Advocacy group Parents for Climate applauds today’s “Renters' right to solar” announcement by the Greens, and calls on the major parties to either match it or offer alternative solutions.
CEO Nic Seton said, “Parents in our network regularly meet with MPs from across the political spectrum to push for all families to benefit from clean energy upgrades like solar. When we raise the issue of renters accessing the savings of solar, absolutely everyone agrees it’s a problem that needs solving, regardless of their politics.”
“But so far it seems to have been consigned by parties to the too-hard basket, and neither Labor nor the Coalition have proposed a solution at the federal level until now.”
“This proposal by the Greens is a welcome development that gets the topic on the agenda. We call on the major parties to either match this plan or say what they would do instead. As things stand, renters are paying more for electricity than homeowners who can put solar on. That’s not good enough.”
Single mum Emily, a renter in Coburg with an eight year old, says, “Solar panels would make a huge difference to my life and budget.”
“At 43, circumstances have me still renting. I’m entirely using electricity where I can, including using an electric vehicle. My electricity bill went from $393.91 for the last quarter of 2023 to $1086 for the same quarter in 2024.”
Ben, father of two, is a tenant in his Alphington family home, and also owns an investment property which he leases out. Ben, who describes himself as a ‘rentvestor’, said he liked the solar-for-renters policy both as a tenant and as a landlord.
“As a renter, I've really noticed that electricity prices have gone up recently, so anything to help get them down would go a long way."
"And as a landlord, I've looked into putting solar on my property, but it's hard to get it to stack up financially. It's great to see at least some solutions are being proposed here."
Parents for Climate and the Climate Council released a report in 2024, Under Pressure: The climate crunch fuelling inflation and hurting Aussie families, which found that homeowners who could afford the upfront cost of clean energy upgrades were saving significantly on power bills. But renters, apartment dwellers and those in social housing were largely locked out of these savings.
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BACKGROUND:
Reports
- 2024: Under Pressure: The climate crunch fuelling inflation and hurting Aussie families (with the Climate Council)
Media contacts:
Nic Seton, CEO Parents for Climate: 0407 638 973, [email protected]
Emily Paddon-Brown, Coburg single mum
Ben Cox, Alphington father of two and ‘rentvestor’
ABOUT PARENTS FOR CLIMATE
Parents for Climate is Australia’s leading climate advocacy organisation for parents, carers, families and all who care about a safe future for kids, representing over 20,000 parents. Parents for Climate has been at the forefront of securing renewable energy in schools, such as the NSW Smart Energy School Pilot Project. Founded in 2019 by six regional, rural and urban mums in four states and territories, Parents for Climate is a parent organisation, run by parents for parents. Parents for Climate exists to secure ambitious climate action for the love of our kids.