Expanded Solar Rebates for Apartments, Townhouses, and Units
The opportunity for apartment buildings in Victoria to benefit from discounted rooftop solar installations is back as applications open for the second round of the Solar for Apartments program. Launched earlier this year with a $16 million fund, the first round provided 5,000 rebates of up to $2,800 per apartment or $140,000 per building with up to 50 apartments.
Despite 12% of Victoria’s 2.5 million households residing in apartments, access to rooftop solar has been limited due to cost and complexity. The initiative aims to address this by offering significant savings on electricity bills, potentially reducing costs by up to $500 annually for apartment dwellers.
Expanding Eligibility and Regional Benefits
The success of the program is evident with over 400 applications from Owners Corporations, representing 12,000 kilowatts of solar capacity across 5,000 apartments, including almost half occupied by renters. The second round of funding, amounting to an additional $16 million, will provide 5,000 more rebates. This time, eligibility extends to residents in townhouses and units with body corporates.
State energy minister Lili D’Ambrosio highlights the importance of including strata townhouses and units with common property rooftops, as well as multi-storey buildings with two or more units. This expansion is expected to particularly benefit households in regional areas where such building types are prevalent.
Program Uptake and Regional Distribution
The initiative has seen a diverse uptake across metropolitan Melbourne, with the City of Port Phillip leading with 61 applications, followed by City of Yarra with 44, City of Stonnington with 43, and City of Darebin with 40 applications. Minister D’Ambrosio emphasises the aim to make solar energy more accessible to renters, ultimately leading to reduced energy costs for a broader range of households.
By Sophie Vorrath
