On frontline of

By Melissa Grant
NORM and Zoe Joseph are committed to reducing their electricity bills and their ecological footprint.
The Pakenham couple recently signed up to a community project offering solar panels at thousands of dollars below the regular price.
A total of 160 people have joined the Pakenham, Berwick and Cranbourne solar neighbourhoods, paying $1895 for a one-kilovolt system.
Mr and Mrs Joseph are looking forward to the savings the panels will bring once they are installed.
Casey-Cardinia solar neighbourhood co-ordinator Rob Campbell said home owners who installed the solar panels could reduce their household emissions by two tonnes a year and save about $215 off their electricity bills each year.
Mrs Joseph said the couple had done all they could to reduce electricity costs over the past year.
“Last winter we learnt our lesson when we got an electricity bill for $666. It was for three months but that was certainly our wake-up call,” she said.
Mr Joseph said they now used their heater sparingly and turned many appliances off at the power switch overnight.
“We switch everything off that we can,” he said.
The couple is also keen to save water, having swapped their showerheads for water-efficient ones and are looking to install water tanks.
“We very much want water tanks,” Mrs Joseph said. “We’re just waiting for the solar panels to be installed first to see where we can put the water tanks.”
Mrs Joseph said she had been interested in sustainability issues since she was in primary school, but it wasn’t possible to pursue a career in the field back then.
However, her granddaughter Toni has taken that career path, working under Minister for Climate Change and Water Penny Wong.
Mr Campbell said the overwhelming success of the solar neighbourhoods, and similar schemes, demonstrated the enormous potential of renewable energy and green jobs in the outer south-eastern suburbs.
Cardinia Shire and Casey councils worked with private company Rezeko to offer residents the heavily reduced solar photovoltaic installations.
“This is a great example of residents working together to achieve sustainable, long-term benefits,” Mr Campbell said.
“I hope this is just the start of a new green revolution in our suburbs.”
To find out more call Rob Campbell on 0401 842 738, or alternatively email rcampbell8@gmail.com or contact Rezeko on 9598 3302 or visit the website www.rezeko.com