Hepburn Shire

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  Tesla Powerwall 2 battery installed at the Hepburn Recreation Reserve to bolster the community resilience to the threat of bushfires
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About the Hepburn Solar Bulk-buy

The Hepburn Solar Bulk-Buy is a community initiative – supported by Hepburn Shire Council, Hepburn Wind and Z-NET Hepburn Shire – to make it easier for households and businesses to go solar and add battery storage.

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Round 2 of the bulk-buy started in April 2020 with a Cola Solar as its supplier, high quality solar and battery systems and great prices.

Going solar or adding battery storage can help you cut your electricity bills and become more self-sufficient.  And with the Hepburn Solar Bulk-Buy, you can feel good that you are also supporting your local community – as every installation counts towards more money going towards free solar for community groups and schools in the Hepburn Shire.  In 2019, we donated (with support of Hepburn Shire Council) more than $30,000 in free solar and we hope, with your support, to be able to do more in 2020.

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Information Meetings

Join us at a Solar info meeting to find out if going solar is the right thing for you! In just 90 minutes, you will get a comprehensive overview of the MASH offer and the opportunity to put your questions to the MASH team and our solar installer.

• Information Meeting – Daylesford

  February 25 @ 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm at Daylesford Town Hall

• Information Meeting – Clunes

  March 16 @ 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm at Clunes – Esmond Gallery – The Warehouse

• Information Meeting – Daylesford

  April 15 @ 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm at Daylesford Town Hall

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Hepburn Solar Supplier and Pricing

Appointed through a competitive tender process, Cola Solar is the Hepburn Bulk-Buy solar retailer for the Hepburn Shire. Founded in 2010, Cola Solar is a Bendigo-based family owned business providing solar and battery storage systems for homes and businesses throughout Central Victoria. The team at Cola Solar is committed to providing customers with the most energy efficient systems available and delivering these with certified professional service.

Solar Power System Pricing

Battery Pricing

Rebates

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Supported by the Hepburn Shire Council

We recommend that anyone thinking of solar panels or installing battery storage takes a look at the Hepburn Solar Bulk Buy.  It’s a reputable program and there’s a bonus for our community too, with free solar for schools and community groups. Now is a good time to go solar, with increased home working, home schooling and therefore greater use of energy.  If more homes in our shire are powered by solar, that’s good news for everyone – with lower electricity bills, increasing energy independence and a cleaner environment.

Cr Licia Kokocinski, Mayor of Hepburn Shire Council

So spread the word, as the more solar that’s installed in the Hepburn Shire the better!

Goals

Our goals for the next 12 months are to:

• Help people confidently invest in solar power – and where appropriate battery storage – to help them reduce their electricity bills, become more self-sufficient and to reduce their carbon footprint.
• Provide best practice advice relating to the impacts of COVID-19 on solar, as it impacts on households and businesses.
• Install 200 new solar rooftops in 2020, thereby cutting household electricity bills by around $140,000/yr and CO2 emissions by around 1,400 tonnes/yr.
• Donate at least two more free 5kW solar power systems to community groups and schools in the Hepburn Shire.
• Continue to be part of the bigger plan to achieve zero net emissions in the Hepburn Shire by 2029, the goal of Hepburn Shire Z-NET.

Hepburn Solar Bulk-Buy: Good for you. Good for your community.  And a step towards a cleaner world for all of us.

Latest News

• 226 solar & battery systems ordered since April 2020December 14, 2020
  The MASH and Hepburn Solar Bulk-Buys continue to perform strongly, with battery orders as well as solar surging ahead.  226 solar and battery storage systems have been ordered since April 2020, adding almost another 1 megawatt of installed solar capacity on roofs across central Victoria.    
• State Government budget commitments for renewable energyNovember 25, 2020
  An announcement from the Andrews Labour Government on 24 November, laid out significant spending commitments to support the uptake of renewable energy.  These include: More solar panels rebates (an extra 42,000 rebates over the next 2 years) through the Solar Homes program More solar battery rebates (an extra 17,500 battery rebates over the next 3 […]
• Battery Rebates now available in ALL Vic postcodesNovember 19, 2020
  The stopper on the uptake of battery storage has just been removed in a ground-breaking announcement from the Victorian Government.  From 18 November, households in all Victorian postcodes can apply for the battery rebate – worth up to $4,174 – via the government’s Solar Homes program.  This means that people living in areas like Newstead, […]
• Helping keep Daylesford beautifulNovember 9, 2020
  Newly arrived in Daylesford, Elizabeth and Gerry Bennett had solar right at the top of their ‘must do’ list for their new home – and a big reason for that was to ‘do their bit’ to help keep Daylesford beautiful.  Here’s their story: “We moved from Beaumaris to Daylesford around seven months ago.  We’d been […]
• Suntech panels Australian storyOctober 30, 2020
  There’s a really interesting Australian angle to the Suntech solar panels offered through the MASH project. Suntech Power is a (massive) Chinese solar panel manufacturer – started by Australian-educated Chinese engineer – Dr Zhengrong Shi. After completing his Ph.D in electrical engineering at the UNSW in 2000 he returned to start up Suntech. He then […]

Supporters

What our customers say

"We moved from Beaumaris to Daylesford around seven months ago. We’d been looking for the right property in Daylesford to retire to for about five years – and we are delighted with where we live now.

"Getting solar panels was one of our top priorities when we moved in. We’re here for the long term so we want a home that’s energy efficient with low bills. Plus we want to do our bit for the environment. We’ve moved to a beautiful area and we want to keep it beautiful.

"We read about the Hepburn Solar Bulk-Buy in a local paper and liked the sound of the community aspect, particularly how there’s a give-back to community groups and schools with free solar. Community is important to us, that’s one of the reasons why we’ve moved here. We want to do what we can to support that.

"We got in touch with the organisers and they put us onto the solar provider, Cola Solar. They were very efficient and easy to deal with. The installers turned up on time and were very helpful. The panels look great.

"We’re just waiting for the Electrical Inspector to come before the system is turned on. We can’t wait for that. It’s going to be a good feeling to know that when we switch on the lights that we’ll be running on sun power." - November 2020

Elizabeth and Gerry Bennett, Daylesford

 

We were extremely happy with the results of engaging with MASH and their commercial solar installer, Cola Solar. The process was straightforward because the information and guidance from MASH was genuine and gave us confidence to proceed. MASH has done all the hard work and due diligence that is often intimidating when choosing a solar solution. I would not hesitate in recommending engaging with MASH and their partners.

Mark and Fiona Lycette, Daylesford