Our first bulk purchase last year
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Leader Moonee Ponds
Thirty homes hot for solar power scheme
03 Mar 09 @ 07:02am by Cathy Nilbett
Moonee Valley Climate Action Group members Barbara Hutton and Richard Keech are encouraging solar energy. GLENN DANIELS
MORE than 30 households have signed up with a Moonee Valley environment group to install solar panels in their homes.
When the Moonee Valley Climate Action Group put the call out in the Leader last month for local households to join them in installing solar panels they were hoping for 20 households to register for installation.
Now the group expects to get 50 households involved and lower the installation cost even further. Moonee Valley residents have jumped on the offer, with some people in Moreland even registering.
“The phone hasn’t stopped ringing,” said one of the group’s founders, Barbara Hutton.
“It shows that Moonee Valley people are really keen to get solar power and hot water and do something about climate change.”
Ms Hutton said that, after receiving the Federal Government $8000 rebate, the panels could have been installed for about $4000 with 20 households - a saving of about $1000.
But with 50 households on board she said the panels could be installed for less than $2000 despite the system being worth about $14,000.
Ms Hutton said the group was hoping to sign up more households quickly because the rebate for eligible households would end on June 30.
“We call on the Federal Government to extend the rebate for another year because it has been a terrific stimulus,” Ms Hutton said.
“A solar system saves as much greenhouse pollution as taking two cars off the road, so you’re doing a good thing for Australia and the whole world.”
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