UPDATE: Winmalee Neighbourhood Centre solar is funded!
We’re incredibly excited to announce that our crowd-funding campaign to donate a solar system to the Winmalee Neighbourhood Centre is now complete!
A very special thanks to the many amazing and generous people who chipped in to help a local community organisation run off clean energy!
The brand new 4.5kW solar system was installed in December 2015 by Katoomba-based business Sun Kissed Solar. We estimate it will reduce Winmalee Neighbourhood Centre’s electricity costs by around $900 per year – money they can use directly for critical community services, including a vital bushfire recovery program.
Stay tuned for photos of the shiny new solar system and news of our next crowdfunding project!
The Blue Mountains community is great at coming together to help one another. That’s why the Blue Mountains Renewable Energy Co-op has launched a local-first initiative to donate 4.5kW solar system to Winmalee Neighbourhood Centre, cutting their power bill in half and freeing up funds for critical community services, such as ongoing bushfire recovery programs.
The co-operative expects a well-suited solar system will save the neighbourhood centre up to $900 a year in electricity costs, allowing savings from each power bill to be channelled into its bushfire recovery programs, which are ongoing since the October 2013 fires.
We are proud to be beginning the realisation of our vision to create a community-owned renewable energy future for the Blue Mountains, with an organisation already so committed to helping our community.
The Winmalee Neighbourhood Centre provides diverse community support to those experiencing financial and other hardship in the areas of Winmalee, Yellow Rock and Hawkesbury Heights.
“The centre acted as a hub during the 2013 bush fires, coordinating essential supplies and services including food, linen, clothing, No Interest Loans, counselling and financial assistance.
All of our community support programs are funded by tax-deductible donations and grants, so having solar panels to reduce our bills will make a real difference.”
– Morna Colbran, manager of Winmalee Neighbourhood Centre.
As they experienced last year during the bushfires, demand for Winmalee Neighbourhood Centre’s important services can surge in times of crisis. Installing solar will reduce operating costs and allow the centre to focus more of their limited funds on supporting the community.
This is a great opportunity for locals to be part of the neighbourhood centre’s important work that builds on the fairness and resilience we all appreciate in the mountains.
Notes:
- Contributions are not tax deductible.
- We will make an announcement as soon as practicable once we have met our fundraising goal, but any excess funds will be used for further community solar – either in the form of a larger system at Winmalee Neighbourhood Centre or a subsequent project at another community organisation.