Council has teamed up with energy experts from Our Energy Future - a non-profit initiative of the Southern Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils (SSROC) - to help residents embrace renewables, cut power bills and reduce pollution.
The program provides residents with obligation-free quotes from reputable suppliers for energy saving or renewable energy products, such as solar PV (photovoltaic), LED lighting and home energy assessments.
“Over the past five years, we have seen a growth of 34 per cent in solar power exported to the grid in our area, which is a terrific result,” Mayor Tsirekas said.
“We want to continue this trend, which is why we are working with Our Energy Future to make it simple and cost-effective for residents to adopt solar and other renewables.”
The City of Canada Bay currently generates about four per cent of its energy usage from renewable sources, including solar PV on three buildings - The Connection, Concord Senior Citizens’ Centre and Concord Community Centre.
Council plans to increase its solar generation in 2018 with installations slated for up to four additional buildings and a proposed surge in the system at Concord Community Centre. This could add up to 180 kilowatts to Council’s solar generation capacity.
“We are working towards our renewable energy target of 30 per cent for Council operations by 2020 – it’s part of our broader strategy to tackle climate change and reduce our carbon footprint at the local level,” Mayor Tsirekas said.
He added that with rising power costs being absorbed by NSW rate payers, the State Government needed to put more pressure on energy suppliers to make prices fairer and cheaper.
“Many of our residents are hurting financially due to the continuous hike in energy bills, which doesn’t appear to have an end point,” Mayor Tsirekas said.
“The State Government has failed to come up with a solution but we are working hard to ease the pressure on our residents - one way is through the Our Energy Future campaign, which provides our residents with free, independent advice from energy experts about how to make their homes more energy efficient.”
City of Canada resident, Tony Hayes, who has lived in his federation Wareemba home for 30 years, had 12 solar panels installed on the roof through Our Energy Future last year.
“It was a very easy process and the supplier was extremely helpful,” Mr Hayes said.
“The more electricity you can generate from renewable sources, the less coal you burn, which has got to be good for the planet.
“We have saved a small amount on our energy bill this quarter but it will interesting to see how much we save over winter, when we tend to use more energy for heating,” he said.
City of Canada Bay will co-host two free workshops with Our Energy Future experts as part of the campaign. Residents can register for our '' session on Wednesday, 28 March or '' on Thursday, 12 April. Nibbles and refreshments will be available and participants will have a chance to engage with guest speakers on the night.
Residents can find out whether going solar is right for them at or by calling 1300 339 915.