If you have a home battery, a time-of-use tariff can save you money.
How much depends on…
SA homes are not required to have a time-of-use retail electricity tariff when getting solar
Last week I heard from a South Australian concerned they’d be forced onto a time-of-use tariff after installing solar panels.
Since this was at the start of the new financial year, my initial response was, “Oh god! What are the electricity retailers doing now?”
Ninety-eight percent of the world’s solar cells are made from silicon. This is thanks to its suitability as a PV material and its low cost compared to alternatives. While the price of solar silicon has its ups and downs, the overall trend has been downwards. It reached a record low in June 2020. After taking inflation into account, it was around one-thirteenth of its 2007 price.
But the record low didn’t last, and over the past 12 months it has gone from under $7 US per kilogram to over $28 US. In relative terms, this has been the largest solar silicon price increase in history. [Read more…]
New aircon energy rating labels! Are you excited? You should be…
The most energy-efficient and cost-effective way to heat your home is to use your reverse-cycle air conditioner. Even the least efficient aircon uses far less energy than electric resistance heating. But buying the least efficient air conditioner is a bad idea. You’ll be better off with a highly efficient one — or at least the most efficient one that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. [Read more…]
Texas provides a great example of how not to treat electricity consumers during a heatwave.
Last week Texas suffered through a stinking hot heatwave.
And just like the polar vortex five months ago, we saw an excellent example of villainous electricity retailer behaviour we must never allow in Australia. [Read more…]
The lowest cost way to replace the coal power now providing 63% of Australia’s electricity is to replace it with a combination of wind and solar generation plus energy storage. [Read more…]
Over the next week or so I’ll write some articles busting solar myths because, if I’ve learned anything from 25 years of internet use, it’s way easier to complain about something than go through the effort of doing something useful. Today I’m tackling solar energy output in winter in Australia. [Read more…]
Last week I was contacted by a Queenslander named Terry. He was chuffed about the electricity bill savings he was getting by using a demand tariff with his home battery. [Read more…]
Winter is coming. The cold month of June is almost upon us. In Adelaide where I dwell, winter brings grey skies and decreased solar output. The cold, dark of the evening arrives early and brings a time for family, fellowship, and food.
Now is the perfect time for me to write about slow cookers and how useful they are for solar households. [Read more…]
Do you live in regional Queensland? Do you think your only choice of electricity retailer is Ergon Energy? Then I have exciting news for you. You can choose who bills you for electricity. [Read more…]
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