“We called our unit Tesla 1, because it was the first to be installed in NSW,” Mr Lane said.

When Mr Lane and Lyn Jordan built their new home – aptly, in Sunshine Bay –  they wanted it to be powered by the sun.

“We always envisaged going down the solar-power route, but we had to wait for battery technology to catch up,” Mr Lane said. 

The Rural Fire Service volunteer said the Tesla Powerwall 2 was a huge improvement on the first model, with twice the capacity and many extra features.

“It will give us roughly 14 kilowatt hours of electricity each day; we generally use about 10 or 11, so we are covered,” he said.

The pair had roof-top solar panels for some energy needs when living in Melbourne and found, even there, solar worked.

“We also used gas, but our panels created enough electricity to pay for our gas bill – we used the same retailer for both to make it easy,” Mr Lane said.

At current electricity prices, Mr Lane said it would take nine years for his new solar setup to pay its way.

“But the trend is for prices to increase; coal and gas are getting more expensive to produce,” Mr Lane said.

However, their move to solar isn’t just about saving money.

“The scientists have crunched the numbers too,” the firefighter said.

“They predict an increase in catastrophic events.

“We will see it on our fire warning signs – the arrow will be swung around to ‘Catastrophic’ on the sign’s far right.”