Councils to cut power bills through renewable energy

Marrickville Council will join forces with seven other Sydney councils in an initiative which will allow residents to save on power bills while helping the environment.

The Our Energy Future project, coordinated by Southern Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils (SSROC), is a joint initiative between Marrickville, Ashfield, Bankstown, Canada Bay, Canterbury, Kogarah, Leichhardt and Rockdale councils. It aims to increase the proportion of energy consumed from renewable sources across local government areas in Sydney.

SSROC commissioned an investigation from the Institute of Sustainable Futures (ISF), which found that only 129,400 dwellings across these areas are using renewable energy solutions. Only 5.5% use solar hot water systems and only 14% use solar PV.

The project is designed to:

• Identify cost-effective and practicable actions to increase the proportion of energy consumed through renewable sources;
• Identify business models and financing options to overcome barriers;
• Identify next steps to enable a shift towards renewable energy.

The councils have invited residents, organisations and business to share their ideas and provide feedback on the project at two upcoming workshops at Canterbury Hurlstone Park. The community workshop will be held on 21 July from 9.30 am - 12 pm, and the business workshop will be held on 24 July from 7.30 - 9.30 am.