solar dollars

**mike and tor** · 04-09-2010, 05:08 PM

i am thinking of getting solar pannels for the electricity. i have zero knowledge on the subject can some one talk me through the process of how to buy, who to get to install and how do i recoup the money back from the electric company. oh and any grants available.
thanks.

**suziewozie** · 05-09-2010, 12:27 AM

Hi

My husband sells solar so I will get him to give you a call if you would be kind enough to PM me your phone number.

**Tamara (Homes Down Under)** · 05-09-2010, 03:01 AM

I am also busy with this as well.
I have had a company out to inspect the houses..... type of toof, direction of panels etc. I had prepaid electricity installed but have had it taken out ready for the solar systems and I have changed over to AGL as they offer a higher feed in tarrif

The only thing that has stopped me from getting two solar systems installed is the fact that the price continues to drop. A 1.5 kw system was going for around $5000 6 months ago and now it's around $2000 to $2500. There's also issues with the type of panels and the inverter. It makes sense to get an inverter that has a capacity greater than 1.5kw so that you always have the option of adding additional panels at a later stage.
The company will take care of all the paperwork and the rebates.

How much lower can the price drop to? Can they drop to $0 so that the rebate pays the total cost of the system?
Amother important point is your type of energy consumption. If you use a lot of electricity during the day you will lose a lot of the benefits of the feed in tarrif. This means efficient use of aircons, and other energy hungry devices during the day.

Tamara

**kerfumph** · 05-09-2010, 03:15 AM

Originally Posted by Tamara (Homes Down Under)

Amother important point is your type of energy consumption. If you use a lot of electricity during the day you will lose a lot of the benefits of the feed in tarrif. This means efficient use of aircons, and other energy hungry devices during the day.

Tamara

yep, if your at home during the day it's not worth it as you'll use more than you sell.

**mike and tor** · 05-09-2010, 07:28 AM

thanks for the information. I will keep you up dated

**lee and joanne** · 05-09-2010, 10:51 AM

You only get paid the feed in rate if you generate more than you use.
The average family will never generate enough electricity to cover what they use with a 1.5kw system.
Your bill will be reduced by the amount you generate at the same rate as what you pay for it.
It is net metering in sa