Poll: Do you have solar panels?

[Jason]

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

[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]

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]

@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]

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]

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).