Recent research by the Australian Solar Council shows that the average Aussie that has installed solar has seen an average 65% reduction in their power bills. And to pre-empt a gazillion comments – yes – this is achievable with a crappy Feed-In -Tariff too!
They have produced a great infographic which sums up most of the benefits of solar that the anti solar brigade wish weren’t true. Here it is:
The joys of solar power. Cue solar nark’s teeth gnashing!
About Finn PeacockI'm a Chartered Electrical Engineer, Solar and Energy Efficiency nut, dad, and the founder and CEO of SolarQuotes.com.au. I started SolarQuotes in 2009 and the SolarQuotes blog in 2013 with the belief that it’s more important to be truthful and objective than popular. My last "real job" was working for the CSIRO in their renewable energy division. Since 2009, I’ve helped over 700,000 Aussies get quotes for solar from installers I trust. Read my full bio.
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I have two PV systems, one is a 1.2kw in a property with gas cooktop, oven & water heating that hasn’t had an electricity bill in the four years its been installed, other is a 10kw in a property (with electric cooktop & oven, gas water heating, & humungous CRT TV) that provides a nett income of around $7000 pa after personal consumption. Neither of these have or need airconditioning. Currently assessing additional off-grid systems although its not straightforward due to a few ‘peculiarities’. Both properties have north-facing roof. Also had previous property with 1.0kw on east-facing roof, electric everything including airconditioning. Savings nothing to write home about although airconditioning was necessary most of the time & I suspect the east-facing roof didn’t help.
….and while your electricity prices fall, your Service to Property charges increase as if they’re on steroids:- 20% in the last quarter alone. (SPAusnet ~ which has to pay for starting the 2009 bushfires.)
And increasing from 42 cents per day in 2010 to over $1.30 per day currently.
It’s well past time for a civil insurrection in this country (in this and other fields too!). eg.What are they going to do if EVERYBODY simply refuses to pay their power-bills: disconnect EVERYBODY?
Unfortunately Australians are noted for a lack of courage and real community spirit.
“I’m all right Jack” should be the national motto ~ emblazoned across a national flag showing a kangaroo without testicles.
Spot on. There are far more of us than the bloodsucking parasites we elect, consequently they would have no choice but to sit up and take notice of the sheeple if only we united. I can only assume the fluoride or whatever they put in the water really is a potent sedative.
This is green propaganda. You would have to live in Alice Springs with a diesel generator to have you power bill halved, I have a 3kw system in Melbourne and in winter the reduction in power bills has been negligible.
Hi Davyd,
If your bill is not substantially reduced by a 3kW system then there is something seriously amiss.
Who did you buy your system from? What energy use analysis did they perform before sizing your system? What appliances do you use in Winter? What has your annual bill reduced by? How many kWh per year are you getting?
I get about $2,000 per year credit and draw about 2.2kWh per day from the grid. I don’t have a diesel generator, I have solar and an efficient house in radelaide, a 5 person family and a home office with 2 people working in it.
Cheers,
Finn
Hi Finn
To give you some idea of how little the system delivers, my bill for 29 October to 30 January was $974.50 (4528.816 kWh). My ‘Total Solar Contribution’ was a credit of $21.95. This covered 2 summer months including January which was not only one of the hottest for years but we were overseas for 3 weeks of it. This will therefore be as good as it gets in terms of solar contribution – a saving of around 2%!
The system cost over $18k and was installed by an outfit called Modern Solar (OK they ripped me off and I should have shopped around some more). This doesn’t change the fact that even at one quarter the cost the system would be a lousy investment. Solar doesn’t make sense unless you have direct sunlight almost all the time. For example, at the moment it is overcast in Melbourne and the solar system’s output is around 100W – just enough to power a light globe!
Hi Davyd,
Sounds like Modern have not only ripped you off but potentially installed a faulty system.
This post shows how to work out if you are getting the power you should be. You can read gross power generated from the inverter display.
http://www.solarquotes.com.au/blog/how-to-work-out-if-your-solar-system-is-performing-properly/
I can point you to literally thousands of people that are getting fantastic payback from their system. Your experience is not the norm!
Hope That Helps,
Finn
My 10kw system has consistently returned a gross income of around $2000 per quarter since house was built three years ago . Personal consumption is $150 per quarter. (house is arguably the most energy-efficient in the country)
The mere fact that it was ‘installed by an outfit called Modern Solar’ tells a story. There may possibly be more ‘interesting’ operations but none that I’ve ever encountered. Business is typically generated by commission telemarketers who flog anything from alarm systems to window shutters ,,, enough said ?? I wonder what wattage panels are actually installed (ie as per manufacturer rating as opposed to whats listed on the contract). Might be worth checking.
What about all the people who won’t easily have access to solar panels?
Either because they don’t have mortgages or suitable housing?
What happens to them? Are the solar heroes going to be working furiously for those people too? Because I’m not hearing or sensing that and it would need to be palpable.
They may or may not get access to offsite solar, to offset their electricity costs, but at what additional costs to those homeowners are facing with their panels?
How much more will they be slugged for the right to have access to the same thing? Their share of purchase/installation/connection costs, plus insurance, plus management, plus God knows what else – a cut to whoever’s roof it is on?
I can tell you that as a person who is not able to have solar panels, I won’t get excited about knowing that my already expensive electricity from the grid isn’t going to be made more expensive because new large-scale generation doesn’t need to be built. There will be other costs, including that of inflation.
My only choice will be to conserve more, use less. I have to tell you, its already putting me under a strain.
Both sets of groups need the hearing of the govt on their issues, yes, but there are two sets of people out there on this issue – the new haves and have nots.
Ah yes, you raise some interesting points. Despite being one of those evil PV folk identified by the uber-despicable General Disaster, I actually made a concerted effort to establish a non-profit community solar farm with the intention of reducing electricity cost for locals who couldn’t have a PV system (mostly tree-cover issues). The concept was torpedoed by the ‘renewable Energy’ division of QLD Dept of Energy & Water since it posed a risk to profitabiity of government corporations Energex, Ergon & Powerlink. And people wonder why I haven’t a good word to say for the bloodsucking parasites we elect. By the way, I’m not the only one who has experienced similar lunacy.
My 5kw system in Brisbane covers my usage almost everyday except for the really overcast and rainy days. I have not had to pay a bill since it was installed.
If the flyer above is correct – demand, wholesale price, network costs are DOWN. then I can’t wait for the RETAIL price of electricity to go DOWN. WHEN can we expect this to happen ?
When the retailers stop gouging us?
But no outrage for all the rest of us without solar panels, Finn (see comment above)?
Just accusations of gauging, how unfair it all is – only for those who have solar panels, many of whom benefitted from subsidises and incentives?
How did it get to this stage, where so many solar panel owners feel so entitled now?
Personally I don’t believe retail electricity price will ever decrease. The ‘real’ reason for price escalation In Queensland at least is the combination of the billion dollar per annum dividends siphoned off government owned corporations together with the four billion dollar per annum private retailer overheads. Since the probability of reversing those issues is negligible, we are stuck with ongoing price escalation as long as we have major political party governments. FWIW, the rate of increase will almost certainly escalate until the death spiral results in total collapse of mainstream generation / distribution entities.