Balmain resident Fiona* of Arthur St had been thinking about going solar for about two-and-a-half years. “I didn’t know where to start,” she told us. “I didn’t know what was involved, and I guess I needed a push.” That push came when she heard us speak at a Climate Change Balmain-Rozelle meeting last October. “I wouldn’t have known to approach an electrician,” Fiona says. “I thought there were just independent solar businesses. I didn’t know anything about it.”
Fiona, who’s a software developer, gave us her details. We ran our standard process of customer data gathering, then put her in touch with one of our preferred solar installers, Roland Lawrence Electrical.
Today, her home is powered by 15 Canadian Solar panels with a peak capacity of 4.875 kilowatts, running through Enphase microinverters. She and her family are going to be producing way more than they use. And as you can see from the photo, she’s not the only one in Arthur St with solar on the roof. What a great little solar strip!
Of Inner West Community Energy, Fiona says: “It’s a fantastic, free service. It’s amazing, and it puts customers together with providers.” When she started thinking about going solar, Fiona wanted “to be a good member of society, to do my bit. It’s not just about saving money. I have really low electricity bills. It is to contribute”.
Today, she says she’s even more thrilled than she thought she would be. “I get so much satisfaction out of the app,” she says. “I’ve changed the way I use energy. I would normally put the dishwasher and washing machine on at night and maybe at the same time. Now, I put them on during the day and never at the same time. And I can actually see how much power they’re using, and how much of my own power I’m using. Hour by hour. That’s amazing.”
Usually, homeowners who want to hear how Inner West Community Energy can help them go solar come to our regular Solar Information Nights.
However, due to the COVID-19 epidemic, we’re not doing Information Nights for a little while.
Instead, next Tuesday night we’re doing a teleconference with Zoom. So register on Eventbrite, and we’ll send you a link on Monday night, so you can log in to the teleconference just before 7pm on Tuesday night.
Maybe see you on-line next Tuesday! And please, spread the word about this.
- Gavin Gilchrist
- Project Manager
* Not her real name. This client wishes to remain anonymous.