Judging by visitor and quote request activity on SQ during the month of March, Australia’s rooftop solar power rush is far from over.
System Capacity Preference
6kW and larger solar power systems continued their upward climb in popularity, representing 63% of quote requests where a capacity was specified – up from February’s ~60% and January’s 58%. As was the case in February, around 32% of all submissions requested advice on system sizing..
Solar Purchase Intent
Again we saw Australians sitting back a little when it came to wanting to purchase a system immediately – down to around 18%, compared to 19% in February, 21% in January and a whopping 26% in December. But this doesn’t mean there’s a lack of enthusiasm in getting solar panels installed quite soon – close to 82% were wanting a system anytime from immediately to within 3 months, up slightly on February’s 81%.
Price And Quality Preference
Those wanting a top quality (most expensive) system dropped back to 12% after reaching 14% in February. Part of the loss went to those requesting quotes for a system that had a balance of quality and price, at a bit over 80% (79% in February). Those opting for a “good budget system” remained around the 7% mark.
Battery Ready PV Systems
There was another drop in interest in “battery-ready” solar power systems – a bit under 27% compared to February’s 28%, January’s 29% and December’s 30%. While most PV systems are considered “battery-ready”, we ask this question to help prospective installers with designing a system when quoting.
Concurrent Solar + Battery Installation
Just 7% indicated interest in battery storage being installed at the same time as their solar power system – perhaps more Australians are cottoning on to the fact that if you want the best returns and fastest payback, solar-only is still the way to go.
Battery Capacity Preference
For those using our service who did want a concurrent battery installation and specified capacity, approximately 20% were after a 1-5kWh unit (18% in February), 39% a 5-10kWh (43% in February) and 40% a 10kWh+ battery (February 38%). 50% of the overall total interested in a battery to go with their PV system requested advice on selecting capacity.
Intended Battery Application
Just on 6% were wanting a solar battery primarily for backup purposes (5% in February, 3% in January and ~4% in December) and around 43% for minimising grid electricity use – down on February’s 45%. Again last month, just under 51% wanted a battery for both applications.
Electricity Bills – What Are People Paying?
Where quarterly electricity bill amounts were known, 47% reported $500 – $1,000 (46% in February). Close to 12% said they quarterly electricity bills of $1,000 or more (11% in January and December) .
Next Month – System Monitoring
In the next auSSII, we’ll begin publishing statistics on interest in solar monitoring. Learn why a solar monitoring system is a wise choice.
About The auSSII Report
The information above is based on responses provided by thousands of Australians utilising our solar quote service each month to receive system pricing and details from SQ’s network of installers, all of whom are thoroughly pre-vetted.
Not All Solar Sales Leads Are Equal
Solar quoting sites come and go, but we’ve been around since 2009. Our longevity is due to a focus on providing quality sales leads to installers who really care about their clients and the quality of their work. Read more about our solar sales lead services.
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“perhaps more Australians are cottoning on to the fact that if you want the best returns and fastest payback, solar-only is still the way to go.”
Maybe, or perhaps Australians think there’s a good chance of a change of government and a battery rebate becoming available in the not too distant future?
Federal Labor says they’ll introduce a $2,000 battery subsidy. In South Australia the subsidy is up to $6,000 but batteries still won’t pay for themselves for a typical household at the moment, despite having the highest electricity prices in the country.
I know Ronald and, personally, I still think our first battery will be on four wheels (V2G) in about 5 years time, for exactly that reason. All other things being equal, if you were seriously considering buying a battery now (outside of SA), it would make sense to me to wait until the subsidy is available.