- Published:
- Tuesday 17 December 2024 at 8:51 am
The achievements we celebrate would not have been possible without the dedicated professional work of many - authorised retailers and installers in our program, our regulatory and industry partners, the Solar Victoria team, and of course our customers.
Continuous evolution of the Solar Homes Program
Since the Solar Homes Program commenced in 2018, it has continuously evolved to align with the Victorian Government’s policy agenda and increased ambition on renewables and electrification. Through engagement with stakeholder organisations and reflecting our deep customer insights, the program now supports solar in apartments and new-builds, allows bundling of various incentives, and has supported 500 customers to participate in virtual power plants - in addition to a swath of market-shaping technical requirements and improved standards.
We are committed to investigating opportunities in electrification to support the Victorian Government’s Gas Substitution Roadmap - to innovate and test new ideas and programs for both households and business, building upon the strong knowledge base we have on the benefits of electrification.
Through this commitment we have continued to share our knowledge and insights, and provide customers with a more integrated service that includes access to solar and pathways to electrification. We also continue to work with our regulatory and industry partners to improve regulatory frameworks that can better support electrification.
Significant achievements towards electrification
We have achieved significant milestones, such as surpassing 2 gigawatts of installed solar PV capacity as we celebrated the program’s sixth anniversary in August 2024, but also developed and delivered initiatives and actions that exceed original expectations.
Solar Victoria’s significant contribution to electrification over the past two years has included:
- committing almost $4m to seven innovative electrification projects under our Residential Electrification Grants
- partnering with the Plumbing Industry Climate Action Centre to develop and provide training for 1,000 plumbers on heat pump hot water systems
- partnering with HIA Victoria and Master Builders Victoria to deliver seminars to hundreds of building practitioners and trades on 7 star homes and electrification, along with new online tools for net zero homes
- launching our Make the Switch microsite which provides resources, guidance and case studies for customers interested in going electric
- co-funding the development of an industry-led Roadmap for Heat Pump Hot Water Systems and advocating to fast-track new performance standards
- taking on responsibility for the Victorian Energy Upgrades program and commencing a review to expand its role in electrification
- promoting solar as a gateway to going electric through our thought leadership at industry events and conferences; and most recently
- surveying over 15,000 solar customers on their perceptions of electrification.
The concept of all-electric homes has rapidly grown in community and customer consciousness in that time, with respondents feeling positive about going all-electric out-numbering the doubters by four-to-one.
The most important driver for our customers is being able to save on their energy bills with the help of reduced upfront installation costs. So it was not surprising that 20 per cent of survey respondents already have all-electric homes. Of those who do not, 36 per cent say they are likely to go all-electric in the next five years, and 44 per cent are likely to switch out at least one gas appliance in the next five years.
Thanks to the combined efforts of so many, we now have a huge and exciting opportunity. Of course there is much more to do, and I am looking forward to building on our strong foundation.
Stan Krpan
CEO, Solar Victoria
Updated