All things Solar (merged threads)

[mickyyyy]

Originally Posted by prydey

solar systems don't have to generate credit to start paying themselves off. if they are covering your usage, then they are paying for themselves. anything on top of that is a bonus, so if you are $500 in credit/month, + what you would normally pay on a bill, that is how much you are paying off your system, so the payback would probably be less than 4-5yrs.

my quarterly bills were over $500, so even if my system only covers my usage, it will still be paying itself off in 3 years even if it makes no credit. that means it would make its money back in 3 years.

How are you guys covering your total quaterly bill???

We use 15kwh daily and half of that is during the day so once the solar syetm is installed it should cover half plus the lousy 0.08 cents tariff... So our night usuage we still have to pay!!!

[poppa smurf]

I work on a "bank" system which cycles in 24 hour periods read at around 6 p.m. daily

I use roughly 15 kilowatts in any given 24 hour period

the power I generate varies greatly up to and sometimes over 21 kilowatts

I deduct the 15 kilowatts from my daily generation and the result is either a deficit or credit

even if I only generate 5 kilowatts per day and still use 15 kilowatts in that 24 hour period I am still better off

every kilowatt I generate is one less I have to pay for

I have to admit this is one purchase that has made me smile for such a long period

[prydey]

Originally Posted by mickyyyy

How are you guys covering your total quaterly bill???

We use 15kwh daily and half of that is during the day so once the solar syetm is installed it should cover half plus the lousy 0.08 cents tariff... So our night usuage we still have to pay!!!

i guess my comments are assuming a FIT equal to or greater than what you buy it back for. unfortunate that some states don't offer this benefit.

so basically, its like poppa says. you generate enough during the day to cover the cost of buying it through the night.

[XDV800]

Yep forgot to mention that fact as well. Winning!

[Stagg]

I too am very glad that I can see a lot of shared information from everyones experiences with solar power.

I would also envourage everyone to make any referrals to install solar power, let everyone know about your experiences and tell them what you found easy or difficult.

While most people will see the benefit in Solar power being far more financial than environmental, there are always the moral and ethical benefactors that a lot of salespeople wearing suits will not talk about, but as most will know, the tree hugging side of solar is why I'm here So everyone here making referrals really does make me smile because we're all making a difference.


If any one is ever interested, it is worth having a look at greenfleet.com.au; Greenfleet will offset the carbon produced by your car, motorbike or boat.

Also for NSW folk, worth contacting Carbon Reduction Institute, who offer a fully contultative process with referrals to business for all manner of things sustainable i.e. solar power, solar hot water, LEd lighting, insulation, Passive solar design, and once everything has been specifically designed for your home or business then they can offer a carbon neutral service. I actually live a carbon negative life which I'm happy about!

We can never forget that while solar power is the sexy new home improvement product at the moment, we cannot just look at it like a bandaid solution; there are still a lot of milestones to reach to make this place a better world for us all!

[davenl5l]

yea ha first full bill...right on track.old rate 22june - 15july
peak 79kwh@.2469 $19.51
next 75kwh@.2515 $18.86
controlled load 168kwh@.1194 $20.06
supply charge $13.35

new rate 16july - 20 sep.
peak 220kwh@.3023 $66.51
next 211kwh@ .3075 $64.88
controlled load 471kwh@.1562 $73.57
supply charge $39.22

total $315.96

old fit 94kwh@.2400 22june - 30 june $22.56cr
s.a.gov.concession $3.90cr
new fit 862kwh@.2580 1 july - 20sep. $222.40cr
s.a.gov.concession $37.07cr
5%agl discount peak $8.49cr
5%agl discount next $4.68cr

total $299.10cr
gst $26.18

TOTAL DUE $43.03

hope this helps everyone this is winter bill crap weather 4kw system needless to say i am very happy

[poppa smurf]

well done mate.....a damn good outcome.....winter cost me about $150 but left me in credit to the tune of some $450 or thereabouts

been generating 18 kilowatts per day with usage down to around 6 giving 12 bankable kilowatts @ .59c per kilowatt everyday or about $7.00 in credit per day

been years since I have actually looked forward to my power bills

[paule11]

30.3kwh generated today a few clouds around will be interesting to see what happens on a really clear day

[prydey]

Originally Posted by paule11

30.3kwh generated today a few clouds around will be interesting to see what happens on a really clear day

well done what size system?


on the subject of clouds and clear skies, during my reading around before getting solar, i read that having some clouds in the sky is actually the ideal as it helps disperse the suns rays... i spoke to my installers when they were putting it in and according to them, clear skies is best.

the thing is, the highest figures i have seen on my inverter has been on cloudy days where the sun isn't being impeded as such, not on clear sky days. today in adelaide its quite cloudy with the odd shower but when the sun pokes through, the inverter jumps up to 3500w+ (3.8kw of panels)

is there an absolute answer or does it depend on a range of factors? anyone know?

