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Poll: Do you have solar panels?

Our latest Workshop poll asks whether you have solar panels on the roof of your house.

Whether used for electricity generation or hot water, a growing number of Australian households are turning to solar to help reduce their energy bills. Interest is also being fuelled by affordable battery storage options and a desire to reduce the environmental impact of energy consumption.

Let us know whether you have solar panels on your roof by adding your vote to the poll on the Workshop front page.

It would be great if Workshop members who have installed solar panels can also share their experiences by replying below.

And if you don't currently have solar panels, you might like to tell us some of the reasons why you haven't yet taken the plunge.

Thanks for joining in the discussion.

Jason

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Comments

Kermit

Solar hot water system only. Have long been interested in solar for electricity but everytime I look at it the investment seemed like too much of a long-term bet. Especially as we use most electricity when the sun has gone down. Batteries will hopefully change the equation soon.

Isobel

I'm still excited about Tesla Powerwall. I want to install solar panels on the roof and get some batteries to store the electricity generated. Hopefully it will be feasible to go off the grid one day.

Jason

The results of our latest poll suggest around half of Workshop community members currently have solar panels on their roof.

Feel free to keep the discussion going by replying below.

Jason

ProjectPete

We don't have solar at our current house (did at the previous). Our new home we're building over the next 12 months will have solar - in fact it's a requirement of the estate that all houses are built with solar panels.

I love solar for the environmental benefits as well as the cost savings and I'm particularly looking forward to being able to store, share and even sell my excess generated power through a Perth startup known as Power Ledger which is leading the way using blockchain technology. (Disclaimer: I am financially invested in this company but I don't earn anything for talking about them)

The thing with batteries though is that they're still very expensive and have a long-term ROI (based on energy saved and/or (low) government rebates) but certainly expect the price to decrease over the next 2-3 years. And with the ability to sell power as mentioned above, that ROI will be significantly shortened which may help justify an earlier battery purchase.

Henno

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/3544#Comment_3544

Guys, I've had solar on my house since 2013 and in February of next year I will have realised my investment in them. I've on been on the measly NSW FiT all that time, but as I have said in a previous post, I negotiated my electricity contract every nine months no matter what. It helps if you know your rates as well as the other suppliers'.
But I digress. It cost me about $5K but it was worth every cent. Like Pete, I want to contribute to the environment plus it has hip pocket benefits too.
To anyone who is dithering about pulling the trigger on purchasing, I would suggest you get in there quicksmart. Batteries are still overly expensive, but are the way of the future. If you can get yourself a good discount (at least 22%), plus a decent FiT (12.5c), then you're on your way. By the way, don't be too timid to ask for a sign-up credit of $100 or more. They want your business!

Denise54

No, but wish I did. i made enquiries to a Solar panel company working on new installations in the Bay of Plenty and asked them to quote for my house on Kapiti Coast. They do all of the installation, they own the panels and lease them to the home owner who pays for the solars through their monthly power bill, so no big outlay on installation.

Unfortunately they claimed my 2 storey house was too steep to install the panels.

Kermit

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/5667#Comment_5667

@Denise54

I’d try another company as I’ve seen solar installations on all sorts of different buildings and roofs. Over here in Oz there’s a handy website that enables you get quotes from multiple solar companies and see reviews etc - maybe there in something similar you could find?

Prof

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/64950#Comment_64950

No solar panels at my place..I looked into this some months ago and they are still too expensive for me..Apart from the cost of quality solar panels, there's the ridiculous cost of the storage battery and the cost of installation...Total package..5 - 7.thousand dollars !!!
Also some of these "packages" are not powerful enough to power a whole home, particularly a large family home ..

So I took a different route...I bought a 9KW. petrol generator for $995.00..I had power cables from the generator to the house placed underground and the electrician put a changeover switch inside the house that switches between mains power and generator power...
Works perfectly day or night...

Tara86

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/95164#Comment_95164

We have solar hot water and just had solar electricity put on earlier this year. Definitely a great investment. Cheaper Electricity bill. Plus we both work at Rinnai (Own Brivis) so majority of our appliances are Gas - including gas dryer. Either our own products or sourced through customers.

We wanted a battery but unfortunately until there’s more competition in the market place the price will be to costly (for us anyway).

