Solar panels.

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Re: Solar panels.

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ysu wrote:Thanks!

Did you guys research & select your own panels & inverters you wanted or were these packages offered?
Are the inverters important at all (i.e. will you get more power out of a better brand inverter?), or only the type of inverter is crucial ?

When I am paying this sort of money, I research the fuck out of it :)

Whirlpool is a great sourfce of info.
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Re: Solar panels.

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Shaun wrote:Is there any good places that do like payment plans? Solar is something i'd love now i own a house but cannot afford to lay down 10k in one hit

I am sure there would be. I dont know of any off hand though.

Keep an eye on sites like

https://onestepoffthegrid.com.au/

http://reneweconomy.com.au/

http://www.energymatters.com.au/education/

https://www.solarchoice.net.au/
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Re: Solar panels.

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norbs wrote:
Shaun wrote:Is there any good places that do like payment plans? Solar is something i'd love now i own a house but cannot afford to lay down 10k in one hit

I am sure there would be. I dont know of any off hand though.

Keep an eye on sites like

https://onestepoffthegrid.com.au/

http://reneweconomy.com.au/

http://www.energymatters.com.au/education/

https://www.solarchoice.net.au/
Legend thanks mate!
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Re: Solar panels.

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The big jumps in household electricity prices should make a battery decision easier - some folk in Sydney are seeing a 25% increase!
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Re: Solar panels.

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smithcorp wrote:The big jumps in household electricity prices should make a battery decision easier - some folk in Sydney are seeing a 25% increase!

yep. I was thinking mid next year for mine, but if power rises like they say, it could be earlier.

It is still something for the rich at the moment. You will not get the return on investment, unless power nearly doubles in price in the next 4 years (this is actually possible).
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Re: Solar panels.

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What's annoying (in this context) is that we've got gas. So the whole hot water & a lot of heating is actually on the gas account, which is matching the electricity bill. :/
So our situation isn't as clear-cut.
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Re: Solar panels.

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ysu wrote:What's annoying (in this context) is that we've got gas. So the whole hot water & a lot of heating is actually on the gas account, which is matching the electricity bill. :/
So our situation isn't as clear-cut.
How old is the hot water system? If it is old like mine (40 fucking years old), when it goes tits up, replace with electric hot water if you have solar.

I am lucky in that we can afford (due to small inheritance) to get reverse cycle AC that will run off the solar/batteries eventually. So the gas heater that runs off bottles ($120/month in winter) can fuck off.

I am hoping within 12 months I am all but off grid as far as power goes. Well that is the plan. 7.7kW solar and 15+kW batteries.
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Re: Solar panels.

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norbs wrote:
ysu wrote:What's annoying (in this context) is that we've got gas. So the whole hot water & a lot of heating is actually on the gas account, which is matching the electricity bill. :/
So our situation isn't as clear-cut.
How old is the hot water system? If it is old like mine (40 fucking years old), when it goes tits up, replace with electric hot water if you have solar.

I am lucky in that we can afford (due to small inheritance) to get reverse cycle AC that will run off the solar/batteries eventually. So the gas heater that runs off bottles ($120/month in winter) can fuck off.

I am hoping within 12 months I am all but off grid as far as power goes. Well that is the plan. 7.7kW solar and 15+kW batteries.
Well...we've just had to replace the water heater a few years back, shortly after moving in, hehe.
We also got a ducted AC system, but it's aging. The guy said it has another 4-5 years max. Replacing that will cost another $15k at least. However; we barely use it. It's noisy & wasteful (big house, few areas we actively use at any point). For local heating the gas & an oil radiator is better, and the summers are great here (there's a prevailing cooling breeze from the sea). Oh, plus I've installed my own small aircon in my office room anyway.

I could afford the solar system, that's not the issue; it's that it does not seem to be worth it right now. Energy prices are relatively cheap in this country, even with the expected 20% price hike.

Still, I'm keeping an eye on things, as I'd like to take that step at some point, prolly in the near-future.
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Re: Solar panels.

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ysu wrote:
norbs wrote:
ysu wrote:What's annoying (in this context) is that we've got gas. So the whole hot water & a lot of heating is actually on the gas account, which is matching the electricity bill. :/
So our situation isn't as clear-cut.
How old is the hot water system? If it is old like mine (40 fucking years old), when it goes tits up, replace with electric hot water if you have solar.

I am lucky in that we can afford (due to small inheritance) to get reverse cycle AC that will run off the solar/batteries eventually. So the gas heater that runs off bottles ($120/month in winter) can fuck off.

