Have you noticed that the Kiama Bowling Club’s roof is almost completely covered by solar panels?! It’s hard to miss as you drive down Shoalhaven Street. 

Our interest was piqued, so The Bugle asked manager, Andrew Broadwood about the Club’s motivation to go solar. He said, “The Board of Directors have always been interested in getting solar power, as many other clubs up and down the coast have had it successfully installed to save on energy bills.” 

“The benefit of reducing greenhouse gas emissions appealed to everyone also,” he adds.

They have 240 415W solar panels in total – “just about as many as we could possibly fit,” says Andrew. This was prompted by the knowledge that energy pricing was continuing to rise, and they felt they had to jump onto it quickly. 

“At the time of installation in October 2022, our contract was being renewed with the suppliers, tripling the price of energy.

“Each month we save loads off our energy bill: around $750 in the winter and $1200 in the summer.”

The club doesn’t yet have a battery, as they are using pretty much all of the energy produced. 

There may also be some good news for electric vehicle drivers: “We are currently looking into installing EV charger stations at the Club, encouraging people to come and have something to eat and drink whilst charging their car,” Andrew adds.  

Whilst they haven’t confirmed any EV Charger installs as of yet, they continue to do more research. The Government continues to bring out grants and funding for EV charger installations, so they are keeping an eye on that.