsed our Voluntary members will be able to advise about improving Home Energy Efficiency.  We hope to then have a contact form here to use this service.

​Peter Maddock