Author Topic: Solar electricity  (Read 8047 times)

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Offline Retropin

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Re: Solar electricity
« Reply #30 on: July 31, 2013, 08:13:55 PM »
well done Gav, I think it is a great move

how panels for your system?

20 X 250W panels

Offline faza

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Re: Solar electricity
« Reply #31 on: July 31, 2013, 08:50:40 PM »
Gave

Let me know how it goes I would be interested in putting a system in myself

Offline goodolddays

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Re: Solar electricity
« Reply #32 on: August 01, 2013, 11:10:11 AM »
Ok.. signed up today with True Value Solar... 5KW system with SERAPHIM panels guaranteed 80% performance at 25 years... 90% at 10 years.... EVERSHINE ( owned by SMA) inverter all for $5786 inc GST and installation financed over 24 months interest free.
ALMOST went with a more local company who offered a deal with an SMA inverter for $5990 but installation warranty was only for 12 months whereas we got 10 years with True Value.
I found this odd as the local company were very quick to bag out True Value stating that they used sub contractors and not fully trained personnel like themselves ... well the better warranty won the day, sub contract or not... its important to stand by your product and workmanship and a small warranty does not display full confidence.
True Value also threw in a Blue tooth tablet that tells you the performance of the panels at any given time.

Very happy with the deal... 2 more years of heavy quarterly bills and then a dramatic reduction in costs... got to be happy with that!

Sounds like a great deal Gav  ^^^
I need more room ! and more $$$

Offline Retropin

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Re: Solar electricity
« Reply #33 on: August 28, 2013, 02:34:59 PM »
Well they rocked up at 6.30am this morning and were gone by 12.30pm... 20 off 250W solar panels on the roof with a  5KW inverter all now installed.
Apparently, im now to wait for Energex to come round ( 2 - 3 weeks) so the system can be switched on... Electrician showed me how to do this in case I need to switch it on at some point AFTER Energex have been.....
Pool pump is running... no system is not switched on... no it is not currently generating 3.5KW of power... no my meter is not going backwards right now...

 ^^^ ^^^ #@# #@# #@#

Offline Pinballer

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Re: Solar electricity
« Reply #34 on: August 28, 2013, 04:59:23 PM »
Some words of advice from here.  Don't hold your breath waiting for Energex to arrive and swap over your meter.  Hopefully it is in the time frame they mentioned, but out of the 8 in our group that got solar installed, not one of us had the energy supply company do anything on time or when promised. 

Write down your meter reading every day or every second day, even better take a photo.  You might need it to prove what your reading was when the old meter was removed and your new one installed.  I ran mine from the day it was installed, wound the meter back a long way before it was changed out, you don't get any credit for it as such, just a lower supply bill.  Don't know if your energy supply and energy provider are the same company, hopefully they are as it should make it go much smoother.  As the energy supply company (Energex) is responsible for telling your energy provider the final reading on the old meter, fingers crossed they do, otherwise your energy supply company will estimate your next bill, based on prior usage.  Hence the reason you need proof of what your meter reading was as close to the day of change over as possible.

I know all this because I learnt the hard way.  Hopefully you won't have any troubles.  Nearly everyone I've spoken to that has had solar installed, has had hassles after the installation with the energy supply and energy provider not talking to each other.  It can be a complete nightmare to sort out.  Mine took about 3 months or more from memory.

Offline Retropin

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Re: Solar electricity
« Reply #35 on: October 04, 2013, 07:29:07 PM »
Quick update on this... We've been connected to the grid for just over a week now.. meter tells you what you've exported and imported.
Im still checking how much power we've produced each day and today was a cracker.. a whopping 29.9KWH.. previous to this 27KWH was the record.
We try to run most things during the day but obviously, you use more electricity at night due to lights etc.
So far we have imported 73KWH and exported 125KWH.. the 125KWH is the accumulated excess as we are self sufficient during the day..
Very very happy with it all.. may the sun shine!!!

