Residents of new Whangārei social housing developments will see their power bills cut in half after government funding to provide solar panels.

Eighty-nine households nationwide will soon benefit from secure, renewable, and more affordable energy as five community-level energy projects are about to get underway, Energy and Resources Minister Megan Woods announced.

Five solar projects — in Whangārei, Tauranga, Palmerston North and Christchurch — are the first to receive funding from the Government’s Community Renewable Energy Fund.

Habitat for Humanity Northland’s Project Maunu Road has received $225,409 so solar PV panels can be installed on 23 homes of a new community housing development being constructed by GJ Gardener Homes in Whangārei.

Soho Group, too, has received $400,000 for solar PV panels on 35 public rental homes that are being constructed in new housing developments in Tauranga and Whangārei, with 15 of the homes in Whangārei.

Habitat for Humanity building development manager Jay Davies said the funding would lead to huge power savings for the development’s residents.

“Having solar panels will make a big difference for those residents. We think it will lead to average savings of around 50 per cent on their power bills and that’s a massive saving,” Davies said.

The development, on the corner of Maunu and Te Mai Rds, will have 21 two-bedroom homes, one three-bedroom home and a community unit, and should be finished by June 2024.

“This will make a huge difference for the families who are going to live there. Not only will they have nice warm, good-quality new homes, but they’ll also get that cheaper power as an extra on top that will give them a boost,” Davies said.

Woods said last year, the Government committed funding to support small-scale community renewable energy projects, to make energy more affordable and resilient for households.

“As we’ve seen through Cyclone Gabrielle, households with small-scale energy generation through solar panels and batteries were able to keep essential appliances running, when mains power was impacted. Budget 2023 topped up the funding by another $30 million (on top of $16m in Budget 2022) for the next four years to ensure even more households and communities can benefit from renewable energy and make their power bills cheaper,” she said.

Soho Group is constructing two housing developments in Tauranga and Whangārei, with construction expected to be completed in mid-to-late 2024.

The funding will deliver solar PV panels for 15 homes in the Whangārei development where Soho is working alongside a nationwide community housing provider for the long-term asset ownership and management and tenancy management.