Permanent Power Bill Savings Plan For Sturt Households
Cost of living is the biggest issue facing Sturt households in 2025, and neither of the major parties has a clear plan to help ease the pain. But community independents have come up with a solution.
A Permanent Energy Bill Relief Plan proposed by Wentworth independent Allegra Spender would reduce power bills for more than 800,000 households across Australia, through financial support for rooftop solar, home batteries, and energy-saving upgrades.
Independent Sturt candidate Verity Cooper is all for the plan.“Two of my highest priorities if elected will be cost of living relief and climate action. This helps achieve both,” Dr Cooper said.
Ms Spender’s Permanent Energy Bill Relief Plan would provide tailored financial support to help different types households to permanently reduce their energy bills.
The plan includes:
- Homeowners: 10-year zero interest loans, worth up to $25,000 each, to help more than 456,000 homeowners with energy upgrades like batteries, electric appliances and thermal shell upgrades.
- Renters: an instant asset write-off to encourage installation of solar, batteries, and energy performance improvements for 276,000 rental properties.
- Social and community housing: direct funding to support energy upgrades to over 70,000 properties, through expanding the Social Housing Energy Performance Initiative.
Parliamentary Budget Office modelling shows the 5-year plan would have a fiscal cost of around $2 billion over the forward estimates and $3.7 billion between 2025-26 and 2029-30.
Previous analysis from the Department for Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water showed households with rooftop solar can save $822-1350 per year (a 39-57% saving) and those with a home battery can wipe $1,322-2,252 off their energy bill (75-100% saving).
Previous Climate Council analysis has showed that switching gas for efficient electric appliances can reduce bills by up to $1,600. “It will give households control over their energy bills, deliver cost-of-living relief and ensure reliable power by expediting nearly 300,000 home batteries by 2030,” Dr Cooper said.
With neither of the major parties expected to win a majority at the upcoming federal election, Dr. Cooper promises, if elected, to make the Spender plan integral to her support.
“Any major party wanting my backing will have to approve this plan, and other improvements that will help the Sturt Electorate,” she said.
