Archive for the ‘Media Release’ Category

Our thoughts on climate change went out last week and got picked up by Sue Mikkelsen from the Noosa Journal.

Media Release

Sunshine Coast businesses must provide their own incentives for customers to take climate-friendly actions and not rely solely on governments.

That’s the message from local businessman and Sunshine Coast Environment Council Treasurer Alexander Kohl, who started SolarPay in June to provide solar hot water for people who can’t afford the upfront costs.

“Every household who switches their hot water from electric to solar can prevent up to 3,000 kgs a year of carbon emissions, and save up to $700 a year in costs” he said.

“But even with rebates, getting a solar hot water system is initially expensive, and our research found this was people’s biggest barrier to getting solar hot water”.

SolarPay negotiated with the National Australia Bank to provide finance “so people can get the system now and pay it back with their electricity savings”.

SolarPay does not make a profit on the payment, so Alexander Kohl may not be making the same money as he once did producing events for BMW and Adidas.

The father of two said “I had to change my attitude and realise that sustainable businesses can and do succeed”.

“Taking action as a business is about putting the planet and our future first and leading, not following” Kohl said.

You can find out more about solar hot water, calculate your system costs and rebates and order a system in minutes online with our calculator.

BIO: Alexander Kohl

“My vision is to find solutions that benefit the environment on a large scale AND reward the people directly.

My interest in sustainability has always been with me as the only natural way to operate and think. Some of my defining moments happened during the production of the BMW CleanEnergy World Tour 2002. The final event was held in Johannesburg, South Africa at the World Summit on Sustainable Development. I was blown away by the many companies that actively pursued more than profit.

When I produced the Sustainable Living Festival 2004 in Melbourne, I experienced the passion of volunteers who put in many hours to successfully promote what they believe in.

The biggest blocks to sustainable living seem to be added expense and inconvenience. Individuals bear these while society as a whole is benefitting.

My vision is to find solutions that benefit the environment on a large scale AND reward the people directly. With the collaboration of the right businesses we are now able to do that.

I am grateful for the effort and dedication of all people and organisations who make SolarPay possible. And I look forward to getting one step closer to sustainability, where we live in harmony with nature and each other; and use existing market forces to achieve that.”

Find Out Whether You Can Benefit From Solar Hot Water.

You can get an instant quote right now. There are 23 simple questions that lets our online calculator work out the best solution for your situation. That way you know exactly whether you can benefit from solar hot water.

Start with 1. Find System.

Queensland consumers are bracing themselves for another electricity price hike in July, but those who want to make the switch to solar have more cost-effective ways to save electricity than ever before.

Electricity bills will increase by 5.4% this month in this state, following last year’s rise of up to 11.37%.

Meanwhile, entrepreneurial Queenslanders are finding new ways to help consumers beat the biggest contributor to the cost of electricity - hot water.

In 2007, Sustainable Maleny conducted a successful drive to get 100 households in Maleny on the Sunshine Coast to replace their electric hot water systems with solar hot water at a discounted price.

Solar Hot Water Without Upfront Fees

On June 21st, Alexander Kohl of Sunshine Beach launched SolarPay, which allows customers to order a solar hot water system online and pay the costs over time without any upfront fees.

SolarPay’s goal is to help 1000 households on the Sunshine Coast switch from electric hot water to solar and then to expand the scheme throughout Queensland.

The Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts estimated that a household who switches from electric hot water to solar hot water will save electricity of between $300 and $700 a year, which can then be used to pay for the solar hot water system.

At the same time, the price of Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) has increased due to demand, which means owners of solar hot water systems currently receive up to $2,205 on top of the Federal Rebate of $1,000.

Save Electricity By Up To A Third

Even if they are not swayed by the environmental benefits, the prospect of cutting the huge hot water share of their electricity bill - up to a third of the cost - should convince the 80% of Queenslanders who have an electric hot water system that changing to solar is the only way to go.

A survey at the World Environment Day festival at the Sunshine Coast University last Saturday by Alexander Kohl from SolarPay.com.au confirmed informal research. Even people who are concerned and interested in conservation initiatives do not realise that many green initiatives can be cost effective.

While 74% had considered solar hot water as an energy saving measure, a third has taken action. The biggest hindrance was cost (55%) with a further 11% wanted to continue using the current electrical system until it broke down.

Alexander says “Australians cannot spend a lot of money to be green, even the ones most interested in sustainability”.

“On the Sunshine Coast there are 52,000 freestanding houses that are owner occupied. If every one of those took action, we could avoid 3.1 Million tonnes of CO2.” stated Alexander.

Alexander Kohl says: “By communicating with the core group of environmental leaders, we hope to start a buzz on the Sunshine Coast that steers away from acting environmentally out of guilt and instead turns it into the only smart way to act.”

Solar hot water is highly efficient, low cost and green. Over the life of the system the user is up to $12,000 better off compared to an electric system. At the same time, 60,000kg of CO2 are saved. That is 25% of the average household emissions or equivalent to taking a small car off the road.

When many of the attendees learnt that it was possible to put in a solar hot water without any upfront costs and then use the electricity savings to repay it, they got interested.

Depending on the individual situation, they could save between $300 and $700 on the electricity bill each year. After the current rebates (which are at an all-time high), a fully installed solar hot water system can cost under $1800.

To make it easier, NAB has partnered with SolarPay.com.au to provide an instant online finance package that makes it is possible to stay cash-flow positive.

A small number of interviewees (5%) were concerned about the reliability of solar hot water. The technology has been around since the 1950. It is well matured and highly efficient. It converts over 80% of the sun’s energy into hot water.

For further details, please contact
Alexander Kohl, Director of SolarPay.com.au