Innovation Case Study: Solar Saver
Darebin City Council
From Vulnerability to Power: Solar That Includes Everyone
Solar Saver (2014–2025) is a council-led program offering solar and efficient systems with no upfront cost and 10-year interest-free loans. Supporting over 2,000 households — 60% low-income or vulnerable — it has installed 8,800 kW of solar, cut 122,000 tonnes of CO₂, and generated $16M in local economic activity, advancing climate resilience, equity, and community-wide electrification.
2025 MAVlab Innovation Awards Winner:
The Now and Forever Award for Impact and Legacy, supported by the Australian Red Cross, and The Energiser Award for Climate Resilience and Adaptation, supported by Clean Energy Council.
Project statistics:
- Team: Over the past 3 years, there has been 2-3 FTE dedicated to the program including Senior Project Officer, Project Officer and Customer Support Officer
- Duration: Launched in 2014 and operated almost continuously until June 2025, with only brief pauses for contract variations since 2022.
Project goals:
- Enable low-income and vulnerable households to access renewable energy upgrades with no upfront costs.
- Enhance climate resilience by lowering energy bills and improving thermal comfort.
- Ensure energy savings consistently exceed repayment costs, boosting both financial and energy security.
- Support climate adaptation by improving household comfort and reducing emissions.
- Deliver an equitable, scalable model of climate resilience through inclusive, council-led initiatives.
Challenge and context:
In 2014, Darebin City Council identified two interlinked challenges: accelerating household-scale emissions reduction while ensuring that low-income and vulnerable residents were not left behind in the energy transition. While solar technology was rapidly expanding in Australia, uptake remained inequitable — renters, concession holders, and low-income households often lacked the upfront capital or security to invest in upgrades that could reduce their bills and improve their comfort.The Council also recognised the urgency of climate action through its Climate Emergency Plan, which called for scalable solutions with both environmental and social impact. Delivering such a program, however, posed several challenges:
- Financial equity: Most existing solar programs were inaccessible to those unable to pay upfront or obtain commercial finance.
- Trust: Vulnerable residents often face predatory sales practices or are wary of complex government programs.
- Operational complexity: Managing thousands of loans through council rates required legal innovation, interdepartmental collaboration, and robust financial modelling.
- Market coordination: Council needed to engage with and quality-assure solar providers while complying with procurement and sustainability standards.
- Inclusive engagement: Reaching Aboriginal households, renters, people with disabilities, and older adults required partnership with community agencies and service providers.
The solution — a council-managed program offering interest-free loans paid via rates — was a first of its kind. It reduced risk for households, built long-term trust in Council, and removed major barriers to access. A bulk-buy stream was also introduced to allow broader community participation, enabling scale and maximising impact.By embedding equity and resilience into the program design, Solar Saver bridged a structural gap in the clean energy transition, demonstrating that local government can lead innovation that is both climate-smart and socially just.
Solution and innovation:
Solar Saver’s innovation lies in its model: a council-facilitated, interest-free loan paid via rates, enabling households to install solar and electrification upgrades with no upfront cost. This approach addressed the core barriers facing vulnerable households — cost, trust, and complexity — while also driving significant emissions reductions.The program was co-designed across Council departments and with input from community partners. Key steps included:
- Legal and financial innovation: Council created a Special Charge Scheme mechanism to deliver household-level loans via rates, backed by detailed risk and repayment modelling.
- Supplier management: Council procured and quality-assured a panel of installers, ensuring high standards, fair pricing, and local economic benefit.
- Tailored engagement: Culturally appropriate communications and partnerships with organisations such as Aboriginal Housing Victoria, community health services, and social housing providers enabled inclusive outreach.
- Administrative simplicity: Participants received a full-service offer — from eligibility checks to installation — minimising cognitive and logistical load, particularly for those with limited digital literacy or capacity.
- Scalable design: A parallel bulk-buy stream allowed broader participation, supported market development, and increased program efficiency.
What sets Solar Saver apart is that it combines climate action with social justice. Previous approaches often focused solely on environmental outcomes or financial returns; this model embeds equity and resilience as core design principles. The program empowers residents typically excluded from clean energy transitions, contributing to long-term wellbeing, lower energy bills, and increased trust in Council.Solar Saver demonstrates how local government can move beyond regulatory or advocacy roles to directly enable equitable access to climate solutions. It provides a replicable model for other councils seeking to integrate adaptation, mitigation, and community care while delivering measurable social and environmental impact.
Solar Saver leaves a lasting legacy: a practical, inclusive model for equitable climate adaptation that other councils can replicate.
Impact and outcomes:
Since its launch in 2014, Solar Saver has supported over 2,000 households to install 8,800 kW of solar PV, alongside split systems and hot water heat pumps in more recent years. The program has achieved over 122,000 tonnes of CO₂ abatement, making it one of Australia’s most impactful local government-led solar initiatives. Council has provided $12.9 million in interest-free loans, with an average of $7,200 per participant, all repaid via rates.Crucially, Solar Saver was designed for inclusion. Around 60% of participants met one or more equity criteria, including:
- 190 low-income earners
- 112 concession card holders
- 26 people with a disability
- 19 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander households
- 18 older people reliant on government support
- 10 households in partnership with Aboriginal Housing Victoria
- 4 eligible renters and/or asylum seekers.
Participants consistently report improved thermal comfort and reduced energy bills, directly supporting climate resilience — particularly for those at risk during extreme heat. Eligibility checks ensured participants were not placed under financial stress, and several households used the opportunity to clear existing rates debt, improving outcomes for both households and council.The program also delivered $16 million in local economic activity, aligned with Council’s Social and Sustainable Procurement Policy. Outcomes are measured through:
- Installation volumes and system sizes
- Loan uptake and repayment
- CO₂ emissions abated
- Demographic data for equity tracking
- Ongoing engagement and feedback from participants and partners.
These impacts continue to grow as new households join and additional electrification measures are added. Solar Saver leaves a lasting legacy: a practical, inclusive model for equitable climate adaptation that other councils can replicate. Furthermore, the 10-year warranty required for parts and workmanship ensures that systems remain in working order for the next decade, guaranteeing consistent renewable energy generation.
Scalability:
Solar Saver has demonstrated strong potential for replication and influence beyond Darebin. As one of the first council-led programs to combine interest-free loans, rates-based repayments, and equity-first design, it laid the groundwork for a range of initiatives across Victoria and nationally. It directly inspired the Solar Victoria rebates and interest-free loan schemes, the EAGA-led Solar Savers program, and multiple other council initiatives targeting energy equity and emissions reduction.Its success lies in its simplicity, integrity, and structure — all of which can be adapted to other local contexts. The rates-based repayment model is legally available to all councils in Victoria through Special Charge Schemes. Council’s procurement, quality assurance, and customer support processes are well documented and can be transferred across local governments and shared service models.Internally, the approach has already informed Darebin’s evolving energy support programs, extending to bulk buys, electrification, and insulation pilots. The same logic — removing cost and complexity while building trust — is being applied across departments, including community health, asset management, and emergency planning, demonstrating the model’s value as a cross-council innovation platform.Solar Saver contributes meaningfully to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, including:
- SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy) — enabling access to clean energy for all.
- SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) — increasing resilience, especially for vulnerable groups.
- SDG 13 (Climate Action) — reducing emissions at the household level.
- SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities) — addressing structural energy disadvantage.