First installation for Giving Power!

On Friday 1 September, our Giving Power campaign saw its first solar installation for a local low-income homeowner. 

Our first recipient of a 3kW solar PV system, installed by Midland Solar, was Margaret – you may remember her from our social media posts at the beginning of the Giving Power campaign, or perhaps you saw Margaret’s profile on our website.

Margaret has been living in the home she owns in Bendigo for 43 years, and for 32 of those years she has been a single mother. She is now a doting grandmother and regularly looks after her grandkids. 

She has been living on a pension and like many in her position, owning her home has been the security needed to survive on that income. However, with electricity prices on the rise, certain necessities have become a greater expense for Margaret.

After she underwent hip replacement surgery, Margaret was having trouble collecting firewood to heat her home. So, before this solar installation, she would “put a blanket on” in the cold winter months and only ever turn the heater on when she said it was “absolutely necessary.”

With Margaret’s new solar panels, she will now be able to heat her home and use other appliances throughout the day without worrying about a huge electricity bill at the end of winter. Her projected savings from the solar panels are over $700 every year.

Not only do solar panels benefit the homeowner by lowering electricity costs, but it is no secret that solar power is also a cleaner and more sustainable way to bring power to your home whilst benefitting the environment.

It is everyone’s right to be able to heat their home without fear of electricity bills becoming too large to stay on top of.

If you or someone you know relates in any way to Margaret’s story, please consider applying to get your own free 3kW solar system as part of the Giving Power campaign.

Margaret’s new 3kW solar PV system being installed. L to R: Steve from Midland Solar, Margaret, and Ted from Ted’s Electrical

Nearly finished!