Latest news with #NationalConstructionCode
The Advertiser
09-06-2025
- Business
- The Advertiser
Aussies urged to charge ahead with household batteries
Australia could slash $4 billion a year off power bills by the end of the decade if households embrace solar batteries in larger numbers, a report forecasts. The Climate Council issued the prediction on Tuesday, finding the savings were possible if half of all homes with solar panels installed added batteries by 2030. But progress could also get a bigger boost from allowing more electric vehicles to charge up the national grid, if solar battery prices continued to fall, and if all new households were designed for rooftop solar and battery systems, it found. The report comes amid heightened demand for home batteries after the announcement of a $2.3 billion federal government scheme to subsidise their purchase by 30 per cent from July. The Climate Council report, called Battery Boom, found about 300,000 (eight per cent) of the four million Australian households with solar panels used batteries to store energy. If that figure was lifted to reach two million homes by 2030 - half of those with rooftop solar panels currently installed - household energy bill savings could hit $4 billion a year. Electricity bill savings could rise from $1500 with solar panels to $2300 a year after installing a battery, Climate Council spokesman Greg Bourne said, although further support would be needed to help some families deal with the up-front cost. "Batteries haven't penetrated far enough into those four million (solar) households, but it makes a huge difference when you start picking up the sunshine from midday and time-shifting it to when high cost of electricity comes in," he told AAP. "It will start as word-of-mouth in the neighbourhood and talk of 'my bill's half of what it was' or 'my bills are a quarter of what they were because we put a battery in' and that's part of the education process." A typical household battery is expected to cover its cost within 8.3 years without the upcoming subsidy, the report found, down from 10 years in 2022. The Climate Council report also found big battery storage projects planned for Australia had doubled over the past year to reach 20 gigawatts, and the price of large energy storage had fallen by 20 per cent. On a state-by-state basis, Western Australia led the nation for the most big battery projects with eight installed, Victoria boasted the most community solar batteries, and the Northern Territory had the most homes with solar batteries installed at 15.9 per cent. Battery storage could also get a significant boost from compatible electric vehicles, Mr Bourne said, as more vehicle-to-grid chargers were standardised and sold in Australia. Other recommendations in the report to boost battery storage included adding rooftop solar and storage capacity to the National Construction Code, expanding support for community batteries, and strengthening on-shore battery recycling schemes. Australia could slash $4 billion a year off power bills by the end of the decade if households embrace solar batteries in larger numbers, a report forecasts. The Climate Council issued the prediction on Tuesday, finding the savings were possible if half of all homes with solar panels installed added batteries by 2030. But progress could also get a bigger boost from allowing more electric vehicles to charge up the national grid, if solar battery prices continued to fall, and if all new households were designed for rooftop solar and battery systems, it found. The report comes amid heightened demand for home batteries after the announcement of a $2.3 billion federal government scheme to subsidise their purchase by 30 per cent from July. The Climate Council report, called Battery Boom, found about 300,000 (eight per cent) of the four million Australian households with solar panels used batteries to store energy. If that figure was lifted to reach two million homes by 2030 - half of those with rooftop solar panels currently installed - household energy bill savings could hit $4 billion a year. Electricity bill savings could rise from $1500 with solar panels to $2300 a year after installing a battery, Climate Council spokesman Greg Bourne said, although further support would be needed to help some families deal with the up-front cost. "Batteries haven't penetrated far enough into those four million (solar) households, but it makes a huge difference when you start picking up the sunshine from midday and time-shifting it to when high cost of electricity comes in," he told AAP. "It will start as word-of-mouth in the neighbourhood and talk of 'my bill's half of what it was' or 'my bills are a quarter of what they were because we put a battery in' and that's part of the education process." A typical household battery is expected to cover its cost within 8.3 years without the upcoming subsidy, the report found, down from 10 years in 2022. The Climate Council report also found big battery storage projects planned for Australia had doubled over the past year to reach 20 gigawatts, and the price of large energy storage had fallen by 20 per cent. On a state-by-state basis, Western Australia led the nation for the most big battery projects with eight installed, Victoria boasted the most community solar batteries, and the Northern Territory had the most homes with solar batteries installed at 15.9 per cent. Battery storage could also get a significant boost from compatible electric vehicles, Mr Bourne said, as more vehicle-to-grid chargers were standardised and sold in Australia. Other recommendations in the report to boost battery storage included adding rooftop solar and storage capacity to the National Construction Code, expanding support for