Posts By Ronald Brakels, Author & Fact-Checker At SolarQuotes

How Home Batteries Slash Carbon Emissions

A home battery next to a pot plant.

A Sigenergy home battery installed by Stag Electrical Solar and Refrigeration ACT.

Home batteries lower greenhouse gas emissions.

Unless, of course, you’re a complete nutter and use a battery to deliberately raise them in an attempt to cook the planet.  But this ruins the savings, so only a complete loony would try it.

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Tesla Full Self Driving Is Terrifying & Exciting

I don’t mind admitting that I was recently taken for a ride — by a robot car.  Tesla Full Self Driving (Supervised) has arrived in Australia, and it took me for a spin.

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Hang Up For Good On Solar Telemarketers Interrupting Dinner

A disconnected phoneWhile I don’t consider myself particularly wicked, I still get little rest.  For example, on Friday night, I was relaxing with my family in sub-tropical Queensland when we were interrupted by a solar telemarketer who so blatantly breached industry standards I put the police onto him.

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VPPs Have Pros & Cons — But Watch Out For The Cons!

terms and conditions for a app

Thanks to the federal battery rebate and multiple state incentives, many new battery owners will soon be wondering if they should join a Virtual Power Plant (VPP).  While the pros can make it worthwhile, you have to look out for a huge list of cons before signing up.

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Should You Take The Battery Rebate Bait And Join A VPP?

Charing solar batteries from the mains grid

Today’s a big day for Virtual Power Plants (VPPs): a federal rebate for VPP-capable batteries is coming online, while two states are offering incentives that require joining one.  So why are multiple layers of government teaming up to tempt you into handing over control of your battery to a VPP operator, and should you take the bait?

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Fact Check: Actually, We Can Heat Homes Just Fine Without ‘Efficient’ Gas

A dial pointing to the right above the word 'false'

The “Australians for Natural Gas” group has today been reported to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) for allegedly misleading claims. I’ve looked into this group and found it is spreading a number of false messages on social media, including that gas is an “efficient” source of power and that Australians would struggle to feed themselves or heat their homes without it.

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Fact Check: No, Mum, Nuclear Won’t Reduce Costs By 25%

A dial pointing to the right above the word 'false'

A group called “Mums for Nuclear” has spent a lot of money on newspaper and online ads in the lead-up to the federal election, claiming that “Nuclear energy in the mix with renewables reduces cost by 25%“. I’ve investigated this claim and found it to be false.  Hopefully, this will prompt all groups that have made unrealistic claims about nuclear affordability to take them back and spark a chain retraction.

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How Getting Off Gas Will Save You Money

Money is burned over a gas stovetop

There’s a lot of conflicting claims out there about whether getting off gas is worth it financially. I’ve taken a deeper look at how much money Australian households could actually save by quitting gas, and the amount will make your head spin worse than a leaky stovetop.

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Revolutionary New Finnish Hot Water System Rocks

Finnish company Peikkovoima held its Australian launch of a revolutionary new form of home hot water in Adelaide last night.  Using a process called geological decomposition, the company promises their system will provide household hot water in a way that’s environmentally benign and affordable.

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Power Price Hikes Make Batteries Pay In NSW

Sydney at nightThe bad news is out.  Grid electricity price hikes are coming and likely to hit hardest in NSW, where bills are set to spike by up to 8.9%. With more financial pressure looming, many NSW homeowners are asking: “Is now the time to get solar and a battery?”

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