Dal

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/114123#Comment_114123

(Sydney, Australia) Yes, installed a solar PV (Photo Voltaic) panel system (NO batteries) some 2-3 years ago. 10kW (kilo watts) of panels with 8kW of micro inverters. (Micro-inverters are individual DC (Direct Current) to AC (Alternating Current) converters, that mount under each and every solar panel. Each PV panel produces approx 35 volts DC (Direct Current) at up to 10 amps, which is then fed to the micro-inverter that converts this DC to mains AC voltage (nominally 230Vac) which is the usual household mains power that comes from the street in usual residential situations.
In my case the system is a "premium" system that cost around $18,000.00 Currently on track to have the system pay for itself around year six. Previous annual electricity bill was around $3,500.00 Now around $500.00
The house is all electric (no gas) with off-peak hot water service. Most usage during the day. Tariff is flat rate/all-time at ~30cents/kWh and off-peak (HWS Hot Water Service) at ~13cents/kWh. Solar FIT (Feed In Tariff) at 21 cents/kWh. (Origin Energy is my retailer.)
Batteries are (still) way too expensive (for me) and are NOT economic! On my current tariff values the payback period for a Tesla Power Wall 2 is well in excess of 20-25 years.
The battery warranty period is (at best) 10 years. The life of the battery will be expended long before it pays for itself with most current tariff structures.
Sure, in a small number of situations batteries may be attractive... backup power etc.
It is worth mentioning that most solar PV systems (including mine) that being locked/tied to the grid supply, MUST automatically shut down/turn-off during a blackout.
Among other reasons, this is to protect line-workers from "exported" electricity during repairs/maintenance etc.
There is a manufacturer of micro-inverters that expect to be releasing a "grid-independent" product sometime in 2020. This system will have a "disconnect-device" that will isolate the house from the street supply (during a blackout) and then allow the solar panels to keep producing power (sun shinning, of course) just for the house.
In summary, if it's possible to make the investment in a 5-10kW solar system, it is a good dollar investment with double digit % (tax-free) return.
As always, do the research, get lots of quotes/opinions and advice!

recliner1066

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/114123#Comment_114123

Had a 2kw system on our old house in Green Valley (Sydney, NSW). Had them installed just as the high feedback tariff terminated. We were on 66c/per KW. System cost app $6000, system paid for itself in 3 years and for a number of years we never got a bill for electricity and on a number of occasions, they sent us a cheque. We had gas hot water and stove top. Just before we sold last year we put on another 2KW system, also about $6000.
We are building a new house in Thirlmere and are having a 5KW system installed during the build. This system is costing us $4500. I am not interested in battery storage as they are extremely expensive and will be so for many years.
The government should be doing much more to encourage people to fit solar systems. Unfortunately the "green flavour" is wind. We would all love a giant wind vane in our backyard wouldn't we ???
Solar is the way to go.

Aussie-Garden

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/124847#Comment_124847

We are in the approval stage of the Victorian Solar Rebate scheme and are one of the lucky ones to have made it this far.
We'll be having a 32 panel, 10.08kw system installed once the rebate is approved and that reduces the price by just over $2300.00 by an approve installer.

Looking forward to any savings it brings as there are 8 of us in this house.
We also have solar hot water system with a gas booster.

Oh, if any of you are getting solar at the moment, Commonwealth Bank are possibly giving $500.00 to approved home loan customers installing solar 5kw and above.
Off the top of my head, I believe the offer runs out on the 13th and you have to have a home lone with them of $50,000.00 and above. There are other terms and conditions, but I haven't read up on it as I won't be applying.
As I said, it's all off the top of my head, so please don't quote me and do the proper research. 🙂

ikaney

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/131966#Comment_131966

i installed a 10.5 Kw system in June with a LG Chem Battery, I just love it, with the current feed in tariff They owe me in the order of $400 per quarter (non Summer) I plan to use that credit to run my Air Con in summer and expect a zero energy bill. Payback period less that 4 years. Very happy with our investment. I did a lot of research and have an extensive Electronic/electrical background. Happy to answer any questions.

TheSaltyreefer

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/114123#Comment_114123

We are 2 weeks away from getting a large system put on, we will use it for the air cons (as we keep large fishtanks) and general stuff.
Tony the fella fitting it, lives about 5 minutes away and did the house we bought 10 years ago and some other work for us, and he specializes in Solar
cant wait,
great investment

Jason

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/136339#Comment_136339

Many thanks for joining in the discussion @ikaney and sharing your experience. With your experience and knowledge I'm sure there is a lot of valuable information and advice that you can share with the community on a wide variety of topics. We are looking forward to seeing more of your posts soon. I'm sure you can also get plenty of helpful advice and inspiration for your own projects from other members, too. Please let me know if you ever need a hand getting the most from the site.

Welcome to Workshop,

Jason

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