A staggering 78 per cent of Australians agree the Federal Government should subsidise household battery storage, according to a new national poll commissioned by community group Solar Citizens.
The poll of more than 2,000 Australians was conducted by uComms and comes as globally high coal and gas prices are expected to drive up electricity prices by 56% over the next two years. Seventy three per cent of people polled said they were concerned about affording their next electricity bill.
"Australians are world leaders in the uptake of rooftop solar because generating your own electricity is a guaranteed way to take back control of spiralling power bills," said Stephanie Gray, Deputy Director of Solar Citizens.
"We're hearing from a lot of people now that they'd like to take the next step and invest in home battery storage to be more energy independent, but the upfront cost is a barrier.
"There are simple steps the Federal Government can take to help make solar and storage more affordable that include expanding the national Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme to also include support for people to install household storage, and providing no-interest loans for people to invest in clean technology.
"Incentivising more battery storage is a win-win that will help bring down electricity costs for all consumers by supplying cheap solar energy to the grid at night and reducing the need for expensive grid upgrades."
Of the people polled, 48 per cent said they would consider installing household solar or battery storage if they could access a government-provided no-interest loan. Due to high gas prices, 31 per cent also said they would consider replacing gas appliances with electric if they could access a government loan.
"Smart government policy kick-started Australia's world-leading rooftop solar industry, and now governments can replicate that success by supporting the accelerated uptake of household battery storage and electrification," said Ms Gray.
"High gas prices are not only driving up our electricity bills, they're also making it unaffordable for people that rely on gas to cook and heat their homes. Making it accessible for Australians to match electric appliances with rooftop solar is a guaranteed way to help households save.
"We're lucky in Australia to have abundant renewable energy resources that, if harnessed, could mean we're completely protected from the global fossil fuel market that's pushing energy costs out of control. "But to help more households cash in on the savings governments have to further support the rollout of solar and storage, and help households switch their gas appliances for efficient electric ones."
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