The Coolabah United Citizens group are among four community organisations in the western plains area to receive financial assistance to set up solar power and lower their energy bills.

The Coolabah volunteers play a critical role in their locality, which is centred around their Community Hall, and have warmly welcomed the $8987 to install a 5 kilowatt photovoltaic solar system on the hall's roof.

"We were very privileged to get it," said Coolabah United Citizens (CUC) Inc secretary Lynette Dunn.

"There would have been lots of other people who wanted the grant so we were very lucky to be acknowledged in this way."

Federal Member for Parkes Mark Coulton congratulated each of the ten groups in his electorate who received funding under the Powering Communities Program.

“Energy bills are often one of the biggest overheads for not-for-profit organisations,” Mr Coulton said.

“I'm thrilled to be able to support these local organisations to reduce their power bills and ease the financial pressure they face, through the installation of solar panels or more energy efficient lighting and hot water systems.

“It’s groups like these that are the heart of communities around my electorate, and this assistance will allow them to continue to grow, invest and support local jobs.”

Mrs Dunn says that, while the funding has been confirmed, they are yet to install the panels.

"We haven't put them up yet because it's been too hot. You can't ask someone to spend hours up on a roof right now," she said.

"The biggest problem was getting someone out here but Darren Jackson from Bourke has been very good and helped us work out what we needed."

According to Mrs Dunn, the Coolabah Hall has been fairly quiet lately due to COVID but they now have a few activities in the pipeline and having the solar available ahead of those will help to keep costs down for their small group.

"It doesn't take long with a couple of fridges on to rack up a bill," Mrs Dunn said. "We had a few things on the agenda last year but we just sneaked in our ANZAC Day event and that was it."

"We were going to have a sale of pre-loved goods at the Hall on the October Long Weekend but that was squased so we just hope we can have a normal sort of year."

With the loss of their pub and store in separate fires over the years, and then the closure of Coolabah Public School, the Coolabah Hall is now an even more critical community hub.

"The only things really left in the town are the post office, the Hall and a few houses," Mrs Dunn said. "But we are at the junction point between Nyngan, Bourke and Brewarrina so the buses do stop and it is still the central point for families on surrounding properties."

The United Citizens remain committed to their town and have had success in lobbying Bogan Shire Council to install public toilets off the highway in Coolabah's main street.

They also secured funds to purchase a ride-on lawn mower, which is used by volunteers to keep the town tidy when shire staff are too busy to make it to Coolabah.

The Coolabah United Citizens Inc. committee includes President Ian Hayne, Vice President Barry Archer, Secretary Lynette Dunn and Treasurer Kerrie Jordan with back up from Bruce Jordan and Linda Wallace.

"We were very fortunate to receive this grant and hopefully in the next year we'll be able to safely use the hall for some functions," Mrs Dunn said.

Other groups in the western plains area to receive funding for similar energy-saving projects were:

• Gilgandra Museum and Historical Society Incorporated - $7408 to upgrade fluorescent lighting in the Gilgandra Museum foyer and display building to LED fittings, upgrade external security light to LED floodlights and install a power connection for an instantaneous hot water system for the kitchen.

• Camp Cypress Limited - $01,314 to install a 12.5KW grid connect solar system to the roof of the dining room of the Camp Cypress holiday camp facility at Baradine.

• Tooraweenah Branch of the Country Women's Association of NSW - $6,780 to install a 5KW solar PV system on their building.

The Parkes electorate received a total of $67,700 to fund up to 12 small projects.