Monday 24 Nov, 2014: Lisa Chesters talked about the MASH solar project in Parliament today. “MASH is great news. I congratulate the community of Castlemaine for getting on and powering themselves.”
Author: Site Admin
MASH to donate 5Kw solar system to community group. Expression of interest sought by 30 Jan 2015
Friday 21 Nov, 2014: MASH (Mount Alexander Shire Solar Homes) installed its 100th solar system on Wednesday 12 November 2014. The happy customers are Chris and Hans van der Poel of Barkers Creek who said: “It was important to us that MASH is a community project and that the community can benefit from it. We went to one of the MASH community meetings and made up our minds then and there to go ahead.”
To celebrate this milestone, the MASH project is donating a solar panel installation of up to 5kW (20 panels) for a community building in Mount Alexander Shire. The free system will be valued at up to $7,400. It could be put on a State or local government-owned building or a community-owned building owned by a club or other incorporated association. It is provided by the MASH project and being supplied and installed by Stephen Breheny Electricial Services, the installer for the MASH project.
The Hub Foundation, the not-for-profit organiser of the MASH project, is inviting expressions of interest by Friday 30 January 2015. The installation is expected to be carried out by the end of February 2015.
Community groups need to complete an online application which can be found on The Hub Foundation website by 30 January 2015. The application should include a statement of up to 250 words explaining why you believe your organisation should receive a free system, including the benefits for the community and the organisation managing the building. Also required are photos of the building and the latest electricity bills.
Neil Barrett, Director of The Hub Foundation says: “We are delighted that we have hit this milestone already and can fulfil our promise. MASH was always seen as a project with a big plus for the community. It’s a great opportunity for a community organisation to demonstrate that clean energy is now playing a major role in our energy system because of its very real financial and environmental benefits”.
Stephen Breheny says: “It’s great to be able to ‘give back’ to the community as part of this project. MASH customers are telling me that the community focus of MASH is really important and I am proud to be supporting this free installation. Through the MASH project, my company alone has provided employment to 13 local people on a part-time and full-time basis. I see this as another very important contribution of the MASH project to the community.”
The judges will be the three directors of the Hub Foundation and Stephen Breheny. The decision will be announced on the Hub Foundation website and in local media. Conditions and selection criteria are published on The Hub Foundation website here.
Solar is a win/win for Castlemaine rental couple and their landlord
Mon 17/11/2014: Linnet Good and Dev Mukherjee tell their ‘solar story’
Linnet Good and Dev Mukherjee are renting a 3 bedroom property in central Castlemaine. Dev commutes to Melbourne on weekdays and Linnet works as a copywriter from home. Everything in the house runs on electricity including their heating, hot water, cooking and cooling.
“We’ve always been careful with our electricity use and turn off everything when we aren’t around,” says Linnet. “Despite this our electricity bills were high at around $2,640 per year. This was mainly because everything runs off electricity. But also the house isn’t very well insulated so a lot of power gets wasted and I really feel the cold in winter!”
The deal with the landlord
Linnet and Dev had been thinking about going solar for a while. They knew that they had to come up with a win/win proposition that would benefit both them and their landlord. Together with Stephen Breheny the installer for the Mount Alexander Solar Homes (MASH) solar bulk-buy project, they decided that they needed a 3Kw solar system (12 panels) which would cost $4630.
Linnet and Dev went to their landlord with an offer that they would pay an extra $25 per week in rent towards the cost of the panels ($1,300 per year) if the landlord purchased the solar system outright. This rental increase would pay off the capital cost of the solar PV system within 5 years, with an annual rate of return for the landlord of 5-7% (2-4% more than what’s currently on offer from banks).
Lower electricity costs already
The system was installed on the 3rd October this year. From meter readings so far, Dev says they are saving more than $25 per week on their bills. What has also helped is that they have shifted their power usage to daytime as much as possible when they are generating their own power from the sun. “Somewhat bizarrely”, says Dev, “our peak electricity consumption is now between midnight and 2am as we heat up our hot water at this time on an off peak tariff.”
