First and foremost, this information was gathered from feedback from our customers and from publicly available information from Origin. The strategy outlined below of eliminating your electricity bills may not fit your budget. There may be better deals for you or a smarter way to get closer to solar (which we can help you with when you're ready).
We've had so many customers comment on this Origin offering that we thought we'd better share it with you so you can see other households installing solar systems and stop paying electricity bills.
10 kW solar power systems are the norm today – here's why:
The way people approach solar energy is getting really interesting. The average system we install these days is between 8 kW and 10 kW, both with and without battery storage.
Some of the main reasons so many people install larger systems are:
- The price of solar panels is at a record low (this also means that most people are now fortunately choosing high quality modules).
- Most people will have an electric or hybrid car in the life of the solar system
- Energy prices are among the most expensive in the world and are still rising
- Battery storage has arrived
- And … there are currently some really good feed-in tariffs at energy traders
Origin Energy's 16-cent feed-in tariff
Origin Energy currently offers a feed-in tariff of 16 cents for households with an existing solar system.
It looks like you have to get a 2 year contract to get the good feed-in tariff. There are a few small fees here and there that you should also check, such as: B. A late payment fee of $ 12.
But let's not delve too deeply into the numbers as they will likely be slightly different depending on your zip code and individual circumstances.
What's more important is to see how you can really take advantage of such an offer to eliminate your utility bills and get a really good return on the money you invest in solar.
Can Solar Really Eliminate Your Electricity Bill?
Let's get to the numbers:
A 10 kW solar system in Sydney generates an average of around 40 kWh per day and does more in summer and less in winter:
You could put your own numbers in this equation, but let's first assume that you are using around 20 kWh per day during the day, which means that on average you can only use 50% of the solar energy produced. Typically this would mean installing a smaller system, say a 5 kW array or something like that.
Typically, a 10 kW solar system that produces so much more electricity than you need is considered overkill because you should use or store as much solar energy as possible that is being produced. At this point in time, however, the feed-in tariffs were 5 to 8 cents per kWh.
With the high feed-in tariffs now available, it makes sense to make dollars and cents.
Let's say 50% of your electricity is used at home and your electricity bills are 30 cents per kWh – you save 30 cents x 20 kWh per day. Over the course of a year, that's 7,300 kWh, which is a $ 2,190 reduction in your electricity bill. The important thing is that you don't see this on your bill. It's only $ 2,190 less than without solar.
The other 50% of the 40 kWh produced by your solar system is sent to the power grid because you have not used it. There you get a credit of 1168 USD on your electricity bill per year, based on the hefty feed-in tariff of 16 cents.
The total annual utility of a 10 kW solar system using only half the electricity is $ 3,358
When you factor in rising electricity bills and 3% inflation, you can save up to $ 100,000 over the 25-year life of the system. Not bad!
This will give you a return on your money in just over 3-5 years based on a good quality $ 12,000 to $ 16,000 solar system, which is why so many of our customers are switching to top-of-the-line LG solar panels and Enphase microinverters. In the long run, it makes sense to pay a little more for a 25-year guarantee on the panels, increased safety, performance and reliability. This is especially true if you plan to live in your home for the long term.
A quick note on cheap solar
A 3 to 5 year return on your money with a quality system is also why it is no longer worth wading in the murky waters of the cheaper end of the solar industry – why risk it with a cheap system, when you can can get it? a good return on your money with popular brand names like LG Solar and Enphase?
There is no point in your R.O.I. from 3.2 years to 2.5 years, knowing that every year around 1 in 4 solar systems are classified as defective by the KEK, and an incredible 1: 3 system across Australia is estimated to be out of warranty support as the Installer and / or manufacturer have disappeared:
How These Numbers Eliminate Your Electricity Bill
Right, back to the numbers.
Let's say you use 10 kWh of electricity at night for a total of 30 kWh per day, because we love round numbers.
This is a pretty typical day / night distribution as with solar power installed you will tend to run your devices as often as possible during the day, e.g. B. Dishwasher, washing machine, air conditioning, etc. After all, they are free!
Based on the price you charge for electricity (30 cents per kWh in this example), you cost the 10 kWh at night = $ 1095.
The daily utility fee is $ 315 per year, which, as you know, can be covered by 1.5 kW of solar energy (86 cents per day can be paid by sending 5.4 kWh of electricity to the grid and 16 cents per KWh are paid for it every year. 1.5 kW solar power will provide around 5.5 kWh of electricity per day in Sydney.
This adds up to a total of $ 1,410 in annual electricity costs (nightly electricity consumption of 10 kWh + your daily utility fee).
From your $ 1,410 bill, you'll get the $ 1,168 reduction in the feed-in tariff … You have a quarterly utility bill of just $ 60! Happy days 🙂
And you just used half the solar energy your system generates. You can do it even better if you use more solar energy, around 70-80%. This isn't too difficult thanks to the advanced monitoring that comes with an Enphase system. You get both system monitoring and consumption monitoring, so you can see how much of your energy consumption is being covered by your system at the same time.
No wonder so many of our customers email us how satisfied they are with their solar system.
Wait … this might not be your best option
This is just one strategy our customers are using to get the most out of their solar system.
To give you more context, many of our customers prefer to use tariffs where electricity is more expensive in the afternoon but much cheaper overnight. They install panels in both the north and west to meet their electricity consumption until sunset, and then use electricity during the off-peak billing period, which can be between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., for example.
There are several ways to create an electricity bill!
We'll help you make the right call
If you need help with running the numbers for your household, fill out the form below and we will call you back at a convenient time. We do everything with no pressure to sell and we don't persuade you to go for a bigger system if it doesn't fit well.
Let's see when you use your energy and what you want to achieve with a solar, then we can make some recommendations. You can request a call back here:
For more information and details on Origin offerings, please contact Origin directly. The offer described in this article is called Origin Solar Boost and is just an example of how others are installing large solar systems to lower their electricity costs thanks to a high feed-in tariff.