Offline ddstoys

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Re: Solar electricity
« Reply #36 on: October 04, 2013, 07:44:34 PM »
 We recieved our last bill for a whole year since installing Solar with the credits from summer was almost enough to cover the while year.   A huge $33 for power this year I can live with that

Offline rustalan

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Re: Solar electricity
« Reply #37 on: October 05, 2013, 02:05:10 AM »
What power company are you with. My power company has stiffed me big time. My bill went up by $400 with a 5kw system. I think they added the solar instead of taking it away. My neibour with the same system and power company has the same problem. next step Ombudsman.

Offline robm

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Re: Solar electricity
« Reply #38 on: October 05, 2013, 06:57:18 AM »
What power company are you with. My power company has stiffed me big time. My bill went up by $400 with a 5kw system. I think they added the solar instead of taking it away. My neibour with the same system and power company has the same problem. next step Ombudsman.

Did your usage stay the same or go up - looking at $$$ is not really correct as pricing per kWhr has changed significantly recently.  If your usage has stayed the same, with the price increase the bill will be more.

We were getting around $40-$150 credit for our bills with solar, then with the price increase went to having to pay somewhere in that same range.

Offline Retropin

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Re: Solar electricity
« Reply #39 on: October 05, 2013, 10:10:47 AM »
What power company are you with. My power company has stiffed me big time. My bill went up by $400 with a 5kw system. I think they added the solar instead of taking it away. My neibour with the same system and power company has the same problem. next step Ombudsman.

What was your average daily use ( is on your bill) and what is your average daily electricity amount generated??

We use on average 21KWH per day and are generating average of around 25KWH... we still have to think smart though and use as much as we can during the day when we are producing as we buy electricity at 28c per KWH and the excess we sell we get 18c per KWH.
So its important to have a nice wide margin between what we have imported and what we have exported in order to attempt to reduce our bills to close to zero

Offline rustalan

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Re: Solar electricity
« Reply #40 on: October 05, 2013, 10:33:01 PM »
No I work shift, so most usage is in the day time. usage remains about the same. What did change was getting solar 3 weeks before changing power company's. I suspect they added the solar instead of subtracting.

Offline robm

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Re: Solar electricity
« Reply #41 on: October 05, 2013, 11:00:13 PM »
If you changed providers, then you feed in tariff may well have changed. I have no idea of Vic, but in Qld, i am currently locked in to 44c, but if i was to change (or even sell the house), then it would reduce to 8c.

Offline Retropin

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Re: Solar electricity
« Reply #42 on: October 05, 2013, 11:10:27 PM »
If you changed providers, then you feed in tariff may well have changed. I have no idea of Vic, but in Qld, i am currently locked in to 44c, but if i was to change (or even sell the house), then it would reduce to 8c.

Depends on your provider.. its 8c from Origin and a further 10c from Energex ( or the other way round).. we get 18c

Offline robm

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Re: Solar electricity
« Reply #43 on: October 05, 2013, 11:28:48 PM »
Yep, thats right - i should have specified that point.  Up here in the north, we only have one option(Ergon)....i forget that others have choices!

Offline AnthonyOvermyer

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Re: Solar electricity
« Reply #44 on: February 05, 2014, 10:30:25 PM »
Well they rocked up at 6.30am this morning and were gone by 12.30pm... 20 off 250W solar panels on the roof with a  5KW inverter all now installed.
Apparently, im now to wait for Energex to come round ( 2 - 3 weeks) so the system can be switched on... Electrician showed me how to do this in case I need to switch it on at some point AFTER Energex have been.....
Pool pump is running... no system is not switched on... no it is not currently generating 3.5KW of power... no my meter is not going backwards right now...

 ^^^ ^^^ #@# #@# #@#

I am not sure solar electricity is worth or not. It is very expensive to use solar power and efficiency is very less.