May 2012

Alice Solar City update

They say time flies when you are having fun - its been almost 3 years since Alice Solar City opened its doors, and the time has certainly flown by.  In that time, over 2000 local residents and over 100 local businesses have joined the program, each receiving an energy audit, tailored advice and access to financial incentives to reduce their consumption and lower their bills. Over 400 solar power systems have been installed on homes and businesses, and almost 600 solar hot water systems have been installed.  Several large iconic projects have also been completed at Crowne Plaza and Alice Springs airport, and two more are underway at the new Alice Springs Aquatic Centre and the Uterne Solar Farm on the southern outskirts of town. 

With Alice Solar City reaching the half way point of its scheduled life, our focus for 2011 will be on working with our existing residential and commercial participants to assess what actual savings and changes in behaviour they have been able to achieve. As part of that process, we will soon be offering follow-up audits for our customers, which will help participants to better understand their energy consumption patterns and find out other ways to reduce their bills.

Stay tuned for more information. In the meantime, don’t hesitate to contact Alice Solar City for any advice or support you need to make your home or business more energy efficient.

Brian Elmer General Manager, Alice Solar City

HOT BOX competition winners announced

Congratulations to Sue Chunys from Braitling and Hujjat Nadarajah from Gillen who have both won a $5000 summer energy makeover as part of our Cool Summer campaign.  Sue and Hujjat are working with Alice Solar City to find the best measures that will help them reduce their power bill and to keep cool.  You can follow the progress of the makeovers on our website.

As part of the competition we were looking for a home that is a ‘hotbox’ and would benefit from a summer makeover to make it more comfortable naturally, and to reduce electricity bills for the householder.

You can read the media release here.

'Cool Summer' Competition - weekly prize draw

With only a month left of summer, have you checked out our cool summer competitions?

Each week you have the chance to WIN a $50 summer food pack from Milner Meats and Seafood or Fresh in the Desert! 

By entering you also go in the draw for a major monthly prize.  The prize for January is awnings to the value of $500 which has been kindly donated by Alice Mobile Blinds.  The major prize for February is $1,000 of external shading which has been donated by Shaedz of Alice.

Entering is easy and takes just a couple of minutes.  Enter now.

Summer discount vouchers

In partnership with some of our registered suppliers, get some fantastic discounts on energy efficient stuff around your home, including shading, window tinting, roof ventilation, and more.

Download the vouchers for free from our website.   

New solar power station at Alice Springs Airport

Alice Springs Airport became the first Australian airport to be powered by a large scale solar power station in November 2010.

With 28 Solfocus arrays that track and concentrate the sun, each eight metres wide and seven metres high, the installation is the first of its kind in the southern hemisphere and will showcase Alice Springs’ growing reputation as the solar centre of Australia to every person who arrives by plane.

 See more information here.

Got a pool? Splash out on some new financial incentives

Alice Solar City wants to help you get pool smart!

Owning a pool is a great asset to your home and is great for keeping you cool, however it can be a significant cost in electricity and water bills.

Alice Solar City now offers two incentives – a 35% discount (up to $350) towards the cost of a quality pool cover and roller, and a 35% discount (up to $200) towards the cost of an approved variable speed pool pump.

For more information, read our fact sheet here

New 1MW solar power station for Alice Springs

Construction of a new 1MW solar power station, to be the largest tracking solar power system in Australia, will offer Alice Springs residents the opportunity to purchase GreenPower from a local renewable energy source.

The Uterne (meaning bright sunny day in the Arrente language) solar power station  will power the equivalent of 288 “average” homes each year or supply 10% GreenPower to 2750 Alice Springs homes. Residents or businesses can opt to purchase this “green” electricity through their Power and Water electricity bills, costing from as little as $1/week.

For more information on Uterne, see here

For information about GreenPower, see  here or phone 1800 245 092

New incentive for heating water

Do you want to upgrade your hot water system to a more energy efficient system but the roof of  your home is not suited to installing a solar hot water system or makes the cost of installation far too expensive?

Alice Solar City now has a financial incentive to install a heat pump water heater as an alternative to solar hot water (SHW) when it is considered that the heat pump is more suitable for the application than a SHW.   Where there is insufficient roof space or the only available roof space is too shaded, too steep, in disrepair, faces the wrong direction or the cost to buy and install a SHW exceeds $7000, a heat pump can be offered as an alternative. 

Find out more here.

Are you a business owner?

Are you an Alice Springs business owner looking to demonstrate your green credentials to your customers?

Funding for solar power systems is still available, though time is running out.  Join the 25 other businesses in town that have gone 'solar'. 

Contact Sam Latz on 8950 4352 to find out how.

You can also read more about how Alice Solar City can help your business here.  

Resources for your use!

The Smart Living Centre has an interactive lighting display which allows you to try different energy efficient  lighting options before you buy.  We have a range of CFL's and LED lights suitable for different applications including downlights, track lighting and standard fittings.  If you have a halogen lighting system or are wanting a replacement for incandescent lamps, you can use the display to compare the light output, energy consumption and lifespan of a variety of lights.  We also have some LED downlights that you can borrow for you to try before you buy.  Read our fact sheet on lighting here or visit our website  to read more about lighting.

We also have an extensive selection of relevant reading resources and magazines, covering various topics including, climate change, sustainable housing and living, solar power, and renewable energies  There are also energy meters available for loan to allow you to check the energy consumption of your appliances.  You can see the list of resources that are available on our website.

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