Darren Burden was taken aback by the skyrocketing cost of electricity at his rental in Kangaroo Valley, south of Sydney.
I received my first bill after a month of being there, he stated. This is the highest bill I have ever seen.
I felt that this was not sustainable because it was above $500.
Burden made the decision to act independently and began taking measurements to determine whether any one appliance or source in his house was consuming a significant quantity of electricity.
The pool pump was the largest concern, so I figured I could tune it and do some small things, he added.
The bill decreased by $100 the following month, but it was still quite hefty.
Making "a case" for his landlord to install solar energy on the property, he reasoned that he had nothing to lose.
Burden claimed that his landlord was pleased to "join the party" after he volunteered to pay more rent to cover the installation's expenses.
What is at stake?
You can always inquire, even if your relationship is not going well. What do you stand to lose? "I said.
There was a chance they might say fuck off because I had only been renting them out for a few months, but in actuality, it works out well for everyone.
In September 2022, Burden’s power bill was $480. After a year, it was just $50.
According to energy specialist and Solar Analytics co-founder Stefan Jarnason, both landlords and tenants should seek to lower costs for all parties involved in a cost-of-living problem.
He claimed that even a standard seven-kilowatt solar system would reduce your energy costs by almost 70%.
People will save an average of $1400 annually as a result. Furthermore, who would not desire an additional $1400?
Due to rising energy costs, Australia is seeing a record-breaking increase in the number of household solar panels installed.
Jarnason said all rental properties should have solar panels installed.
The challenges of a competitive market
He stated, The difficulty right now is that it is a competitive rental market and if you are a tenant, you are just glad to have a place to live.
The landlord and the tenant really need to have different incentives, and frequently there is a real estate agent in the midst who does not assist them.
Nearly one in three households have solar panels installed, and rooftop solar is producing up to 15% of power consumption during peak hours, making it the largest per-capita solar energy generation in the world.
According to Burden, "making it easy for them to say yes" is the most crucial step when approaching your landlord about installing solar.
I had already approached the reputable installers, so I knew who they were, he stated.
I included all of that in my pitch since I had considered the possibility that they could wish to add a battery or purchase an electric car in the future.
Future powered by solar
According to Jaranson, more should be done to guarantee that rental properties use less energy.
He stated, There may be certain one-time grants, but you can not raise prices for X length of time in exchange.
At the very least, require rental properties and new property sales to have a star rating, similar to what we have for all energy-efficient cars and appliances.
Burden learned from the experience that his renting condition might change just by asking the right inquiry.
They had good environmental reasons, and that appealed to both of us, he added.
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