For some years now, one of Healesville CoRE’s goals has been to engage with local businesses to identify the barriers they face when considering the installation of a solar system. Businesses are feeling the effects of the rising cost of living, and energy costs form a significant part of their ongoing expenses. Having access to solar could make a considerable difference to their energy bills. This led to our ‘Solar 4 Healesville Businesses’ Project.
Using a grant from Yarra Ranges Council, we appointed an independent consultant and long-term resident of Healesville to engage with our local businesses and produce a report of the findings. Two key findings were that most Healesville businesses (over 90%) do not have access to cheaper solar power, and the main street of Healesville is dominated by commercial leaseholders.
Participants made it clear that properties with solar systems are more desirable to leaseholders because power bills will be cheaper, however they also said that the information available is hard to navigate and process, making decisions about investing in solar feel overwhelming. There are also major obstacles for commercial leaseholders to invest in solar power – there is little incentive for owners and they need to approve the idea before installation is legally possible and then both parties need to navigate a new rental agreement.
An increase in solar systems by commercial businesses will make a significant contribution to accelerating Healesville’s transition to renewable energy.
The next phase of the project is to collaborate with Yarra Ranges Council and other like-minded organisations and continue to advocate for changes to government strategies, policies and programs at all levels, in an effort to ensure all businesses in Healesville can eventually enjoy the benefits of solar power.
Our local paper reported on the project and you can read more about it here (top right of page 9):