Not just about lower bills
For Linnet and Dev, the environmental benefits of solar PV is what really drives them. Linnet says:
“I hate the idea that I’m contributing to climate change. I want to minimise my impact on the environment as much as possible. I believe it is one of the most important things I can do.”
“Putting solar on our home is, for me, a political act as much as anything else. I believe that everyone needs to do their bit to help reduce climate change, rather than rely on governments. This is about taking direct action and if we all did it, the difference we could make collectively would be enormous.”
And the message to landlords
“If you want good tenants, it makes sense to install solar. It’s a capital improvement to your property, you get better tenants and you can charge more rent,” says Linnet.
3rd MASH bulk order arrives, 12/11/14
Today 12/11/14 at 7am, another 680 solar panels were delivered by truck into Castlemaine for the MASH solar bulk-buy project. This will bring the total number of solar panels delivered for MASH to 2101! Once installed (which will be by Christmas), this will be an extra 525.25Kw of solar power generated on rooftops in our region due to MASH participants. And there will be more to come!
Lisa Chesters, Federal Member for Bendigo, commends Hub Foundation
Friday 7/11/14: The Hub Foundation and Stephen Breheny met with Lisa Chesters, ALP Federal Member for Bendigo, on Friday to update her on the progress of the MASH project and she had this to say:
“I commend the Hub Foundation on the fantastic MASH+ project, aimed getting more solar panels on household roofs in Central Victoria. MASH+ is an exciting way for our local community to reduce power bills, make a positive contribution to climate change, and create jobs for local installers. It’s another example of Central Victoria leading the way in community based renewable energy projects. Our region is setting the benchmark for being able to power ourselves. Renewable energy just makes sense.”
Thanks Lisa for your support!
Fun bike playlist to inspire you!
Wed 5/11/14: As a big thank you to everyone for supporting the Castlemaine Ride to Work Day last month, Heidi Barrett Co-Founder of ‘No Lights No Lycra‘ has created a fun bike-themed playlist to share. Featuring Pink Floyd, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Queen and ‘Bicycle Made for 2’, it’s great fun and is bound to inspire more pedalling around Castlemaine.
MASH participants in 3rd bulk order to have their solar panels up by Christmas
Wed 29/10/14: MASH round #1 participants who pay by Friday 7 November will have their solar panels installed by Christmas 2014, according to Stephen Breheny, installer for the MASH solar panels bulk-buy project.
Friday 7 November is the payment deadline for inclusion in the third MASH solar panels bulk order. This order will bring the total number of systems ordered under the MASH solar PV project to 150.
A fourth bulk order for an additional 50+ rooftop solar panel systems will be placed before Christmas. The payment deadline for this order is Friday 19 December.
“Solar panel systems in the third bulk order will be installed by Christmas. Those in the fourth bulk order will be installed in January and February 2015 assuming favourable weather conditions and no events occurring that are beyond our control”, said Stephen Breheny.
Prices will be held at the current advertised rates for both these orders. However, due to adverse currency fluctuations, it is likely that orders placed in the New Year will be at slightly higher prices.
If you have not already placed your order, please get in touch with Stephen Breheny to arrange payment in time for either one of these order dates. Stephen can be contacted by email at stephen.breheny@mac.com or by phone on 0415 507 777.
Interest high in switching to a greener electricity company
Dissatisfaction with the dirty three energy retailers – Origin, AGL and EnergyAustralia – is proving common amongst participants in the MASH+ solar panels bulk-buy. The Hub Foundation is receiving a steady stream of enquiries from people who want to move to a green electricity retailer that publicly supports the Renewable Energy Target and generate all, or most, of their electricity from renewable sources.
Greenpeace has recently published ‘The Green Electricity Guide’, an independent study which they say has been developed to “help inform Australians about which electricity retailers really are as ‘green’ as they say they are.”
“Up till recently, Australians concerned about where their electricity comes from and who is selling it haven’t had much of a choice. And in some states and territories that’s still the case, with no choice at all”, according to the Green Electricity Guide.
“But increasingly many of us have the choice to purchase from a range of electricity retailers with very different environmental credentials. There is a growing difference between the old retailers which still remain dominant and rely on burning fossil fuels in the power stations they own, and a newer breed of more forward-looking companies that are providing cleaner energy in smarter ways.”