[poppa smurf]

a range of factors....angle of the sun, .....strength of the sun

usually the best time of year is late spring/early summer....some cloud with a light breeze to keep the temp of the panels down

as temp rises the production figures drop off

well done paule11........I too would like to know the size of the system...my guess is 5 maybe 5.5 kilowatt??

[SmokinXR50]

Originally Posted by prydey

19 x 190 = 3.610kw. sure you haven't got 21 panels up there?

as for lumo, i believe poppa smurf is a customer and seems happy enough, but my experience with them was enough for me to never go near them again and to tell everyone i know not to go near them.

Hi Prydey,
Sorry about that, you are correct I do have 21 panels. Took me ages to type it all up and thought I fixed all of my mistakes.

I personally have had no issues with Lumo. After receiving the formal offer / contract from Red Energy it ended up in the shredder as they had made several crucial mistakes. (I made sure they were notified)

They had quoted me on a non solar rate and made no mention of my PFiT rate.
Scary part is they have amended all this and I now have a feeling Red Energy will end up being dearer.
Don't ask me why but at this stage I am on a single rate / charge with Lumo, yet Red Energy's offer is multi tiered, not only dependant on the time of day but they also appear to have different rates for Summer and Winter.
Could this be true?
To top it off, just because I have Solar there is no pay on time discount applicable.
I am waiting for the revised formal offer to arrive and I will fire a rocket up Red Energy. I must admit so far, I am not impressed with them.



Thanks,

Chris

[SmokinXR50]

Originally Posted by poppa smurf

well done smokin.....a very good outcome and your experience pretty much mirrors mine

I am with Lumo...no comment on that but they "seem" to be the cheapest....I refuse to recommend one provider over another as each individual account can be and is negotiated by the home owner and varies from household to household

this depends greatly on the individuals negotiating skills......I am pushing the
do your homework thing....understand your usage and your needs then find a system that suits your needs then contact your retailer to negotiate terms

but one thing to watch with Lumo is that if you are on a monthly billing cycle they are not setup to read your meter on a monthly basis

so the answer would seem to be to place your own readings in to the space provided in their website

I did this but their "computer" does not recognise your input

the result of this is that your monthly account will be estimated......I had a gut full of this system a fair while ago

I would get two over estimates then a huge credit.....two over estimates than a huge credit.....this went on for a fair while

the only way to get true readings is to go to 3 monthly cycles

well done on the reduction in power usage....always the first step when considering solar.....simple things bring about substantial savings

the programs you mentioned are very good, I would love them on my computer but alas they don't play with mac

Hi poppa smurf,
Thanks for the feedback, much appreciated.
I agree with your suggestions 100%.
I will look into the suggested changes with Lumo.
If it is OK to ask, are you on a single electricity rate with Lumo?
As per my previous post I am still on the single rate, which appears to be only for non solar customers (if you believe what Red Energy had to say)

In a way I can't wait until there revised offer arrives as it will give another opportunity to ram it back at them.
Red Energy (and I assume others do the same) start of by hitting you with a contract as part of their quote which has a 10 day cooling off period. I guess they are hoping you will do nothing and the contract will then become formal.

I don't mind this as it gives me leverage over them. They know I have received the contract and they will have to bend over backwards otherwise I will pull the plug. Just waiting for Contract V2 to arrive (with a new cooling off period) before taking them to task again.

It is funny, before Solar I never put this much energy into getting the best electricity and gas deal. Now that I have, it is almost an obsession, to beat the ever increasing cost of electricity and gas and at the same time maximise my investment.

Bring it on!!

Thanks,

Chris

[SmokinXR50]

Originally Posted by Stagg

Had a quick look at their website and $17.99 each is without shipping, it comes out to about $28 per globe including shipping. Also their wattage and lumens matches the Ecofire Econo 5W globes, which are pretty much the same LED except Ecofire is $20 off the shelf and an Australian LED company.

LED lights are a bit rich regardless, but because they operate a lot cooler, it is commonly expected that even a pretty standard LED will last at least 20 years. Same principle for purchasing LED goes for solar, that its an investment and spending $20 per light will save you spending $100 for standard bulbs over the time the LED light will be running for.

