Regional properties in South Australia are leaving their metro counterparts behind when it comes to solar uptake, new research shows, with regional solar booming.
According to finder.com.au, solar installations are taking off in regional areas of the state, while solar uptake is lowest in Adelaide’s metro suburbs.
Angle Vale tops the solar list, with around 60 per cent of homes with solar panels. Mt Compass and Port Augusta follow with about 54 per cent connected to solar energy.
However, less than 40 per cent of homes have solar power systems in metropolitan Adelaide.
This trend is reflected across Australia, figures reveal. A finder.com.au study published in May shows uptake is lowest in Australia’s wealthiest suburbs, including solar installations in Melbourne and Sydney.
Why regional solar is topping the charts
Self-sufficiency and a can-do attitude are apparently boosting solar installations across regional areas of South Australia.
According to Real Estate Institute of South Australia (REISA) Chief Executive Greg Troughton, the regions have plenty of experience when it comes to coping in lean times.
Installing solar is a great move with electricity costs sky rocketing, Troughton says. People in regional areas are generally “more open-minded about change” and know how to look after themselves.
While solar uptake slowed in South Australia when government rebates were cut back, the industry is now rebounding. Around half a million South Australian homes have solar installed.
The falling cost of solar storage batteries is therefore making solar even more appealing for lower income households, he adds.
Battlers beat high earners in terms of solar uptake
Statistics released by finder.com.au in May this year show Australian postcodes earning high household incomes are least likely to have solar power installed.
According to the comparison site’s energy expert Graham Cooke, it seems wealthier residents have less incentive to investigate solar. Because they find it easier to pay expensive power bills, they are less inclined to explore the savings solar power can offer.
Another ‘finder’ survey shows 70 per cent of Australians are struggling to pay high energy bills. This means they are more likely to install solar for long-term savings.
The site contrasts Queensland’s lower-income Godwin Beach with Sydney’s affluent Cammeray:
- Around 50 per cent of home owners in Godwin Beach have solar panels. Average household income is $72,944.
- Only six per cent of home owners in Cammeray have solar energy however. Average household income is $149,655.
