David and Sharman love their Bondi Junction terrace house, which they have called home for 30 years. Being in a Heritage Conservation Area didn’t stop them from going solar about eight years ago. They’ve recently added more solar and connected a home battery, dramatically reducing their energy costs. If you live in a Heritage area, and are interested in accessing clean, solar energy, Council has produced Solar in Heritage Guidelines, which outline the correct process to follow when installing solar panels on buildings in heritage conservation areas and on heritage items.
David and Sharman in front of their solar-powered heritage home
How much solar do you have and what was your motivation?
We have installed 6.5 kW of solar plus a Tesla Powerwall battery. The first instalment of solar was done eight years ago, with 6 panels on the east and 8 panels on the west. Recently we’ve added another eight panels (north-facing) plus a battery. We were motivated by wanting to ‘do our bit’ to help the environment.
What are the benefits of installing solar plus battery?
Our electricity bill is now almost negligible, $0 - $20 per month, noting that we currently have gas hot water. A side benefit of installing a battery is that, during a blackout, the battery disconnects from the grid and switches to using the stored energy, which minimises any disruption. The battery is also very “smart”. It connects to the Bureau of Meteorology each evening and adjusts how much energy is stored in the battery overnight for the following day, depending on the weather forecast – which helps us maximise usage.
Solar Panels on the roof of David and Sharman's terrace
How have the solar panels changed your behaviour?
We are now more relaxed about using electricity. In Summer, our house is naturally cool, so we mainly utilise cross ventilation and close everything up with shutters to keep the heat out. We rarely use air conditioning over Summer. However, our house is cold in Winter. Having solar means that we’re more relaxed about using the air conditioner in the daytime to heat our house. We have installed a curtain to keep the heat from travelling upstairs and we close doors to zone the house to only heat the living space. We’re also more relaxed about using the clothes dryer.
Have you got any future sustainability upgrades planned?
We have an instantaneous gas hot water system that we will electrify when it eventually fails. We also have a gas space heater that we use sometimes at night, however when that fails, we won’t replace it. We have a hybrid car now, which we are really happy with. With more and more EV chargers being installed locally, we will potentially upgrade to an electric vehicle in the future.
Houses in heritage areas, like the above, can now benefit from solar
More info and links on installing solar and a battery in a Heritage Conservation Area
Council’s draft Solar in Heritage Guidelines are available for download, and will be finalised in early August 2025. Residents who follow this process will be able to apply for a heritage exemption certificate, allowing for a simpler and more cost effective process than a development application.
Also, the Federal Government is offering households and businesses up to a 30% discount on the upfront cost of installing a small-scale battery. For more information visit the Cheaper Home Batteries Program.