Hundreds of social housing properties across the Riverina are being fitted with solar panels to help their tenants save money on electricity bills.
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Kooringal social housing tenant Rayleene Doran told The Daily Advertiser she had saved hundreds of dollars since solar panels were installed on her roof.
"My power bill was pretty high before they put [the panels] up. They must have thought I was the best client for it," she said.
Miss Doran said the panels were installed a week before Christmas last year but took a while to get them fulling hooked up and working.
"Looking at the previous usage was abit over $1000 but now it's $562 so that's a saving of three or four hundred dollars every six months," she said.
"It's extra money for me. It's great, actually."
The Land and Housing Corporation (LAHC) is completing a program to retrofit solar panels to 220 homes in Wagga and 52 homes across the Federation, Cootamundra, Gundagai, Junee and Great Hume council areas as part of a $26.8 million program jointly funded by the NSW government's Home Energy Action Program.
An LAHC spokesperson said the solar retrofit program in the Riverina Region was currently ongoing with 117 installations completed as of October 20, with the remainder expected to be completed by the end of October.
Minister for Water, Property and Housing, Melinda Pavey, said Land and Housing Corporation social housing tenants in the Riverina region would feel more comfortable running appliances like air conditioners over the hot summer months, without worrying about high energy bills.
"Our programs are making a real difference for regional tenants, delivering free energy when the sun is shining and reducing financial stress for families by saving them up to $1000 each year on their energy bills," she said.
Miss Doran said she would recommend other tenants take part in the program.
"I'll be saying to a lot of people who are struggling, especially with the virus about and money is really hard on everyone, to get it done," she said.