I am hoping within 12 months I am all but off grid as far as power goes. Well that is the plan. 7.7kW solar and 15+kW batteries.
Well...we've just had to replace the water heater a few years back, shortly after moving in, hehe.
We also got a ducted AC system, but it's aging. The guy said it has another 4-5 years max. Replacing that will cost another $15k at least. However; we barely use it. It's noisy & wasteful (big house, few areas we actively use at any point). For local heating the gas & an oil radiator is better, and the summers are great here (there's a prevailing cooling breeze from the sea). Oh, plus I've installed my own small aircon in my office room anyway.

I could afford the solar system, that's not the issue; it's that it does not seem to be worth it right now. Energy prices are relatively cheap in this country, even with the expected 20% price hike.

Still, I'm keeping an eye on things, as I'd like to take that step at some point, prolly in the near-future.
We are also in the situation of having gas for most things, central heating (Southern Highlands so heating is used far more than cooling - very old system so no zoning, just 100% on / off), gas hot water (old), oven & hot top, so winter gas bills are horrendous.

I think it would be worth your while to look at a heat pump in future for your hot water, especially if you go solar.

Re your AC, the old systems are in-efficient & expensive to run, even if you have zoning. New systems can ramp up & down to suit the cooling / heating requirements & with zoning are far more efficient, and if you have solar & batteries they make more sense than staying with gas. Reverse cycle heating is the most efficient electric heating you can have. Also, from a green perspective, in future manufacturers will be moving to natural refrigerants instead of the HFC's / synthetic refrigerants they use now or even the blends they are introducing. Natural refrigerants will help reduce power consumption, some people are claiming up to 40% reduction but that's probably more related to commercial installations.
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Re: Solar panels.

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macca wrote:
We are also in the situation of having gas for most things, central heating (Southern Highlands so heating is used far more than cooling - very old system so no zoning, just 100% on / off), gas hot water (old), oven & hot top, so winter gas bills are horrendous.

I think it would be worth your while to look at a heat pump in future for your hot water, especially if you go solar.

Re your AC, the old systems are in-efficient & expensive to run, even if you have zoning. New systems can ramp up & down to suit the cooling / heating requirements & with zoning are far more efficient, and if you have solar & batteries they make more sense than staying with gas. Reverse cycle heating is the most efficient electric heating you can have. Also, from a green perspective, in future manufacturers will be moving to natural refrigerants instead of the HFC's / synthetic refrigerants they use now or even the blends they are introducing. Natural refrigerants will help reduce power consumption, some people are claiming up to 40% reduction but that's probably more related to commercial installations.

The biggest issue with heat pumps is getting some fucker to sell you a good quality one. I even looked into shipping one from germany!

Then there is the fun of trying to talk to retailers about them. One guy I spoke to argued that a heat pump would NEVER work at zero degrees or less. The stunned silence on the phone when i asked if I could get one that didnt use water as a fucking refrigerant.

Sadly, this fucking country is so far behind. i read about some heat pumps in Europe that work down to minus 35C.

And dont even start me on double and triple glazed glass. Fuck.
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Re: Solar panels.

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Ah, the double glazed glass. :)

First I came to this country I was stunned by all doors/windows. I still am to be honest. Double glazed (or indeed double windows) are the norm where I came from since well before my birth.
But; the next biggest point is the framing of said windows & doors. Even with double glazing you can haemorrhage heat with these frames here. You need proper doorsteps, insulation under the frame all around (between the frame & the wall) and of course seals around the door/window itself. So probably forget these sliding windows, they're a travesty anyway.

Then there's the house itself; when the wind is blowing below it, you need the floor insulated, too, not just the roof! In most cases insulation between the walls would be a necessity, too. It's not even too expensive, in the US they've worked out some impregnated (against flammability) paper-pulp thing that they just blow into the cavity before installing the inner walls; works like a treat.

These houses in Australia (well those I've seen up close) are ridiculously poorly built. And expensive comparatively.
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Re: Solar panels.

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Yep, totally agree about Aus being behind technically, but we are starting to wake up. I see some mob have just started pre-fab housing using German technology / machinery, claiming high thermal efficiency, insulated internal walls & under floor etc, but typically Australian, I sent them a request for info via their website, no response - Impresa House they are called.

As for heat pumps, I would have thought that there would be some good choices around, have you looked at Sanden or ecosmart solar. Tempco Energy in Bowral would do these.
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Re: Solar panels.

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macca wrote:Yep, totally agree about Aus being behind technically, but we are starting to wake up. I see some mob have just started pre-fab housing using German technology / machinery, claiming high thermal efficiency, insulated internal walls & under floor etc, but typically Australian, I sent them a request for info via their website, no response - Impresa House they are called.

