Catherine moved into her beautiful bushland home on the NSW South Coast over three years ago. “I call it the bird superhighway because the birds fly by all day. There’s a family of eagles nearby as well as black cockatoos and king parrots.”
However, with the devastating bushfires coming right up to her back fence in January 2020, she has experienced two sides to living in the bush. “The Rural Fire Service up the road actually saved my house.” This made her even more determined to protect the bush she loves and help the environment.
“I save as much water as I can. I always make sure the switches are off when I leave the room. When I first came to Catalina, I thought about solar, because it’s so sunny. I got a quote, but it was just a lot of money”.
When a friend told her about free solar systems through the NSW Government’s Solar for Low Income Households offer, it sounded too good to be true. “I thought, I’ve got to do this if I’m eligible - and I was!”
“The application was very easy and straight forward. After my application was assessed, the installer at SolarHub talked me through the installation process. Then my new solar system was set up in less than a day.”
With her 3kW solar system, Catherine has changed the way she uses appliances to make the most of her solar. She is expected to save up to $600 a year on her electricity bills.
“I vacuum, use the washing machine and cook my main meal in the day. And I make an effort not to use as much electricity in the evening.”
The Solar for Low Income Households offer finished in June 2024 and delivered free solar systems to over 4,000 customers. The average energy bill savings for offer customers is more than $600 a year.
Explore what support is available for you at home to save energy, money and the environment.