Which solar panel, who to install and . . . so many questions . . .
I keep getting good questions on tours of my house and readers of my book about how to buy solar panels, what panels to choose and what are the best deals.
I’ve got another enquiry today and here it is:
‘Hi Michael
I came on a tour of your home last month – loved the bees!
A friend of mine has been researching solar panels and is considering installing them. However, she is finding it hard to get objective information. Her concern is that installing them seems to benefit the energy companies (and the planet of course!) but not so much her and her family. Origin are offering her 1c per (whatever the measure is) to buy back power from her and she receives a 5% discount on energy she uses from the grid. Plus of course they subsidise the supply and installation of her panels.
Is there any other way to be less reliant on the grid in a cost effective and efficient way?
Look forward to your response.
Regards, E.”
Here’s my answer.
How to buy the panels:
You’re not buying the panels, you’re buying the power. Don’t pay the balance of the purchase money until you’ve stood outside your meter at noon and seen it showing the panels are in fact making you the amount of power you were promised.
How to do the costing:
The best thing you can do is go to folks who specialise in and are experienced in installing them and get their advice. They should have been installing for at least five preferably ten years. They should have a long and varied record of both commercial and domestic projects. They should be able to show they’ll be around in the next ten years to respond to workmanship, quality and warranty issues.
No matter what your research turns up your big cost and the value of your purchasing money depends on the quality of the installation and the capacity of the installers to give you what you bought.
Such installers know well what are the costs and benefits of your purchase, what a good energy retailer is and what a good deal for you will be. I’ve stopped making decisions and recommendations based on current government (state and federal) policy because both levels of governments change policies too often to make such decisions worthwhile.
Ask your installers to do a costing for you to show the payback for your purchase. Generally, I choose not to have an energy company install solar panels.
In NSW I recommend Solar Technology Australia based in St Peters, Sydney:
www.solartech.com.au/
There are more buying and financial details in my book, Sustainable House:
Final tip:
As a priority I suggest:
- install gas boosted solar hot water
- instant gas hot water if your budget is limited
- buy the most energy efficient fridge you can find by using this web site: http://www.energyrating.gov.au/compare-products/
- ventilate your fridge as it’s usually the most energy-hungry household item – may use over 60% of your energy
- get one of the new low energy LED flat screens – less than 100 watts!
- replace all halogens with the new you-beaut LEDs
- and then, having got your house energy efficient, buy solar panels so your investment is most cost effective.
Funnily, once I’d spent my money making the house sustainable the cost-benefit issue disappeared. The feeling of fun I got inside when the sun shone or the rain fell onto my house and was put to good use was payback enough.
Good luck to you who go sustainable,
M
Yes and for water and sewer, too.
There’ll be copies in most local council libraries if you wish to check it first.
If you don’t find the answer you seek let me know here and I’ll blog the answer. Go well, sustainably, Michael
Hi Michael,
Does your book contain any information about disconnecting mains electricity from your house and how to do so. I have told it is impossible to disconnect from the grid if you are currently connected but I struggle to believe that.
Thanks
Daniel
Rachel, I have no direct experience with Solar Edge in my projects, sorry. I suggest: ask for a couple of referees who have used the product you can talk to and inspect; and, I suggest that if you do choose the product you hold back at least 10% of the purchase price money until you first see the promised amount of power coming out of the system at the meter at 12 noon on a couple of days – you’re buying the power not the panels, after all. And, I suggest you see if the company has any large contracts which may be likely to keep them going over the years ahead as many of these new start up companies fail after a few years and there’s noone for you to get to deliver on warranties and guarantees and work defects. Just a thought; go well, Michael
Thanks for this. I was wondering if you have any experience with Solar Edge technology? I am tossing up between this and traditional PVs.
Thanks
Rachel
Rachel
Sorry for taking so long to reply.
You may get RECS from three types of solar panels:
1 solar hot water panels – these make hot water
2 solar photovoltaic panels – these make electricity from the sun, and
3 evacuated tube panels – these make hot water but are said to be up to 40% more efficient than the typical solar hot water panels.
The solar evacuated panels are better at making hot water but may cost more or be about the same.
Do a search, “evacuated tube solar hot water panels NSW” and you’ll see such products as these come up:
http://www.endless-solar.com.au/
I hope this helps,
Michael
On the subject of solar, we are about to choose a solar hot water system. And the only 3 I know off the top of my head are Edwards and Solarhart and Dux. Any thoughts, recommendations. We are having gas boosted and have to have 31-35 or above RECs.
Thanks!
That’s great! Thanks for the info, I will pass it on.
E