Daniel Andrews says owner-occupiers will have access to more than $4,000 each to install panels

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

Victorian owner-occupiers will get half-priced solar panels for their homes with no upfront cost under a $1.24bn election promise by the state Labor government.

The premier, Daniel Andrews, unveiled the plan in suburban Moorabbin on Sunday, promising that 650,000 homeowners over 10 years will get access to more than $4,000 each to install panels, paying back half over four years with their savings.

“It will get done under a re-elected Labor government saving hardworking households just about $900 each and every year,” Andrews told reporters.

Labor to support price caps on power bills as Coalition's Neg woes continue Read more

“We know families are doing it tough, the time for describing the problem is over, we have to take action.”

The package will not be available to landlords and renters, with Andrews saying federal incentives are already in place for investment properties, but he flagged more announcements in the future.

For households already in the process of getting solar panels, a $68m fund was also announced to pay people half through a grants scheme.

The plan will be overseen by a new agency, Solar Victoria, and the government will support the accreditation of 4,500 electricians to install the panels.

To be eligible for the now-available grant scheme or the potential loans plan, people must be living in their own home worth less than $3m and have a combined income of up to $180,000.

It’s predicted the scheme will bring the number of Victorian homes with solar panels to one million.

The announcement comes less than a week after Andrews declared privatisation of electricity production had failed Victorians, forcing bills up, not down.

When asked if privatisation should never have happened, Andrews said people could “make up their own minds” by looking at their bills, however he also said the state would not be buying back power plants.

“We can’t afford to go back and buy those power stations, instead we’ll put a power station on everybody’s roof,” he said.

He also took a swipe at the federal government and the confusion over the status of the national energy guarantee and ongoing infighting within the Coalition over power prices.

“I honestly can’t give an answer on whether we will or won’t support whatever they’re proposing in Canberra because it just keeps on changing.

All eyes on Dutton as conservatives fuel Coalition's crisis of confidence | Katharine Murphy Read more

“When we’ve got some detail, when we’ve got a final position agreed to by the commonwealth, we’ll look at it carefully.”

The opposition energy spokesman, David Southwick, said the scheme sounded reminiscent of former Labor prime minister Kevin Rudd’s ill-fated pink batts scheme.

“Daniel Andrews needs to explain how he will safeguard families and homes from being scammed by telemarketers and dodgy installers with no experience that will flood the system under this scheme,” he said in a statement.

“The relentless barrage of telemarketing calls at all hours will be the first sign of the problems to come.”