9:11a.m. 11th March 2008

| By Mark Furler

Sunshine Coast mayoral contender Joe Natoli has unveiled 'conceptual' plans to set up a council-owned energy retailer to cut power costs to ratepayers.

Mr Natoli, who is speaking to seniors at Kawana Bowls Club this morning, said the State Government had taken away council’s bulk water businesses which meant less income for the new council.

"This puts extra pressure on the bottom line.

“We need to look at alternative ways of finding income and not always just asking the ratepayers to pay more.''

Mr Natoli said he was looking at innovative ways of replacing that lost income and beyond, so that ratepayers are not facing the brunt of an increased burden.

“My plan is to set up an energy retailer which will buy and sell energy to our community. It will buy the energy from the large power suppliers at a wholesale price, and retail it to members of our community,” he said.

“Electricity costs went up 17% last year. This simply isn’t affordable,” he said.

“With it being owned by the council, the company’s financial profits stay in the community, reducing the pressure on rate payers and ensuring rates are affordable,” he said.

“There would also be a whole range of additional services and opportunities – which is where this community would benefit even more.”

This retailer could provide solar power cells on every roof (residential or business) with no up-front costs. The system would work similar to how you can buy a mobile phone and then pay it off on a plan over a number of years.

Residents would commit to paying a similar amount to their previous energy bill, but the savings from the green energy would go towards paying off the solar cell.

In time, they would own the solar cell and therefore reduce their energy bill from that time on into the future.

“On top of saving money, it’s also a fantastic way for people to make a contribution to reducing green house gases, and moving the Sunshine Coast into a sustainable future,” he said.

"Volume drives the price of the solar cells down, so that’s a benefit.''

"Under the new Climate Change Legislation from the State Government, individuals are able to sell their energy into the grid for the first time. So local residents who use less power, could sell their extra energy to the grid, paying off their system even faster.''

Mr Natoli admitted his plan was only a "conceptual plan", which would need full investigation and a business plan.

“But it does show that I am thinking outside the square. We cannot continue to do things the way we always have. We need to be innovative and entrepreneurial,” he said.

“I will set up a project team to make this happen, while I focus on the job of getting the new Sunshine Coast Regional Council up and running,” he said.

“We have excellent staff in our three organisations who can work together with an expert in the field to make sure this project moves from concept into reality.”