Here in Victoria, we are fortunate to have the greatest choice of green electricity retailers. The top four green retailers in Victoria, as identified in the Green Electricity Guide, are:
- #1 Powershop
- #2 Diamond Energy
- #3 Momentum
- #4 Red Energy
The seven criteria that all retailers were ranked on can be viewed here, they are:
- Investment in renewable energy
- Emissions intensity
- Greenpower options
- Whether they offer a good deal for solar
- Position on Australia’s Renewable Energy Target
- Coal seam gas investments
- Whether they are prepared to rule out purchasing electricity generated from burning native forest vegetation
The electricity companies that get a green rating in this report receive high scores on most of the above 7 criteria. “They typically generate all or most of their electricity from renewable sources, do not invest in or undertake coal seam gas activities, do not burn native forests for electricity generation and mostly are advocates of expanding Australia’s Renewable Energy Target”, according to Green Electricity Guide.
100 cyclists at Ride to Work Day Brekkie 2014, Castlemaine
Wed 15 Oct, 2014: Around 100 people donned helmets and rode to the Hub Plot in Castlemaine this morning to enjoy the Ride to Work brekkie and show their support for cycling.
Braving the frosty morning, the cyclists enjoyed the delicious food provided by CAKE Catering and The Good Table – an inspired granola yoghurt combo and homemade foccacia with vegies from local wicking beds.. There was plenty of bike-themed interest too, with people having a go on the electric bikes from the Bike Vault as well as bike jokes and awards from MC, TimTim.
Everyone was encouraged to hear Jason Taylor, Director Sustainable Development at Mt Alexander Shire Council talking about the positive steps being taken to implement the council’s walking and cycling strategy. It was also good to see representatives from Castlemaine’s Walking and Wheeling Action Group (WAWAG) at the event.
“We were pleased to have so many people come to the brekkie and help to make it such a lovely community event,” said Heather Barrett, Director of The Hub Foundation. “The feedback we got was really positive; there’s no doubt that cycling is alive and well here in Castlemaine.
“Cycling is so much better than driving on so many counts. If this event encourages just a few more people to ride more regularly, then we will consider it worthwhile”, continued Heather. “Of course, more can and should be done to make cycling safer in and around Castlemaine.”
Ride to Work Day in Castlemaine
If you never ride to work, sometimes do or brave the elements every day, Wednesday 15 October 2014 is a great day to ride your bike to work.
To start the day in style, join other cyclists between 7-9am at the Hub Plot on Templeton Street, Castlemaine for a delicious free breakfast and bike-themed fun.
There will be awards for the best decorated bike, the greatest distance travelled to the event and the funkiest bike. There will also be free bike safety checks, a chance to try an e-bike and find out what plans are afoot to make Castlemaine a more bike-friendly town. (Free brekkie for 1st 100 to register; paid-for options available for others).
“Biking to work is a really positive way to start your day, build exercise into your daily routine and it helps make you more alert”, says Jo Kaptein of The Hub Foundation.
“And there’s a huge plus for the environment because for each kilometre you ride your bike instead of driving, you are saving around 0.3 kg of CO2 emissions – that’s a bit more than a standard pack of butter. Definitely worth it, we reckon!”
“It really doesn’t matter what your work is – an office job, outside job, ‘looking after kids job’ or student – the main thing is that you give biking a go and want to join in”, says Jo Kaptein.
The Hub Foundation, Castlemaine, and MASG (Mount Alexander Sustainability Group) are hosting the breakfast. It is free of charge for the first 100 people who register at www.hubfoundation.org.au/ride2work.
This event is sponsored by Mt Alexander Shire Council and the Bike Vault. Food will be prepared by The Good Table and CAKE Catering using locally sourced ingredients, including vegies from the footpath wicking beds. Coffee is provided by Coffee Basics.
Please register online at www.hubfoundation.org.au/ride2work in order to claim one of the 100 free brekkies or by calling Jo Kaptein at The Hub Foundation on 0455-589-065.