As for heat pumps, I would have thought that there would be some good choices around, have you looked at Sanden or ecosmart solar. Tempco Energy in Bowral would do these.

I'll be honest, it has been a while since I looked. Around Nov last year was the last email. I was just frustrated that we were so far behind what is available in Europe as far as efficiency.
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Re: Solar panels.

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I've got a 6 star energy home, the heating and cooling reduction from this is massive, we were at least a month later than anyone I knew putting our heat on at all and when summer hits it can be 35 outside and still comfy inside with just ceiling fans going.

So we're not that far behind, when my place was being built, they stuffed insulation everywhere.

With the VIC Gov decision to make base rate for solor 11.2, as soon as i can get it I will.
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Re: Solar panels.

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So the new panels are starting to get installed soon. Energy Australia wants to charge me $10 per month to go to net metering, the f*ckers. Any other providers worth looking at?
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Re: Solar panels.

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smithcorp wrote:So the new panels are starting to get installed soon. Energy Australia wants to charge me $10 per month to go to net metering, the f*ckers. Any other providers worth looking at?

Origin? I signed on to their 12 month offer and get 10c/kwh and 10% offf my bill.
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Re: Solar panels.

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Ta. origin's offering 15c at the moment: https://www.originenergy.com.au/content ... oost10.PDF

And free meter change. Might sign up for it.
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Re: Solar panels.

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Origin's rates are a bit higher than EA:

EA Origin
Peak $0.49/kwh $0.53/kwh
Shoulder $0.1965/kwh $0.24/kwh
Off-peak $0.11/kwh $0.14/kwh
supply - $0.87/day $0.97/day

So, a bit more expensive. However, they offer a 10% discount on electricity bills for a year and pay 15c per kwh vs 6.1c.

I did a quick spreadsheet comparison. Overall, if I was with Origin in their Solar Boost plan, we would save $64 per quarter over Energy Australia, even without reductions in bills from using the panels under a net metering arrangement!

Likely to change over asafp!
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Re: Solar panels.

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Is there any market for old inverters? Solar provider says they can take away, as they may be able to give it away, but interested if it might be worth anything. Its a CMS2000.
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Re: Solar panels.

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Origin say there's a 3-6 month backlog on getting a net meter! Our solar people can arrange it in 2 weeks, but at a cost of $791! Jaysus.
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Re: Solar panels.

Post by wobblysauce »

Thoughts on the Tesla deal in SA?

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-07-07/w ... rk/8688992
Tesla to supply world's biggest battery for SA, but what is it and how will it work?
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Re: Solar panels.

Post by Montey »

wobblysauce wrote:Thoughts on the Tesla deal in SA?
Image

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- When trouble arises and things look bad, there is always one individual who perceives a solution and is willing to take command. Very often, that individual is crazy.
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Re: Solar panels.

Post by wabbit »

Monty as in the we're finally breaking the ice with "allowing" electricity to be used before the full flood of new power generation is the norm?

wobblysauce wrote:Thoughts on the Tesla deal in SA?
After all that song and dance about how the federal government was going to save the day, they've actually gone with the solution they said they didn't want (a "lessor solution"). Also the news cycle has completely died off and the general population doesn't remember the shit fight, they're free to proceed without any backlash.

In my mind and I've been watching this for a few years now, the goal is clear and there's been a sustained pushed to new ways of generating power. Once I saw the efficiency rates of elec vs petrol/diesel cars I knew the answer. It was as plain as day. Now with Norway, France and somewhere else. The writing is on the wall but in massive neon lights. It's time to start cutting over now. Chop chop Australia!
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Re: Solar panels.

Post by Montey »

wabbit wrote:Monty as in the we're finally breaking the ice with "allowing" electricity to be used before the full flood of new power generation is the norm?
Essentially, yes. I think Tesla represents the little dutch boy, of the story, shoving his finger in the hole until the adults come along and fix the problem properly (and I am not making a political statement with the word "adults").

I don't see batteries as actually being the answer to the question of turning intermittent generation technologies (wind, solar, wave) in to base-load power. Batteries will provide some short term assistance to South Australia's power stability issues, but it is just changing the problem from one type to another (in 10 years time SA is going to have to work out what to do with the toxic waste of used Li-Ion batteries).
- When trouble arises and things look bad, there is always one individual who perceives a solution and is willing to take command. Very often, that individual is crazy.
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Re: Solar panels.

Post by wabbit »

I know what you mean... I just wish we had some space :D

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