C’mon Townsville get your name on the solar scoreboard

Townsville families have been urged to save hundreds of dollars on their power bills and cut pollution with interest-free State Government loans to install solar systems.

Speaking in Townsville today, Energy Minister Dr Anthony Lynham said up to 11,000 Townsville families could be eligible for the scheme, which offered power bill savings of up to $2450 over seven years.

“Townsville is one of the best places in Australia to have a solar system,” he said.

“It has an average of 3139 hours of sunshine a year, the highest of any city on the eastern seaboard.

“Our interest-free loans can help Townsville families join the solar revolution --- like almost half-a-million-other Queenslanders.”

The program offers a $4500 interest-free loan over seven years, which should cover the cost of a typical 3 kilowatt rooftop system. Households need to be eligible for Family Tax Benefit B and have spent more than $1000 on their power bill over the past six months or $2000 over the past 12 months.

Once they confirm they are eligible, they obtain a quote from an approved installer – like   Townsville solar installer Mark Graham Electrical -- and then apply online.

Dr Lynham said just one Townsville household had applied and no systems had been installed yet, despite potential savings of around $350 a year.

Local Townsville MPs – Member for Mundingburra Coralee O’Rourke, Member for Townsville Scott Stewart, and Member for Thuringowa Aaron Harper -- urged locals to put their hands up for the scheme, and to call their electorate offices for more information or assistance with applying.

“Not only can you save money, but you can also boost our local economy by supporting local government-approved installers like Mark,” Mr Stewart said.

“Around 18,000 Townsville households already have solar systems and this is an easy way for people who may not have been able to afford the upfront cost of rooftop solar to join in,” Mrs O’Rourke said.

“My message is: check your eligibility and get online and apply to start saving on your power bill and cutting our greenhouse gas emissions,” Mr Harper said.

The interest-free solar loans are part of the Palaszczuk Government’s Affordable Energy Plan, which includes:

• a two-year price cap guarantee that electricity costs will not rise above inflation
• $50 a year annual rebate for two years, as a dividend from the publicly-owned electricity companies. 

For more information visit qld.gov.au/solarloans.

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Media contact: Jan Martin 0439 341 314