NSW GOVERNMENT GRANT ALLOWS WEST WYALONG MEN’S SHED TO HARNESS THE POWER OF THE SUN

Thursday, 25 July 2019

Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke visited West Wyalong Men’s Shed yesterday to learn how the group’s new solar panels are helping them lower bills.

The panels, installed thanks to a $9000 NSW Government grant, went live on Monday and have been helping increase efficiency.

“This is such a fantastic idea and I was only too happy to support it when West Wyalong Men’s Shed approached me,” Ms Cooke said.

“The group do some wonderful work for the community, creating and repairing metal and wooden items, as well as providing a social gathering point for men of all ages.

“Mental wellbeing is an important issue which sometimes gets overlooked, but West Wyalong Men’s Shed creates a place where men can get together, socialise, have some laughs and create or repair items.

“Running the machinery, along with heating, cooling and lighting, all costs money and so it’s great to know that those solar panels are up there all day long generating power to help lower the group’s bills.”

West Wyalong Men’s Shed President John Mitchell explained how the panels make a difference in spite of the group’s power requirements.

“We are hoping these panels will eliminate our power bills as we are only there a total of one and a half days per week, on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings,” Mr Mitchell said.

“We have around 16 members attend each week who work on welding or woodwork jobs for the community, such as making mobile chicken coops or making things like hat racks.

“A welder tends to suck a fair bit of juice and there’s nearly always one welder going, but we will have the full week to generate power, so we are hopeful that we can get rid of power bills entirely.”