community batteries, and strengthening on-shore battery recycling schemes. Australia could slash $4 billion a year off power bills by the end of the decade if households embrace solar batteries in larger numbers, a report forecasts. The Climate Council issued the prediction on Tuesday, finding the savings were possible if half of all homes with solar panels installed added batteries by 2030. But progress could also get a bigger boost from allowing more electric vehicles to charge up the national grid, if solar battery prices continued to fall, and if all new households were designed for rooftop solar and battery systems, it found. The report comes amid heightened demand for home batteries after the announcement of a $2.3 billion federal government scheme to subsidise their purchase by 30 per cent from July. The Climate Council report, called Battery Boom, found about 300,000 (eight per cent) of the four million Australian households with solar panels used batteries to store energy. If that figure was lifted to reach two million homes by 2030 - half of those with rooftop solar panels currently installed - household energy bill savings could hit $4 billion a year. Electricity bill savings could rise from $1500 with solar panels to $2300 a year after installing a battery, Climate Council spokesman Greg Bourne said, although further support would be needed to help some families deal with the up-front cost. "Batteries haven't penetrated far enough into those four million (solar) households, but it makes a huge difference when you start picking up the sunshine from midday and time-shifting it to when high cost of electricity comes in," he told AAP. "It will start as word-of-mouth in the neighbourhood and talk of 'my bill's half of what it was' or 'my bills are a quarter of what they were because we put a battery in' and that's part of the education process." A typical household battery is expected to cover its cost within 8.3 years without the upcoming subsidy, the report found, down from 10 years in 2022. The Climate Council report also found big battery storage projects planned for Australia had doubled over the past year to reach 20 gigawatts, and the price of large energy storage had fallen by 20 per cent. On a state-by-state basis, Western Australia led the nation for the most big battery projects with eight installed, Victoria boasted the most community solar batteries, and the Northern Territory had the most homes with solar batteries installed at 15.9 per cent. Battery storage could also get a significant boost from compatible electric vehicles, Mr Bourne said, as more vehicle-to-grid chargers were standardised and sold in Australia. Other recommendations in the report to boost battery storage included adding rooftop solar and storage capacity to the National Construction Code, expanding support for community batteries, and strengthening on-shore battery recycling schemes. Australia could slash $4 billion a year off power bills by the end of the decade if households embrace solar batteries in larger numbers, a report forecasts. The Climate Council issued the prediction on Tuesday, finding the savings were possible if half of all homes with solar panels installed added batteries by 2030. But progress could also get a bigger boost from allowing more electric vehicles to charge up the national grid, if solar battery prices continued to fall, and if all new households were designed for rooftop solar and battery systems, it found. The report comes amid heightened demand for home batteries after the announcement of a $2.3 billion federal government scheme to subsidise their purchase by 30 per cent from July. The Climate Council report, called Battery Boom, found about 300,000 (eight per cent) of the four million Australian households with solar panels used batteries to store energy. If that figure was lifted to reach two million homes by 2030 - half of those with rooftop solar panels currently installed - household energy bill savings could hit $4 billion a year. Electricity bill savings could rise from $1500 with solar panels to $2300 a year after installing a battery, Climate Council spokesman Greg Bourne said, although further support would be needed to help some families deal with the up-front cost. "Batteries haven't penetrated far enough into those four million (solar) households, but it makes a huge difference when you start picking up the sunshine from midday and time-shifting it to when high cost of electricity comes in," he told AAP. "It will start as word-of-mouth in the neighbourhood and talk of 'my bill's half of what it was' or 'my bills are a quarter of what they were because we put a battery in' and that's part of the education process." A typical household battery is expected to cover its cost within 8.3 years without the upcoming subsidy, the report found, down from 10 years in 2022. The Climate Council report also found big battery storage projects planned for Australia had doubled over the past year to reach 20 gigawatts, and the price of large energy storage had fallen by 20 per cent. On a state-by-state basis, Western Australia led the nation for the most big battery projects with eight installed, Victoria boasted the most community solar batteries, and the Northern Territory had the most homes with solar batteries installed at 15.9 per cent. Battery storage could also get a significant boost from compatible electric vehicles, Mr Bourne said, as more vehicle-to-grid chargers were standardised and sold in Australia. Other recommendations in the report to boost battery storage included adding rooftop solar and storage capacity to the National Construction Code, expanding support for community batteries, and strengthening on-shore battery recycling schemes.
