Solar Fees Scrapped in Nelson Only

Nelson residents wanting to install solar water heaters will no longer have to fork out a $100 building consent fee, with the council scrapping the charge from March 1.

However, Tasman residents wanting to switch to solar will face an increased fee of $205 from Monday.

Nelson City Council planning and consents manager Richard Johnson said the council decided to scrap its fee to encourage residents to switch to solar water heating.

The move reflected the council’s interest in pursuing the “solar capital concept” in Nelson, and reflected the national concern over energy supplies, he said.

Tasman District Council regulatory manager Jean Hodson said the council had no specific consent application charge for solar water heaters, which fell under the “minor consents” category.

Any application for building work under $2500 and which involved the council making one inspection, fell into the minor consent category.

Ms Hodson said the $205 fee had increased from $184, as the council had increased all its consent charges to cover its increased costs.

About one percent of new homes in the district were built with solar water heating seven or eight years ago, but that figure had now risen to about one in six, she said.

Nelson MP Nick Smith, who had wanted the building consent fees for installing solar water heaters scrapped, said he was delighted by the city council’s decision.

In addition to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, people could also reduce their power bills by installing solar water heaters.

The council’s decision was particularly timely as power prices were rising, he said.

Dr Smith said he would write to the Tasman council to try to persuade it to do the same.

Nationally, the number of solar water heaters installed last year dropped to 3900 from 4057 in 2006, he said.

The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority website says installing solar water heating could save homes between $350 and $450 a year and that recovering the cost of installation takes between seven and 15 years.

The systems typically cost between $4000 and $7500.

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