While there are still vast quantities of roof tops in Australia that are prime candidates for solar panels, not all households are suitable. Some of the reasons you might not install a system include:
- Heavily shaded roof: if your property is surrounded by tall buildings, trees, or other obstructions that cast a significant amount of shade on your roof throughout the day, solar panels may not generate enough electricity to make the investment worthwhile. Solar panels require direct sunlight to produce optimal electricity output. You can get around this issue on a partially shaded roof with optimised inverter technology (SolarEdge) and micro inverter technology (Enphase), but if the roof is really heavily shaded, then solar may simply not be viable.
- Very low electricity bills: If your electricity bills are already very low due to minimal energy consumption (8kWh/day or less) or the property not being in use fulltime, the financial benefits of installing solar panels don’t stack up as well (it will take you longer to recoup your investment).
- Short-term residency: If you plan to live in your current residence for only a short period, like 1 – 2 years, it may not be cost-effective to install solar panels, unless you’re looking at increasing the potential resale value. It typically takes 4 – 5 years to recoup the initial investment with a good quality system, so if you don’t plan to stay long enough to reap the benefits, it may not be worth the expense.
- Need for roof replacement: If your roof is in poor condition and needs to be replaced soon, it’s generally recommended to address the roof issues before installing panels. Solar panels have a lifespan of 25 years or more, and removing and reinstalling them for a roof replacement can be costly. It’s best that your roof is in good shape before considering a solar installation.
Each property and each client’s circumstances are unique. The above factors aren’t definitive reasons to rule out solar installation entirely.
Get in touch if you think you’d like to go down the solar power path but you’re questioning whether it’s worthwhile and we’ll evaluate your specific circumstances and give you upfront and honest advice (if we don’t think you’ll get benefit from installing solar, we’ll tell you).
