MEA responds to federal Budget

Master Electricians Australia has praised the federal Budget’s $1bn loan program for more energy-efficient Australian households, but it is urging the government to “look to the future” when setting the loan criteria.

MEA CEO Malcolm Richards said that while solar panels and high-efficiency electric hot water systems were worthy of support, new technologies were emerging that would potentially provide greater benefits to households and the nation.

As an example, he urged the government to consider supporting households to invest in bidirectional vehicle charging, which would allow people to draw electricity from their car batteries at peak times and charge them when demand for electricity was lower.

“Many areas of Australia already experience negative demand for solar power at the hottest part of the day — that is to say, we produce more power than we can use,” Richards said.

“Funding additional solar panels alone will only add to this problem. We would like to see a holistic approach to this loan scheme, incorporating emerging technologies to maximise the benefits of green energy generation.

“As a starting point, solar power systems that incorporate batteries help smooth that negative demand in the middle of the day by capturing excess electricity and making it available during the evening peak.

“But there’s no reason for the batteries to be fixed in one place. Within the next decade most Australian homes are expected to have at least one electric vehicle. Why not use that in-built battery as a power source for homes or offices?

“Charge the vehicle wherever you are during the day, and use the power wherever you are at night? It not only saves money for consumers, but it cuts down on the need for expensive investment in the power grid.

“By adopting some out-of-the-box thinking with this scheme, the Albanese government can not only help households, but it can earn a dividend for the Budget in the form of deferred spending in years to come.”

MEA also welcomed the additional investment in TAFE courses, saying Australia needed to build the workforce to create the energy-efficient homes and businesses of tomorrow.

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