Home batteries are the way to go, but we have to support our tradies too
Rewiring Australia is urging the WA Government to commit to backpaying battery rebates to people who buy the technology from March 9 if they are re-elected.
The state government’s election promise to subsidise solar batteries in WA homes is strongly welcomed by Rewiring Australia, with thousands of dollars in energy bill savings available to households. But it is crucial to deploy the policy in a way that supports the businesses doing the work of installing.
“Waiting between now and July 1 when the rebate would come into effect is a long time for businesses who are already seeing work dry up because people are waiting for those subsidies,” the CEO of Rewiring Australia Francis Vierboom said.
“By committing to backpaying the subsidy offer to installations that occur from the day of re-election, if that happens, it gives people confidence they can get on with electrification installations that will save money right away, and avoiding installer businesses getting stuck without customers in the interim,” Francis Vierboom said.
Research from Rewiring Australia’s community deployments shows households are keen to install batteries to store solar power, and government support to do that is a big part of the plan to create cheaper and cleaner energy for homes.
Supporting our installers is also critical, as they will be crucial to delivering new technology like batteries, as it becomes more cost-effective.
Media contact: Kathleen Ferguson - 0421 522 080