How to maximise the benefits from any PV Solar system?
THE KEY MESSAGE
Maximising solar self consumption. Try to shift all energy hungry activities to sunshine hours. This can be running the pool pump for residential properties, or reducing aircon running times outside of sunshine hours. For Councils or industrial customers it could also mean shifting heavy pumping, process heating, welding etc. to the times of highest solar generation.
Feed-in tariffs:
As retailers are reducing the rate they pay for solar power fed into the grid, it becomes even more important to use as much of solar energy as possible during the day. For example, use solar power in the middle of the day to heat up your hot water tank.
Retailers, such as AGL, Origin and Energy Australia have slashed their feed-in rates for existing customers to as little as 10 or even 6 cents per kWh. New customers are offered higher rates for a limited time, up to 15 cents.
It can pay – good luck – to phone your favourite energy retailer for a better than advertised feed-in tariff. Recently, I managed to get another 2 cent that way.
Two trustworthy websites allow consumers to find the best deal: One is government operated website called “Energy made Easy“, the other is “Solarquotes“. Both can be helpful in making the best out of your solar system.
Another rather new website, “WATTEVER”, allows for a comprehensive comparison of energy retailer based on your billing data. It is powerful enough to advise on the best overall deal taking into account rates for energy purchased from and exported to the grid.
Residential users: The pool and the hot water system require special attention.
If you have a powerful enough PV Solar System (4kW or more), try to run your pump and sanitation system during sunshine hours. Remember, there are several ways to reduce your pool running costs greatly and even doing away with costly salt water chlorination (check our pool web page for more information).
For hot water systems there are many options to consider – from a stand-alone solar hot water system to a solar powered heat pump. Only one option will be the best option for your particular situation. Please call us and discuss your specific needs. We give basic phone advice for free, and we are happy to address your specific issues for a small fee that you will recover within a few weeks of cost savings.
If you are thinking of buying a storage battery, it is crucial, to get the mix of solar capacity and battery capacity right. Too little solar power with a big battery will cost quite a bit, but not necessarily deliver the best results. Conversely, a large PV Solar System with a battery too small will be of limited benefit. The Goodbyegrid website has a host of information on solar battery systems.
As always in times of change and on the dawn of a new technological breakthrough, “Fly-by-nighters” will try to take advantage of your inexperience and sell you something that is second-class at best. Quite often, it is old technology under a fancy label, often heavily advertised in local newspapers. Stay away! There is no one-size-fit-all approach. When considering technologies, the total cost of ownership has to include warranty periods and what is covered under that warranty. Batteries that appear cheap may well be far more costly in the end if you include all crucial technical details.
Stay away from unknown Lithium battery brands. Approx. More than 300 fires involving Li-Ion batteries have occured in Australia in just one year, many of them with significant loss of property.
Lately, solar installers received a beating in the media (yes, even from the ABC) for dodgy installations and unsafe work practices. It is true that these cases exist, but to be fair, most solar installs are done well or better.
Just do your homework as you would when buying a new car. Would you trust everything the sales rep tells you? Go for a local bloke, ask for references and actually ring them. Don’t rely on online reviews ONLY – they can be, and are increasingly, faked. Trust your common sense. A 8kW system, fully installed, for $4500? If it sounds to good to be true then it probably is!
We at Powersmart Energy Efficiency and GOODBYE GRID have the mission to enable you to make well-informed choices – choices that give you a good return on your financial expenditure. Our professional fees are always small in comparison to what a poor decision can cost you. We also give generic advice for free for residents or SME.