Energy plan welcome, governments must now help renters access renewables

Voices for Power’s Sheik Adid Alrubai said state and federal governments must give everyone access to affordable renewable energy.

MEDIA RELEASE 15 December 2022 

Sydney residents have welcomed the federal government’s plan, set to pass parliament today, to cap coal and gas prices and help households transition from gas to electric appliances. They say the next step for governments should be to give renters and people on lower incomes access to renewable energy. 

Western Sydney’s Sheik Adid Alrubai said: “When I lived with my son and there was solar on the roof, I could afford normal activities like normal families. But when I left for a rental with no solar, we had to sacrifice many important things.” 

Sh Alrubai said he had to cut trips to see family in order to pay his energy bills. 

“Every end-of-year holidays I normally go with my wife to visit family in Melbourne but this year we won’t go. Visiting family overseas is now some kind of dream. We also reduced the amount of protein – meat and fish – we eat, from four days to two days a week.” 

He said the federal government’s move to cap coal and gas prices and electrify homes was “the first step on the right path”. But he said state and federal governments must also give people on lower incomes and renters access to affordable renewable energy such as solar. 

A significant 71 per cent of Australians agree the federal and state governments should do more to help renters and social housing tenants access affordable solar electricity, according to a new national poll. 

The national poll of more than 2000 people was commissioned by Solar Citizens and conducted by uComms. 

Of the NSW residents polled, 78 per cent per cent said they were concerned about affording their next electricity bill, which is 5 per cent higher than the national average.  

The national polling found 31 per cent of people would consider replacing gas appliances with electric if they could access a government-provided no-interest loan, while 48 per cent suggested they would consider installing household solar and storage with the same government support. 

“We’d like to see all sides of politics in the lead up to the NSW State Election next year commit to making cheap solar energy more accessible for renters and social housing tenants, while assisting people to get off expensive gas and electrify their homes,” said Heidi Lee Douglas, National Director of Solar Citizens. 

“Making it accessible for Australians to match electric appliances with rooftop solar is a guaranteed way to help households save.” 

Sh Alrubai is from Voices for Power, which, along with Solar Citizens, are part of the Sydney Alliance, a diverse coalition of 48 community, union, faith, charity, and not-for-profit organisations. 

The Sydney Alliance has been calling on the NSW Government to support households transition from gas to efficient electric appliances, invest in an energy hub to help communities access government schemes and get the best energy deals, and reconfirm their commitment to minimum energy efficiency standards for rentals.   

Media contacts:  

Sydney Alliance – Saimi Jeong, sjeong@sydneyalliance.org.au  

Solar Citizens – Heidi Lee Douglas, heidi@solarcitizens.org.au  

Key poll findings: 

Solar Citizens commissioned uComms to conduct a survey of 2084 residents across Australia during the evening of 29 November 2022 using self-completed automated voice polling methodologies. The results showed: 

• 41% have solar. 

• 73% of people are concerned or very concerned about affording their next electricity bill. 

• 71% agree that state and federal governments should do more to help renters and people living in social housing access solar energy to help them manage their electricity costs. 

• 48% would consider installing household solar or battery storage if they could access a government-provided no-interest loan. 

• 31% would consider replacing gas appliances with electric if they could access a government-provided no-interest loan. 

• 78% agree the federal government should expand the national rooftop solar subsidy to make it more affordable for Australians to also install household battery storage.