Like I posted before I have the Ecofire Econo 5W bulbs all over my apartment and the quality of light is a lot higher than any other bulb, no UV light at all, much nicer to be living with.

Gents,
Thank you for sharing this information. Installing LED Down-lights is next on my hit list. For me it is a little easier as the 5 down-lights in the kitchen are my first priority. They tend to be on almost all day, so changing them out for LED's should produce a nice saving.

I will look into the recommended globes.

I also want to thank pappa smurf for having the insight to start such an informative thread. I have learnt allot from it and will continue to follow this thread closely.

Thanks,

Chris

[poppa smurf]

hey chris.....you're more than welcome.....

the main reason i stuck with Lumo was the single rate.....I found most others had a two tier system, summer and winter.....Lumo dont have this

I couldn't follow the complex two tier system so I stuck with what I could understand

whilst Lumo was higher in winter it is lower in summer so what I lose on the merry go round i pick up on the swing

I'm amazed at how many people have come back to me and stated how they are doing simple things like shutting off smallish unused power equipment and changing light bulbs to energy efficient ones which is adding up to large savings

I encourage everybody to have a talk with their energy retailer and discuss a better deal.....almost all are open to negotiation

[xisled]

Originally Posted by SmokinXR6

Hi Prydey,
Sorry about that, you are correct I do have 21 panels. Took me ages to type it all up and thought I fixed all of my mistakes.

I personally have had no issues with Lumo. After receiving the formal offer / contract from Red Energy it ended up in the shredder as they had made several crucial mistakes. (I made sure they were notified)

They had quoted me on a non solar rate and made no mention of my PFiT rate.
Scary part is they have amended all this and I now have a feeling Red Energy will end up being dearer.
Don't ask me why but at this stage I am on a single rate / charge with Lumo, yet Red Energy's offer is multi tiered, not only dependant on the time of day but they also appear to have different rates for Summer and Winter.
Could this be true?
To top it off, just because I have Solar there is no pay on time discount applicable.
I am waiting for the revised formal offer to arrive and I will fire a rocket up Red Energy. I must admit so far, I am not impressed with them.



Thanks,

Chris

Hi mate reading your post, I just want to say a couple of things.

I am guessing you are in the power core area network.

Now you said red had a summer and winter rate, only reason you would have that is you have a climate saver meter attached to your air con. Powercore is the only network to have this. Only problem about this if you have PFIT it should have been rewired into the switchboard or disconnected and you lose this.

You also say that red sent you prices for not being on solar, now when a retailer sends out a quote, they will use your NMI number and the tariffs that are registered to that NMI. Now if red sent you out prices I would say they have priced you on the tariff that is registered on your NMI.

My guess is that, lumo your current retailer has put you on the SFIT tariff but is paying you PFIT. You also said lumo are still giving you the one rate. PFIT is time of use not a flat rate.

If you can get your tariff code from lumo. I can tell you what FIT you are set up on. I can also look up any address at work and see what tariff they are on. I work for a Victorian retailer, and I raise the orders and arrange tariff changes all day. At the moment solar TFIT request is all I am doing.

I could be wrong but above would be my guess.

[Noddy]

Well I finally received a date from energex to connect my solar system to the grid and its the middle of next month. So they must be pretty busy. I also dragged a couple of pics off my camera and thought I'd post.

Aurora 3.6


15 x 250watt Rec panels

[SmokinXR50]

Originally Posted by poppa smurf

hey chris.....you're more than welcome.....

the main reason i stuck with Lumo was the single rate.....I found most others had a two tier system, summer and winter.....Lumo dont have this

I couldn't follow the complex two tier system so I stuck with what I could understand

whilst Lumo was higher in winter it is lower in summer so what I lose on the merry go round i pick up on the swing

I'm amazed at how many people have come back to me and stated how they are doing simple things like shutting off smallish unused power equipment and changing light bulbs to energy efficient ones which is adding up to large savings

I encourage everybody to have a talk with their energy retailer and discuss a better deal.....almost all are open to negotiation

Same here poppa smurf,
Whilst I don't mind certain challenges managing a complex electricity bill is not one of them.
Apart from changing light bulbs my biggest saver is installing a simple dead man switch for appliances that draw standby power.
Being an IT Geek I do have numerous computers, a home theatre system as well as the system in the family room.
It hit me like a freight train when I realised how much power was being wasted in the form of standby power.

