Regions to benefit from Green Party solar scheme

Monday, 17 Feb 2014 | Press Release

People around New Zealand are well placed to benefit from the Green Party’s new Solar Homes scheme, which will mean cleaner, cheaper power for homes, Green Party energy spokesperson Gareth Hughes said today.

“With average annual electricity bills up significantly in the last five years, and good annual sunshine hours, New Zealanders stand to gain a lot from this policy,” said Mr Hughes.

“People are paying too much for their power, and the Greens want to make it easier for people to benefit from solar and save money. Our Solar Homes initiative will help free Kiwis from the worry and stress of rising electricity prices.”

Under the scheme, announced yesterday, households will be able to get low-cost loans from Government to install solar panels so they can tap into affordable green power and generate their own electricity.

The loan will be repaid through their rates. Any excess power generated can be sold back to the grid.

Availability of finance is currently seen as one of the key barriers to the uptake of solar in New Zealand. Solar Homes aims to remove this barrier.

“Power prices have risen 22% since National came to power, which means energy companies are making big profits while ordinary New Zealanders struggle to pay their bills,” said Mr Hughes.

“Solar Homes lets Kiwis take the power back, and break free from the big energy companies. This policy is about cheaper power, energy freedom and creating local jobs.”

The typical system will leave people about $100 better off a year – producing $1,000 of electricity a year at current prices, but only costing $900 a year, over 15 years, to pay off. After that the system will continue to produce free electricity for the lifetime of the panels.

“Solar is a smart choice for those wanting to reduce their power costs. It’s also one of the greenest forms of electricity generation out there,” said Mr Hughes.

Solar Homes builds on previous energy announcements from the Greens, including NZ Power, which will fix the broken market by creating a single buyer and save families around $300 a year.

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