Origin Energy Reviews

Origin Energy is Australia's largest electricity retailer with over 4.3 million customers, which is around 16% more than the next runner up, AGL. In addition to retailing electricity and generating it in mostly coal and gas power stations, Origin is a large installer of rooftop solar systems.

As of writing, SolarQuotes has received over 400 reviews for Origin Solar and they have received an average rating of 4.0. Their reviews have been exceptionally consistent. While less than 9% of responses have been 5 star reviews, very few have received 1 or 2 stars with the solid majority being 4 stars followed by a considerable number of 3 star reviews.

So while you may not get the type of dedicated personal service that I find often results in a 5 star review, you are also very unlikely to receive an installation which has faults that Origin will not rectify. Origin Solar appears to be a safe choice for rooftop solar installation.

Origin Solar Give A 5 Year Workmanship Warranty

Origin provides a 5 year workmanship warranty on their installations covering any damage they cause to your roof or defects in their work. This is far better than the 1 year warranty offered by a number of large installers, but only half the length of the 10 years offered by some.

Origin Provides a 2 Year 12 Cent Solar Feed-In Rate

At the time of writing in August 2016, Origin is offering a 12 cent feed-in tariff for two years with any rooftop solar system they install. This is considerably better than the 6 cents they normally offer and still better than the 8 and 10 cent feed-in tariffs that are currently available from Diamond Energy and Click Energy in most states.

For a household that installs a 5 kilowatt system and exports half the electricity it produces the 12 cent feed-in tariff would provide around $290 more than an 8 cent feed-in tariff over the two years it applies. This is a significant benefit but has the drawback that your options are limited by having to stay with Origin Energy in order to receive it.

Origin has a Two Year Interest Free Payment Plan

Origin allows solar systems they install to be paid back over two years with zero interest. Many people will find this useful. However, the zero percent interest means the cost of financing is built into a system’s asking price, so you won't really be getting anything for free.

When I see something being offered with zero percent interest I take it as a strong indicator I can talk the salespeople into giving me a significant discount for paying up front.

Origin Leases Rooftop Solar

Leasing rooftop solar currently is not popular in Australia, but Origin provides the option. They call it, “Solar As A Service”, and it is certainly possible you will feel well serviced if you use it.

When you agree to lease solar from them they will install a system on your roof that you won't have to pay for, but you won't own. Then they will sell you the electricity it produces at a price that is less than grid electricity, but infinitely more than the nothing you would be paying if you owned it outright. At the end of your contract you can either buy the system from them, or it you don't want it, you are required to pay them to remove it.

If, at the end of your contract, you think the solar system needs a rest and you ask them to place it in a location where the sun doesn’t shine, I’m sure they’d charge a removal fee for that.

Leasing your rooftop solar system would complicate matters if you wanted to sell your home, as you would have to explain to prospective buyers that the rooftop solar system on the house doesn’t come with the house.

While I recommend purchasing your own solar system over leasing one, it is a way for people who normally could not afford rooftop solar to get some of the financial benefits while helping the environment. But I do recommend people carefully consider their options before signing up for it.

Origin Installed - And Replaced - Defective Inverters

Origin used Sharp inverters in many of its installations that turned out to have a high failure rate. They replaced the inverters that failed, but failed to compensate home owners for the lack of solar electricity production while their systems were down.

Origin Performed Poorly In A 2014 Choice Survey

In a 2014 survey by Choice Magazine, Origin was the installer most commonly used by respondents. However, Origin performed poorly on customer satisfaction, obtaining a rating of 62% compared to the average of 79%.

Origin Energy Is Up To Its Eyebrows In Fossil Fuels

On their website Origin proudly proclaim they are Australia's largest owner of gas fired power stations. This is certainly true. As of 2015 about 45% of their generating capacity is natural gas. What they don't boast about the fact that around 50% of their generating capacity is coal, or that since coal power stations operate more continuously than gas ones, a considerable majority of the electricity they generate is produced from coal, which is the most greenhouse gas intensive and polluting source of energy.

In 2015 Origin owned approximately 6,010 megawatts of generating capacity which was around 13% of Australia’s total. In addition to coal and gas, around 4% of Origin's generating capacity is hydroelectric and 1% wind.

Origin's CEO Grant King Said Rooftop Solar Is A Free Rider

In an interview discussing renewable energy, and not when he was down at the pub with his mates, Grant King, the CEO of Origin Energy said, “The reality is that solar is free-riding the network and inevitably network charges are going up because they’re energy based.”

That’s an interesting point of view he has, and one I disagree with. On my last electricity bill, including all fees, I was charged 48 cents for each kilowatt-hour of grid electricity I used. The cost of generating that electricity was around 6 cents a kilowatt-hour or less, so I paid around 42 cents a kilowatt-hour for network charges. As a result, I certainly do not feel like a free rider. But I fully support the right of Grant King to have any wrong opinion he likes.

Origin Energy Is A Free Rider

Origin Energy is a free rider, along with other Australian fossil fuel generators, because they emit greenhouse gases and other forms of pollution into the atmosphere without paying for the harm they cause.

A portion of this cost was accounted for when Australia had a carbon price, but Origin’s CEO opposed its introduction. He has also opposed Australia’s Renewable Energy Target and promoted weakening it.

Some people take the CEO of Origin Energy’s comment that rooftop solar is a free rider seriously. And many people are saddened by his opposition to environmental measures, which are designed to limit the damage caused by greenhouse gas emissions. People who feel this way often refuse to use his company on principle.