West Australian
09-06-2025
- Business
- West Australian
Aussies urged to charge ahead with household batteries
Australia could slash $4 billion a year off power bills by the end of the decade if households embrace solar batteries in larger numbers, a report forecasts. The Climate Council issued the prediction on Tuesday, finding the savings were possible if half of all homes with solar panels installed added batteries by 2030. But progress could also get a bigger boost from allowing more electric vehicles to charge up the national grid, if solar battery prices continued to fall, and if all new households were designed for rooftop solar and battery systems, it found. The report comes amid heightened demand for home batteries after the announcement of a $2.3 billion federal government scheme to subsidise their purchase by 30 per cent from July. The Climate Council report, called Battery Boom, found about 300,000 (eight per cent) of the four million Australian households with solar panels used batteries to store energy. If that figure was lifted to reach two million homes by 2030 - half of those with rooftop solar panels currently installed - household energy bill savings could hit $4 billion a year. Electricity bill savings could rise from $1500 with solar panels to $2300 a year after installing a battery, Climate Council spokesman Greg Bourne said, although further support would be needed to help some families deal with the up-front cost. "Batteries haven't penetrated far enough into those four million (solar) households, but it makes a huge difference when you start picking up the sunshine from midday and time-shifting it to when high cost of electricity comes in," he told AAP. "It will start as word-of-mouth in the neighbourhood and talk of 'my bill's half of what it was' or 'my bills are a quarter of what they were because we put a battery in' and that's part of the education process." A typical household battery is expected to cover its cost within 8.3 years without the upcoming subsidy, the report found, down from 10 years in 2022. The Climate Council report also found big battery storage projects planned for Australia had doubled over the past year to reach 20 gigawatts, and the price of large energy storage had fallen by 20 per cent. On a state-by-state basis, Western Australia led the nation for the most big battery projects with eight installed, Victoria boasted the most community solar batteries, and the Northern Territory had the most homes with solar batteries installed at 15.9 per cent. Battery storage could also get a significant boost from compatible electric vehicles, Mr Bourne said, as more vehicle-to-grid chargers were standardised and sold in Australia. Other recommendations in the report to boost battery storage included adding rooftop solar and storage capacity to the National Construction Code, expanding support for community batteries, and strengthening on-shore battery recycling schemes.
