MORE Wyndham residents are choosing to harness the power of the sun, as new figures show the region had the state’s highest number of rooftop solar panels installed last year.
A total of 7767 solar panels were installed in Wyndham households in the 12 months to January, according to the federal government’s Clean Energy Regulator.
Postcode 3030 – spanning Werribee, Werribee South, Point Cook and Derrimut – had 3488 solar panels installed. It was followed by postcode 3029 – Hoppers Crossing, Tarneit and Truganina – with 3098 installations.
Sustainable Energy Association chief adviser Ray Wills said residents in outer suburbs might have a reputation for preferring SUVs and expansive houses, but they were also among the highest purchasers of solar panels.
“People who have installed solar panels for any reason do consider their energy use more closely. The latest crop is doing so because it makes economic sense to generate electricity from a solar panel,” he said.
Nathan Jenkinson, of Saltwater Coast developer FKP, said it was a positive sign that Wyndham had the highest solar panel uptake.
He said sustainable energy was becoming a bigger focus for architects and homebuilders.
“We actively encourage residents to adopt sustainable features like solar to complement mandatory installations of solar hot water systems and rainwater tanks,” he said.
Point Cook resident Helen D’Angelo had eight solar panels installed in 2012 in the hope of trimming her family’s power bills.
“We’ve been seeing that power’s going up and, with six people under our roof we were worried we would really chew up some energy,” she said.
Western Region Environment Centre director Harry van Moorst said the figures showed Wyndham residents were concerned about climate change.
He criticised the federal government for phasing out its solar credits scheme subsidy in January. The state government’s failure to act on cutting coal-fired power plant dependency was also “undermining the effort a lot of people and families are making to install solar panels and do something about climate change”.
