Entries Tagged 'solar' ↓

Our sister group, South Hobart Sustainable Community, has just launched a ‘carbon reduction fund’, a spin-off from its very successful bulk solar purchase.

Invitations are open now – so if you have a deserving project consider applying now. Deadline for the first round is August 31.

Please download details HERE.

Recent publicity over insulation deaths prompts us to issue a general warning to Tasmanian households.

Please be assured that most home renovations can be undertaken with complete safely provided some basic safety measures are taken. To this end, please browse the checklist – download it HERE.

Waterworks Community by now has extensive involvement in advising householders on the variety of ways they can refurbish their homes to reduce their climate footprint. Our own community is a living demonstration of what success can be achieved.

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Having initiated the solar hot water bulk purchase scheme in 2007, solar installations are ballooning in our community as well as neighbouring suburbs.

During the past few weeks new solar systems have been installed at 46, 134, 141, 164, 178, 183 and 195 Waterworks Rd and at 22 and 30 Romilly Street – all these in addition to those already installed in the previous two years.

Taking a leaf from our book, South Hobart community’s bulk purchase scheme was overwhelmed with 300 expressions of Interest, many of those now being installed.

Solar systems are very visible sign of sustainable living, and are valuable not only in reducing our own energy footprints, but in advertising the concept of sustainable living.

During the coming six months our climate project will step up into top gear, with home assessments, free shower heads, collective insulation working bees and so forth. Watch this space!

The Project Team

Sustainable houses throughout Australia will be opening their doors for you to look inside on Sunday 13th September.

See the real benefits of sustainable housing up close. Learn what you can do with your own home. Meet the professionals and find out about useful products.

Check out the sustainable house day website for house locations in Hobart area. Admission to all houses is free.

Waterworks Valley is the most solarised street in Tasmania (anybody wish to contest that claim?) and maybe we should challenge every other street community to do better – in the interest of promulgating sustainable living.

This year four more local households have installed solar hot water systems (at 60, 104, 166 and 191 Waterworks Rd) and several other households have signed up for solar hot water and solar photovoltaic systems – through South Hobart Community’s fantastically successful bulk purchase initiative.

(I hasten to add that solar is not the be all and end all. There are, of course, zillions of less photogenic things that are just as worthwhile – like growing home vegetables, recycling and walking kids to school.)

Chris @ 195

It happened at our group gardening meeting. Gazing lazily at a sunflower, Stuart G suddenly broke into a mad scientist type of smile. We knew then he had an inspiration that would save the world.

And the stroke of genius is? Well everybody knows how sunflowers track the sun across the sky. And… well… technology buffs have tried all sorts of ways to get solar panels to track the sun across the sky. There, you have it!

Care to calculate the power output from a hectare of micro solar panels attached to sunflowers and connected to the power grid?

Our sister group, South Hobart Community, has taken a cue from Waterworks Valley Solar Project and is now offering a bulk purchase deal on both solar hot water and solar power (photovoltaic).

Now is the time to go solar power before federal rebates change mid-year. You can register an interest on their website.

Click HERE to hear it.

Reminder: Our solar hot water commercial offshoot, EcoTasmania, is still offering to Waterworks community members a 5 percent discount on solar hot water systems.

With the new $1600 Fed rebate (not means tested) + around $1000 of RECS + $500 HCC rate rebate most people can get a high quality system for less than $1000 (+ installation costs).

See earlier post for more information about our solar program.

My meter is running backwards…the government just gave me $8000…it must be Christmas!!

I’ve just had a 1Kw solar system put in – so easy to organize, no hassle with the rebate. Easy!

Now (with the federal government policy backflip) people on any income will be eligible for a rebate – but they will have to install 1.5Kw system to get the full amount ($7,500). I installed a 2Kw inverter so can upgrade simply by adding more panels. But for now 1Kw will cover my needs.

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