Perth Now
09-06-2025
- Business
- Perth Now
Aussies urged to charge ahead with household batteries
Australia could slash $4 billion a year off power bills by the end of the decade if households embrace solar batteries in larger numbers, a report forecasts. The Climate Council issued the prediction on Tuesday, finding the savings were possible if half of all homes with solar panels installed added batteries by 2030. But progress could also get a bigger boost from allowing more electric vehicles to charge up the national grid, if solar battery prices continued to fall, and if all new households were designed for rooftop solar and battery systems, it found. The report comes amid heightened demand for home batteries after the announcement of a $2.3 billion federal government scheme to subsidise their purchase by 30 per cent from July. The Climate Council report, called Battery Boom, found about 300,000 (eight per cent) of the four million Australian households with solar panels used batteries to store energy. If that figure was lifted to reach two million homes by 2030 - half of those with rooftop solar panels currently installed - household energy bill savings could hit $4 billion a year. Electricity bill savings could rise from $1500 with solar panels to $2300 a year after installing a battery, Climate Council spokesman Greg Bourne said, although further support would be needed to help some families deal with the up-front cost. "Batteries haven't penetrated far enough into those four million (solar) households, but it makes a huge difference when you start picking up the sunshine from midday and time-shifting it to when high cost of electricity comes in," he told AAP. "It will start as word-of-mouth in the neighbourhood and talk of 'my bill's half of what it was' or 'my bills are a quarter of what they were because we put a battery in' and that's part of the education process." A typical household battery is expected to cover its cost within 8.3 years without the upcoming subsidy, the report found, down from 10 years in 2022. The Climate Council report also found big battery storage projects planned for Australia had doubled over the past year to reach 20 gigawatts, and the price of large energy storage had fallen by 20 per cent. On a state-by-state basis, Western Australia led the nation for the most big battery projects with eight installed, Victoria boasted the most community solar batteries, and the Northern Territory had the most homes with solar batteries installed at 15.9 per cent. Battery storage could also get a significant boost from compatible electric vehicles, Mr Bourne said, as more vehicle-to-grid chargers were standardised and sold in Australia. Other recommendations in the report to boost battery storage included adding rooftop solar and storage capacity to the National Construction Code, expanding support for community batteries, and strengthening on-shore battery recycling schemes.
Sydney Morning Herald
13-05-2025
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
How the cost of building a new house just hit a record high
He also warned that the construction workforce is not large enough to build enough homes to meet the federal government's target of 1.2 million new homes in five years, and the ongoing infrastructure projects such as roads, schools and hospitals. Not enough new workers were joining the industry, he said, especially as experienced workers retire or semi-retire. 'When you don't have enough workers, what happens? Workers go to the highest bidder and that means if you're going to go ahead with your project, you're going to be paying much higher wages.' He said the cost of materials was generally much higher than six years ago, especially for timber, ceramic goods and electrical equipment. But he thought it unlikely labour costs would decline, especially as some of the larger unions negotiate increases in wages from year to year. Loading Housing Industry Association senior economist Tom Devitt said the recent rise was largely due to labour cost increases, while the unemployment rate holds at historic lows. 'The shortage of skilled trades for construction sectors is particularly acute,' he said, calling for a boost to domestic workforce capabilities as well as skilled migration. He noted changes to the National Construction Code to improve energy efficiency, which he thought was a worthwhile objective, but said it resulted in costs that were passed on to home buyers. He added that the figures on the cost of building did not include the rising cost of land. Despite the national target of 1.2 million new homes in five years, Devitt forecasts that the nation will struggle to deliver a million in that time frame. 'It doesn't bode well for affordability, especially for home buyers.' Sydney builder Robert Faraj, director of Pioneer Building Group, has been dealing with the impact of rising materials costs on his projects. For example, he made an order of plasterboard in mid-February. It was delivered on March 2, but on March 1 the supplier increased prices by 7 per cent, leaving him paying the March price. That meant it cost $40,000 for enough plasterboard for four, four-bedroom houses. The product usually increases in price four times a year. Electrical cable for light switches has increased, too, among others. 'It didn't jump $95 or $100 in a week. Every second month [the suppliers say] 'Oh hey, 10 per cent, 10 per cent, 10 per cent,'' he said. But to maintain his reputation and the quality of his work, he does not want to look for the cheapest quote. He focuses on high-end, bespoke, luxury-built homes as well as commercial construction. 'You're judged on your worst job, not your best job, so we're always trying to maintain a standard and a value of what we give our clients,' he said. He also can't charge clients more once they have agreed on a price for a build. 'How? They can't go back to the bank and say, 'hey bank, Robert said the plasterboard has gone up.'' As a result, he does not see quite as much work available as previously. 'Everyone's saying it's not worth it, so we're not seeing as much come through the pipeline of approvals of work,' he said. 'We've got some really good tradies in this country and most of them are busy at the moment doing all these tunnels.'
