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Regional households are helping to drive a surge in home battery installations as more households look to slash their power bills. In Mount Gambier, South Australia's largest city outside Adelaide, there has been a flurry of battery and solar panel installations in homes following the launch of a community bulk-buy renewables program. Across Australia, more than 50,000 batteries have been installed since the federal government's Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme was expanded in May to include batteries. In July, the City of Mount Gambier launched a community renewables program in partnership with solar technology provider Shinehub, offering bulk-buying rates for home solar and battery systems to residents. Council environmental sustainability business partner Aaron Izzard said nearly 100 households had signed up for the first round of the program. "Half of that is solar and battery systems and another 40 or so is just battery retrofits," Mr Izzard said. Mr Izzard said he would like to see the partnership between the City of Mount Gambier and Shinehub replicated across regional South Australia. "The whole reason for a bulk buy is so you can activate more of that economy of scale so you can get installers and the equipment down and do it all in one go," he said. "I would encourage other councils to have a look at it." Elisabeth Champion, who had her system installed about a month ago, said the installation had transformed the way her family used electricity at home. "Our last bill was $90, most of which was service charges," she said. "It's been delightful for me because I can't stand the cold. Every morning, I get up now and the heater is on. "We wouldn't have done that previously; we'd turn the heater on when it's absolutely freezing." Ms Champion decided to install a battery as well, allowing her to take advantage of the power her panels generated during the day. "[It] probably wouldn't have been worth it for us without the battery because it means that by 11 o'clock in the morning the battery is full and we can run the rest of the day just on the battery," she said. "It just gives us a little bit more freedom to use power that we wouldn't have otherwise." Battery uptake accelerates According to the federal government's figures, household battery uptake is accelerating, with more than 50,000 batteries installed in homes across the country since the scheme was expanded. The Royal Automobile Association of South Australia reported 65 per cent of solar systems it had installed in 2025 also included batteries, up from 29 per cent two years ago. Principal advisor Peter Nattrass said South Australia was taking the lead, finding ways to save money on electricity bills. "We have about 7 per cent of Australia's population, but we've seen 16 per cent of all the batteries under the Cheaper Home Batteries Program," he said. "South Australian households are really tuning in that the premium feed in tariffs that were around 10 years ago are no longer there. "We have days now during the middle of the day … where the entire state is run just on rooftop solar, which globally is something to behold."
