Elsewhere in Australia embedded electricity networks have been popular in retirement villages thanks to the 20 to 40% savings in power costs that can be delivered to residents. In NSW the uptake has been slower because the government has not provided the pensioner power concession that provides them approximately $225 a year as a subsidy to their energy bill. Father and son team Dennis and Toby Etchells of Network Energy Services have been supporting residents in their lobbying of local politicians, in particular residents at Stockland and Lend Lease villages, with the result that the NSW government has now agreed to provide this rebate. In essence the village buys the energy at bulk wholesale rates and then retails it to residents at a discount. In other states the government mails an annual cheque to each resident, the likely process in NSW.
Network Energy Services has installed embedded networks in approximately 100 villages across Australia.
