Australian Solar Systems Interest Index – May 2018

Interest from Australians in solar power systems during April continued to indicate bigger is better, and budget solar is trumped by quality.

System Size Choices

While 5kW packages continue to dominate (making up 43% of quote requests where a size was specified) and 6kW solar systems also had a strong showing (~21%), many Australians are now looking even larger, with 16% wanting pricing on installing systems bigger than 6kW. 39% of overall quote requests asked for advice on system sizing.

Solar Power System Purchase Timeframe

In April, 17% of Australians using our service were ready to buy a system immediately, well up from March (14%) and also up on February (15%) and January (16%). 24% wanted to buy within 4 weeks (down from 26% in March). For anywhere from now to 3 months, the figure was 75%; similar to March.

A Combination Of Good Quality And Price

As in previous months, approximately 79% of Australians were wanting to install a system that was a “a good mix of quality and price”.  The “good budget system” option also remained steady at 7% and “top quality (most expensive)” was again around the 14% mark.

Battery Ready Systems

Interest in battery-ready systems jumped significantly in April , with 29% registering this option (March: 14%, February: 12% and January: 11%). While all grid connect systems can be considered battery ready, we ask this question on the quote form to help installers who will be providing a quote to understand the prospective purchaser’s future intentions; as this will influence system design.

Concurrent Solar + Battery System Installation

In April, 5.2% of submitters requested a quote for a concurrent solar power + battery installation – this figure has remained relatively static since we began the auSSII last year. As in other months, during April we had a flag display when submitters select solar + storage indicating ballpark pricing and offering a battery-ready option instead in order to help avoid “sticker-shock” when people receive quotes. Solar + storage is still very pricey and generally speaking, better bang for buck can be realised through solar-only at this stage.

Battery System Size Preference

For those who did proceed with requesting a solar + storage installation quote and had a battery size in mind, 48% were wanting a home battery system with 10kWh+ capacity. As with solar power system sizing, many weren’t sure of what they wanted, with 48% requesting advice in this regard.

Primary Battery Use

4% wanted to install a battery primarily for backup (2% in March, 5% in February and 4% in January), 44% for  minimising grid electricity use  (43% in March, 46% in Feb. and 42% in Jan.) and 53% for both applications (55%: March, 49%: February and 54% in Jan.)

Average Quarterly Electricity Bills

Just over 46% of those submitting for quotes indicated they had quarterly electricity bills $500 – $1,000 – up on March (45%) and February (44%). As in March, 12% reported quarterly bills of $1,000 or greater. Approximately 7% weren’t sure what they paid per quarter on average, as was the case in March and February.

About The auSSII Report

The figures above are based on the thousands of requests for solar quotes received via the SolarQuotes web site in April.

If you’re keen on slashing your electricity bills by installing solar panels, you can submit your details and get up to three no-obligation quotes from trusted, pre-vetted Australian installers matched to your requirements who are part of the Solar Quotes network and service your area.

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Report Reproduction Guidelines

Reproduction of graphs and other detail from any auSSII report is permitted, but the report page from which the information has been sourced must be acknowledged.