Collaboration brings renewables to social housing

Four renewable energy companies — Allume Energy, AXITEC Energy, Clenergy and Fronius Australia — have formed a partnership to make solar energy for multi-tenant social housing buildings more accessible and affordable.

The industry initiative comes at a time when the cost of living continues to soar in Australia. With energy prices at their highest in decades, many social housing providers are increasingly concerned with finding sustainable solutions for tenants across their portfolios, but the cost can be prohibitive. In addition, it hasn’t been feasible until recently to install solar energy on apartments, which make up a significant proportion of social housing in Australia.

The solution the partnership is providing is a reduced-cost solar equipment package that can connect residents of multi-tenanted buildings to lower-cost renewable energy.

Dubbed the ‘Solar Social Housing Package’, the initiative offers a discount on the solar panels, roof mounting equipment, smart meters and solar-sharing technology required to provide apartment residents with self-generated solar energy. The total discount amounts to around $3750, although the partnership is now negotiating to potentially increase this reduction.

“Allume is thrilled to work together with our associates to solve problems that matter,” said Allume Energy CEO Cameron Knox. “It is crucial that apartment residents can access clean, affordable energy, particularly social housing tenants, who are often disproportionately affected by the rising cost of energy. Communities shouldn’t have to decide between putting food on the table and heating their homes.”

Andreas Boeck, Managing Director Australia at AXITEC, said, “AXITEC Energy wants to give back to the social housing community, together with our other partners in this project, by providing high-quality solar modules at a discounted price for people on a low income, which will assist them in lowering their electricity bill.”

The group believes that, combined with the various grants that are available across Australian states, installing solar energy on new or existing multi-tenanted properties may become a ‘no-brainer’ for social housing providers.

Image caption: Cameron Knox, Allume Energy; Samir Jacob, Clenergy; Mariella Doppelbauer, Fronius Australia; Andreas Boeck, AXITEC. Image: Supplied