The other big saver was in my garage. I have a second fridge that had a handful of items in it. Apart from that it was being hardly used. I removed everything out and shut it down. Now it's only turned on a few hours before the boys pop over for a poker night.

It was the two above changes I made that had the greatest impact.

Hope this helps.

BTW - Back onto the subject of outputting your systems power readings onto the PVOutput.org site.
For those that might be interested I have taken a screenshot of what the last months power generation from my system looks like.



With today being a really crappy day, with dark black clouds and heaps of rain, it is no wonder it was my worst day for the month
Cheers,

Chris

[SmokinXR50]

Originally Posted by xisled

Hi mate reading your post, I just want to say a couple of things.

I am guessing you are in the power core area network.

Now you said red had a summer and winter rate, only reason you would have that is you have a climate saver meter attached to your air con. Powercore is the only network to have this. Only problem about this if you have PFIT it should have been rewired into the switchboard or disconnected and you lose this.

You also say that red sent you prices for not being on solar, now when a retailer sends out a quote, they will use your NMI number and the tariffs that are registered to that NMI. Now if red sent you out prices I would say they have priced you on the tariff that is registered on your NMI.

My guess is that, lumo your current retailer has put you on the SFIT tariff but is paying you PFIT. You also said lumo are still giving you the one rate. PFIT is time of use not a flat rate.

If you can get your tariff code from lumo. I can tell you what FIT you are set up on. I can also look up any address at work and see what tariff they are on. I work for a Victorian retailer, and I raise the orders and arrange tariff changes all day. At the moment solar TFIT request is all I am doing.

I could be wrong but above would be my guess.

Hi Xisled,
I live in SE Melbourne, not far from Chadstone. I can't recall who my distributor is but it is not Powercore.
I also don't have a climate save meter attached to my air con (as far as I am aware).
When I spoke to Red Energy they were adamant that the multi tiered system is only for those with Solar systems, otherwise they use a single tier system.

In any case they have a snow flakes chance in hell of me ever accepting their offer. As he was reading out the different charges I compared it to my current bill and noticed that for most part their offer was not that much better, certainly not so when I included Lumo's Pay on Time Discount (about 15%).

Yes you are correct re: PFiT being time of use, I have put Lumo to the sword a few times and have a feeling the single rate was put on the table as a result.

With all due respect I will pass on providing my NMI or Tariff Code. It is not something I am willing to divulge as it is linked with my property details.
I hope you understand.

Thanks,

[xisled]

Well it is good that it is a red only thing. That is fine about the NMI and tariff code. One thing you can do your self, is find out what network your in. Get Lumo to give you the tariff code on MSATS and do a Google search.

Get the Customer service rep to go in to MSATS and get your tariff code, all retailers have access to this. Your NMI is no real secret, as they are all listed on MSATS. At work I have access to MSATS and can look up anyone NMI number in Australia.

I think you may be on the SP Ausnet network, and the PFIT tariff should be SUN23.

Here is the link for SP Ausnet tariff charts.

http://www.sp-ausnet.com.au/CA2575630006F222/Lookup/Tariffs/$file/Schedule%20of%20Network%20Use%20of%20System%20Tari ffs2012.pdf

[Mechan1k]

So tempting indeed.

I am looking into this now ... being in NSW I know the I'll get bugger all ... if any retunr back from our energy provider .... but it's a case of pay for itself over a few years ... especially they way power bills have increased recently.

Thanks for all the input in this thread guys ... have only skimmed so far ..... but need to do a lot more reading into it.

[poppa smurf]

Originally Posted by Mechan1k

So tempting indeed.

I am looking into this now ... being in NSW I know the I'll get bugger all ... if any retunr back from our energy provider .... but it's a case of pay for itself over a few years ... especially they way power bills have increased recently.

Thanks for all the input in this thread guys ... have only skimmed so far ..... but need to do a lot more reading into it.

homework first mate.......get all the info that you possibly can and be sure and ask a heap of questions

someone in here will give you the answer

[Mechan1k]

Definitely ... I have been reading up on it for a while now.
It's a case of comparing and cross-comparing.

And wading through the crap as well. Reviews have been excellent ... and the solarquotes website has been good for that as well.

I have organised for someone to come out for a "no-obligation free assessment" from a very reputable company ... with excellent praises and reviews.

First thing is first though .... finding out if it is suitable for me ... and finding out ALL costs involved as well.

I have a list of questions here to ask already.

