Solar saver for households
Interested in getting solar panels, reverse cycle air conditioners, and/or hot water heat pumps? The Solar Saver Program can arrange a premium installer with the quality and competitive price for you for solar and reverse cycle air conditioners. We will soon also be offering hot water heat pumps.
Our Solar Saver program has helped over 2,000 households and businesses access solar. It has also reached a production capacity of 8.7MW and is helping save up to 12,750 tons of greenhouse gas emissions each year. This is the equivalent of removing over 4,300 cars of the roads each year.
How will the Solar Saver Program help you?
- We have done the homework for you, via a competitive tender process, to find a reliable installer and value for money.
- We have negotiated for longer warranty periods - 10 years on inverter and installation, 12 years for solar PV panel parts and a 25-year performance warranty on panels.
- We have set a high-quality standard in terms of manufacturing quality and the efficiency of the system.
- We put you in touch with the current installer. They can provide more information and respond to any questions you may have regarding solar systems and send you a free no obligation quote.
Pay upfront, or pay back over 10 years
There are two ways to participate in the program:
- Solar Saver Special Charge Program - where Darebin City Council pays the upfront costs, and you pay it back over 10 years. This option can take up to 3—9 months before installation.
Please note that solar batteries are not included in either the Special charge or Bulk Buy program but can be quoted for separately by EnviroGroup when sourcing a Solar Saver quote.
Refer a Friend and each enjoy a $140 discount
Darebin Solar Saver has introduced a new ‘Refer a Friend’ incentive to our program.
For existing Solar Saver customers, this incentive will halve the cost of getting a standard solar service by EnviroGroup. It will also take $140 (inc GST) off the cost of a new solar system (for your friend), installed through the Solar Saver program.
To ensure both parties get their $140 (inc GST) discount, the person being referred needs to answer ‘yes’ on the Solar Saver registration form to the question “Referred by an existing Solar Saver customer?” and provide the name and address of the Solar Saver customer who has referred them.
Show your solar some love
Solar Victoria and Energy Safe Victoria recommend you get your solar system serviced by a licensed A Grade electrician every two years to ensure it is working safely and efficiently.
You can find out more about servicing and maintaining your solar system on Solar Victoria's website.
Having problems with your solar or not seeing a credit on your bill?
Please refer to our Solar Troubleshooting document(PDF, 186KB) to find out what you can do if you are not seeing a solar feed amount on your bill, or your solar pv system doesn't appear to be working.
Overview of the two Solar programs below:
| Bulk Buy Program |
Special Charge Program |
| You pay the upfront costs |
We pay the upfront costs, you pay it back over 10 years |
| All Darebin ratepayers are eligible to join - residents, businesses and organisations |
In 2023, low income households and specific groups who face discrimination and disadvantage are eligible for this program.
Find out if your household is eligible |
| Installation can be organised quickly once you have accepted your quote and arranged a suitable time with the supplier.
|
There are a limited number of spots available in this program. Installation is slower than the bulk buy stream and it can take 3 to 9 months for installation to start from the time you sign your quote. This is because Council has to raise a Special Charge for all Solar Special Charge customers. |
| You pay the upfront cost of the system |
Council pays the upfront cost of the system. You pay it back over ten years, interest free |
| Includes GST |
You don't pay GST, so enjoy a 10% saving.
|
You may have more choice of products and solar PV system sizes up to 100kW.
Reverse cycle air conditioner (split system) up to 10kW. |
There is a $10,000 limit per household.
Usually this should be enough for a Solar PV system up to 10.56kW.
Reverse cycle air conditioner (split system) up to 10kW. |
|
You can access a range of different products and a variety of brands. Basic systems have fixed prices, any additional products will need to be quoted.
Batteries are not included
|
Choices are limited to set packages at set prices.
Batteries are not included |
| Darebin will monitor installations through Quality Assurance (QA) Audits* |
Darebin will monitor installations through Quality Assurance (QA) Audits* |
More info about the
Bulk Buy Program
Includes details on how to register |
More info about the
Special Charge Program
Includes details on how to register |
* Quality Assurance (QA) audits may be carried out for household’s that have requested this option
Why we chose Envirogroup
Envirogroup are a trusted solar provider selected through an extensive Council tender process. They have over 19 years' experience in the installation of solar PV systems and use CEC approved A-grade electricians on every installation. They also have OH&S practices in place to protect you and their staff during the installation.
Having internet when installing solar is recommended
Solar saves you the most money when you use the electricity your solar system produces at the time you produce it. Any excess electricity you produce can be exported back to the grid and you can get paid a small amount, via a Feed in Tariff (FiT) for this . If you don’t have internet connection when the sun is shining, your Electricity Distributor will apply the following limits on how much electricity you can export back to the grid at any point in time.
- Jemena: 0.5kW
- Ausnet 1.5kW
- Citipower: 0kW (no export allowed)
- United: 0kW (no export allowed)
These export limits mean you will receive less credit on your bill from your FiT. This will only be an issue if you are not using all the solar electricity you are producing.