Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – if your system produces more power than you’ve used during the day, you send the excess back to the grid and you get paid for this:

• Energy Australia: 7.6c/kWh
• PowerShop: 5.2c/kWh
• AGL: 5c/kWh
• Red Energy: 5c/kWh

1. The quality of the components used
2. The durability of the panels
3. Efficiency (how much electricity your panels will produce over the next 25 years)
4. How they perform in hot and overcast conditions

1. Tip 1. Give Yourself Space To Grow

   Think about your roof space as an asset. You don’t want to cover it with inefficient panels.

   Fast-forward 5 years to when you may have an electric car. You may also want to send some surplus solar energy to your battery bank.

   If you cover your roof with inefficient panels now, there’s no room for future expansion. So choose a panel that’s at least 19-20% efficient, such as SunPower or LG panels.

2. Tip 2. Only Buy A European Inverter

   They’re more reliable, more efficient and will last much longer than a Chinese counterpart (15 years compared to around 4-5 years). SMA, Fronius and ABB inverters are all made in Europe and are all excellent.

3. Tip 3. What About Warranties?

   Unless your Cantonese is excellent, only buy equipment from manufacturers with warranties held here in Australia.

   Imagine a panel or inverter fails … you’ll want to liaise directly with the manufacturer here in Australia to have the issue resolved quickly, rather than return the equipment to China at your own expense.

4. Tip 4. Go local

   Local is good for a number of reasons: you’re supporting local business, but you’re also much more likely to get prompt after-sales service if it’s needed.

5. Tip 5. You Get What You Pay For

   If you’re going to spend thousands of dollars on a solar power system, don’t skimp on the quality of the equipment or installation. Quality equipment and installation isn’t cheap. You very much get what you pay for. It’s very easy for companies to reduce costs by cutting important corners. Only go with a reputable installer that’s CEC-accredited and pay a fair price for a system.

   Price is important but it’s by no means the most important factor to consider. With a higher efficiency and slightly dearer system, you can expect to generate more electricity and therefore save more money on your electricity bill than with a cheap Chinese system.
   
   ‘A poor man always pays twice.’
   
   Make sure you don’t pay twice. Choose good quality equipment.
   
   This is the true definition of value for money.

1. Solar helps businesses cut their energy bills and protects against rising electricity prices.
2. The panels on your roof generate power during the day, which you can use for free (even if it’s a cloudy day, your panels still produce power). 2nd source of energy.
3. There are still generous government rebates available to businesses. The Federal government contributes as much as $78,000 on commercial solar power systems!
4. You’ll get benefit out of the system if:
   • you use at least 50% of your electricity during daylight hours
   • you pay at least 18c/kWh for your power, your bills are $1,000-$20,000/qtr  and your roof space is unshaded
5. Payback (an average size solar system for an SME (10kW), costs around $13,500; net saving: approx. $48,000 over 10 years; payback approx. 3.1 years).

A 25 year ‘performance warranty’ doesn’t cover you for any problems that affect your system. It’s very easy for solar manufacturers to get out of this ‘performance warranty’, by claiming that any defects in the panels fall under the ‘product warranty’, which is usually only 10 years.

There are 5 separate warranties that you get with a solar system:

• a 25 year performance warranty on your panels
• a 10-25 year product warranty on your panels
• a 5-10 year warranty for your inverter
• a 5-10 year warranty on the rail/racking system
• a 5-10 year warranty for the workmanship

Check that the warranty is backed by an Australian entity. You don’t want to deal with a manufacturer’s warranty that states that the customer has to post the panels back to China at their own expense to get them tested or replaced!

Also remember that for a warranty to be honoured, the manufacturer needs to still be operating; so be cautious of brands without a decent track record in Australia.

Make sure that the installer is prepared to honour the manufacturers’ warranties. If they use sub-contractors to install your system, you want to make sure that the responsibility is on the solar installation company, not the sub-contractor to fix or replace any components that fail.

Here are our Top 10 Tips for getting the greatest benefit from solar:

1. Be guided by your orientation: your panels produce the most electricity between (N-facing: 10am and 3pm; E-facing: 8am & 1pm; W-facing: 11am-4pm), so try to use your washing machine, dishwasher, pool, dryer, air-con, etc during these hours whenever you can.
2. Follow the sun: Your system will produce more power when it’s a clear, sunny day, than on a grey, cloudy day, so follow the sun and use heavy-duty appliances when there’s sunlight hitting them.
3. Program away: If you’re not home during the day, program your appliances (eg. pool, spa, dishwasher, washing machine, dryer, air-conditioner) to come on during daylight hours, so that you’re using your free solar power (especially if it’s going to be a lovely sunny day).
4. Stagger where you can: Within reason, stagger your electricity usage – ie. if you can avoid it, don’t use all your heavy-duty appliances at the same time. If you use everything all at once, you’ll find you’ll be buying some of your power from the grid, rather than just using your free solar power.
5. Minimise at night: Try to minimise your electricity usage at night when your solar panels aren’t operating, otherwise, you’ll be buying more power from the grid than you’d like. eg. switch to LEDs, eliminate stand-by power.
6. Wipe them clean: After a dust storm or if you notice some bird poo on your panels, it’s wise to wipe/clean them with a soft sponge and warm soapy water to ensure optimal performance.
7. Be in the know: If you really want to ensure you’re getting the most out of your system, consider buying an energy monitor, which will tell you in real time how much electricity you’re consuming vs producing and if you’re exporting any excess solar electricity back to the grid.
8. Output OK? It’s a good idea to check your system’s output on your inverter every once in a while, to make sure your system is operating/producing as it should.
9. Who’s paying the most? Find out which energy retailers are paying the most for surplus solar power.
10. Get a freebie: email us your ‘before’ and ‘after’ bill and we’ll provide you with a free bill analysis of how your solar power system is going and whether you’re doing all you can to utilise your free solar energy.