Smart solar townhome residents set to save

Woodlea, a master-planned community spanning 711 ha in Melbourne’s western growth corridor, is launching a smart solar package across its townhouse offering, helping residents to save up to 80% on their electricity bills — some may never receive a power bill again.

Upon completion, Woodlea — delivered by Mirvac and Victoria Investments and Properties — will be home to over 20,000 residents, with the initial solar pilot to include a limited number of townhouses. These Mirvac-designed townhomes will include solar panels and batteries valued at $20,000 at no extra cost to purchasers. If successful, the package is expected to encompass the majority of townhouses to be developed.

“Rising electricity costs is a concern for Victorians statewide and although solar usage is on the rise, it’s not attainable for all households due to the hefty upfront cost of installation,” Woodlea Project Director Matthew Dean said.

“We’re aiming to unlock these benefits for everyday Australians by essentially offering a $20,000 smart solar package as standard across our Mirvac townhouse offering.”

Expected to provide annual savings to households of around $1620, Mirvac’s package includes a 5.1 kW solar panel system, 10 kW battery and 5 kW inverter. Web-enabled monitoring will track a household’s energy use pattern, allowing the system to be smart about when to store solar power and when to sell surplus energy back to the grid.

These homes are the first to be delivered as part of Clean Energy Finance Corporation’s (CEFC) $90 million debt commitment to Mirvac.

CEFC CEO Ian Learmonth said that the investment was designed to help battery storage technology gain traction in Australia.

“We’d like to see integrated solar and battery storage in all suitable Australian households so they can benefit from the energy savings that this technology can provide.”

Image caption: ©stock.adobe.com/au/Didi