Sign up today for solar panel grants for apartment buildings

If you live in an owners’ corporation (OC) with between three to 50 residential units, your building can sign up for a grant of up to $140,000 to fund the installation of solar panels on the building’s rooftop.

Solar Victoria is currently offering grants of up to $2800 per apartment ($140,000 max per building) as part of an initiative to get more apartment buildings to reduce emissions and reduce their electricity costs.

Applications are currently open on the Solar Victoria website, but the grants are being taken up quickly.

Building eligibility now includes strata townhouses and units under the control of an OC and sharing a common property rooftop.

By adopting solar, an average household in a multi-unit development can save up to $500 a year on their energy bills.

However, to access this rebate, participating OCs must bear the upfront costs, which can then be reimbursed through the government rebates. More importantly, OCs must follow proper legislative procedures under the Owners’ Corporation Act 2006 when deciding to install solar panels, as this may involve an upgrade of the common property roof. Nevertheless, the recent government changes to the Act have meant that the approval processes for participating OCs have become somewhat less stringent.

A decision to approve the installation of solar panels will sometimes be one for the committee and will sometimes be a special resolution of the entire OC depending on certain circumstances.

For instance, a special resolution will be needed if the solar installation is an “upgrade” to the common property. In other words, the solar installation will be considered “upgrading works” if it meets either of the following criteria: (a) the cost of the installation is estimated to be more than double the OC’s annual fees; OR (b) the installation requires either a planning permit or a building permit before the solar panels can be installed.

In summary, the committee of an OC would be empowered to make a decision about installation of solar panels in the following scenarios: 

• if the committee has not been limited when it was appointed to expenditure as to a dollar amount, or in relation to specific subject matters; 
• no planning permit or building permit is required; 
• the proposed system is not so expensive as to be twice the amount of the annual fees of the OC; 
• the addition is not a “significant alteration to the use or appearance of the common property”; and 
• the OC has sufficient funds in its administrative fund and does not need to borrow from its maintenance fund, raise a levy or enter into a loan to pay for the solar panels.

That’s a lot of ifs, buts and maybes. OCs should take some tailored legal advice about their own situation. But one thing is for certain – $140,000 is nothing to be sniffed at. OCs should jump at this limited opportunity, before it is too late. •