Renter Maximizes Energy Savings with Portable Solar and Battery Setup

At Robin Sands's rental property, he only has to buy about half his electricity from the grid.

Despite not owning the unit in Wollongong, he has done just about everything possible to lower his energy bills.

With the permission of his landlord, he has fixed two portable solar panels to his roof that power his kitchen appliances during the day, as well as charging up two lithium batteries that take over when the sun sets.

"The two panels on a good sunny day can get up to 4 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of charging, but I regularly need about 2kWh a day to run those appliances and my general consumption is about 6kWh a day," he said.

Mr Sands cooks on a $180 portable induction cooktop, has installed a free hot water heat pump as part of a government scheme, and can control his LED lighting from his phone.

When he does buy electricity from the grid, he purchases green power.

Campaign for renters to plug in

Rental homes are significantly less energy efficient than owner-occupied homes, with the disparity particularly acute in low income and regional areas.

The NSW government is exploring minimum energy efficiency standards for rental properties, arguing even simple measures like insulation could could slash energy bills by up to $750 a year.

Electrification advocacy group Rewiring Australia is preparing a submission to the state government pushing for electric appliances to replace gas fittings at the end of their life.

The organisation has also written a discussion paper calling for portable energy set-ups like "balcony solar" systems to be allowed to power household appliances in rentals.

They also want a dedicated plug to allow higher-power, bi-directional charging that would allow tenants to plug in their own batteries — such as an electric vehicle battery — to supply power to the home.

"We're all going to start using cars that have a gigantic battery in them — double the size of even the big home batteries people are installing now.

"Connecting your car at a scale that can run your house can take a big bite out of your energy bills and if we get that set-up right early, we can make sure renters don't miss out on the next wave of technology."

Preparing for portable power

Mr Vierboom said current rules meant a vehicle-to-grid power box had to be hardwired into a house, requiring landlord approval, and could not be taken when the tenant moved out.

A specific plug could change that.

"If we design a safe, standard plug we'd expect to see installed in garages, to put in this [vehicle to grid] equipment that's safe for this power to connect into your house, we might see renters use that car battery," Mr Vierboom said.

Taking advantage of free power

On July 1 this year, people in NSW with a smart meter will be able to opt in to access three hours of free daytime electricity (capped at 25kWh) as part of the Solar Sharer Offer.

It is a federal government initiative designed to soak up excess solar power and encourage people to use appliances like washing machines and dryers during times of abundant renewable energy.

Mr Vierboom said it could benefit renters with a portable battery of any kind.

"You could charge your car quickly during the day for three hours and then power your house [from it] through peak evening hours,"

"It's an interesting alternative to getting solar and batteries installed."