NSW expands free rooftop solar offer to low income households in Greater Sydney

The New South Wales government has extended its offer of free rooftop solar for low income households to parts of greater Sydney, boosting the successful $50 million program beyond the state’s regions.

The offer invites eligible home owners in the newly designated local government areas to apply to install a 3kW solar system at no cost, in return for giving up their Low Income Household Rebate for 10 years.

To be eligible, applicants must own their home, be receiving the Low Income Household Rebate – which they will then give up in lieu of the expected solar savings – and/or hold a valid Pensioner Concession Card or Department of Veterans’ Affairs Gold Card.

Households that already have solar cannot apply, and eligibility is limited to homes located in one of the listed local government areas, which was this week expanded to include an additional 12 parts of Greater Sydney.

New LGAs eligibile for the offer include Bayside, Blacktown, Burwood, Campbelltown, Canterbury-Bankstown, Cumberland, Fairfield, Georges River, Liverpool, Parramatta, Strathfield and Penrith.

The offer is already running successfully in five NSW regions: North Coast, Central Coast, Sydney-South, Illawarra-Shoalhaven and South Coast. Eligible homeowners in these regions are still encouraged to apply.

“The NSW government is committed to reducing the cost of living, with eligible households set to save up to $600 a year off their electricity bills by installing free 3 kilowatt rooftop solar systems,” said state energy minister Matt Kean in a statement on Friday.

“The upfront cost of installing a rooftop solar system can be prohibitive for many low income households, so we’ve set up this great offer so homeowners can unlock the savings offered by solar.

“The impacts of COVID-19 mean it is even more important to support low income households, with the offer to be extended across other parts of NSW over the next 12 months,” Kean said.