The next new car you buy should be electric.
I’m serious about this. I’m willing to include fuel-efficient hybrids in my advice for now, but anyone who’s not in the habit of chucking laps around the Strzelecki Desert should consider an all-electric car next time they’re looking to buy a new vehicle or a pricey second hand one. [Read more…]
The electricity plan Australian solar owners choose can make a big difference to the financial benefits they enjoy. On the wrong plan, the difference over a few years could translate to thousands of dollars in missed savings. [Read more…]
The best way to heat your home is with a reverse cycle air conditioner. This is true whether your goal is to save money or save the planet. In this article, I’ll explain no matter how crap your air conditioner is, you’re likely to be financially better off using it for heat instead of gas. [Read more…]
I’ve been given a mission. It’s to determine how much money a home can save using a battery with a time-of-use tariff in every Australian capital.
This isn’t easy to do. [Read more…]
The ACT’s Sustainable Household Scheme will soon be in full operation. It makes zero-interest, zero-fee loans available to households for rooftop solar, batteries, electric car chargers and energy efficiency measures such as replacing gas appliances. In the future, it will be available for new and used electric vehicles. [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…]
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…]
South Korean battery manufacturer LG Energy Solution has announced it is among the newest members of the RE100. [Read more…]
What are the losses from solar export limiting? — You’ll lose less energy generation than you think.
Export limited solar systems are becoming increasingly common.
Some new solar power system buyers are being told they can only proceed with an installation if the installer ‘export limits’ their system.
Export limiting is a polite way of saying ‘hobbled’. An export limited solar system will occasionally send less electricity into the grid than its inverter can supply. That can cause clean solar energy to go to waste.
That sounds awful, but the good news is: the amount lost is far less than most people expect.
A solar power system in Tasmania. Pic: Scott Logie
If you are lucky enough to live in Tasmania, I have some bad news:
Using solar panels to get low bills is more challenging than on the mainland.
But I also bring good news: [Read more…]
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