[supershifty]

Originally Posted by prydey

on the subject of clouds and clear skies, during my reading around before getting solar, i read that having some clouds in the sky is actually the ideal as it helps disperse the suns rays... i spoke to my installers when they were putting it in and according to them, clear skies is best.

the thing is, the highest figures i have seen on my inverter has been on cloudy days where the sun isn't being impeded as such, not on clear sky days. today in adelaide its quite cloudy with the odd shower but when the sun pokes through, the inverter jumps up to 3500w+ (3.8kw of panels)

is there an absolute answer or does it depend on a range of factors? anyone know?

Prydey, I can't really answer your question about absolute power - I can only draw a comparison with mine. Yes, you and I have different systems, but I'm getting a very similar result with mine. Sorry if I've misinterpreted the question you've posed.

I've got 2.3kW of panels with a 2kw inverter that can handle up to 2.5kW of peak generation. Obviously the the overrun of 0.5kW is a safety factor for the sake of the inverters lifespan IMO, and I never expected to see any more than 2kW power generation from the inverters "real time" meter.

Fact is: I've never seen the "real time" meter show anymore than 1.85kW of power generation at any time. I don't feel robbed by this, but, I too don't understand why a 2kW inverter doesn't show an input/output to the rated capacity. I'm in Brissy, and we get plenty of sunshine goodness!

Cheers!

[prydey]

Originally Posted by supershifty

. Sorry if I've misinterpreted the question you've posed.

i think you may have a little bit. i wasn't really wondering about the output itself, but whether or not clouds hinder or help the situation providing they aren't impeding the sun.

i have read that clouds can be of benefit, but my installer said no clouds at all is ideal, so was wondering if there was a definitive answer. i think there's much more to it.

[sgt_doofey]

For those looking in to LED downlights, a bit of info here: http://www.fordforums.com.au/showthread.php?t=11366585

[paule11]

Originally Posted by prydey

well done what size system?


on the subject of clouds and clear skies, during my reading around before getting solar, i read that having some clouds in the sky is actually the ideal as it helps disperse the suns rays... i spoke to my installers when they were putting it in and according to them, clear skies is best.

the thing is, the highest figures i have seen on my inverter has been on cloudy days where the sun isn't being impeded as such, not on clear sky days. today in adelaide its quite cloudy with the odd shower but when the sun pokes through, the inverter jumps up to 3500w+ (3.8kw of panels)

is there an absolute answer or does it depend on a range of factors? anyone know?

5kw Aurora inverter 20x 250 watt csun panels orientation is really good and no shading

Today there was very little cloud made less power 29.3kw

[Stagg]

Originally Posted by Mechan1k

Definitely ... I have been reading up on it for a while now.
It's a case of comparing and cross-comparing.

And wading through the crap as well. Reviews have been excellent ... and the solarquotes website has been good for that as well.

I have organised for someone to come out for a "no-obligation free assessment" from a very reputable company ... with excellent praises and reviews.

First thing is first though .... finding out if it is suitable for me ... and finding out ALL costs involved as well.

I have a list of questions here to ask already.

Ask away mate! I'm happy to help out as well.

[GT 160]

Hey all,

About to kick off a new house build and im looking at factoring in solar into the build cost.

Is there a general rule with regards to min system size, amount of panels etc?

I'll be doing the ring around this week but any idea on rough costs for an appropriate quality system?

[davenl5l]

Originally Posted by GT 160

Hey all,

About to kick off a new house build and im looking at factoring in solar into the build cost.

Is there a general rule with regards to min system size, amount of panels etc?

I'll be doing the ring around this week but any idea on rough costs for an appropriate quality system?

as many as you can afford my 4kw system was $7000 installed if you can afford it and have the space facing north go 5kw also try solar quotes web site lots of good info and try to find the time to read all or most of this thread as all the info is in here.i went with eurosolar and im very happy but that does not mean they will suit you and dont forget solar hot water

[poppa smurf]

Originally Posted by GT 160

Hey all,

About to kick off a new house build and im looking at factoring in solar into the build cost.

Is there a general rule with regards to min system size, amount of panels etc?

I'll be doing the ring around this week but any idea on rough costs for an appropriate quality system?

usually i would say "go big young man".....but please do your homework first

what state are you in?

what usage will you have?

how much F.I.T. will you receive?

what is the payback period?

have you thought about "alternative" power saving measures that can be built into your home now such as heavier insulation, double glazed windows, LED lighting, gas or solar hot water in lieu of electric

reduction should ALWAYS be the first step

then crunch your numbers to see what suits you and the "break even" time scale