All things Solar (merged threads)

[prydey]

there is no such thing as a free lunch, and never will be. anything that will threaten the income to big business/govt etc, will be dealt with, either by reduction of subsidies, or extra tariffs.

[prydey]

Originally Posted by poppa smurf

I have no qualms about signing a legally binding "contract" with it's clearly written "exit" fee's, where I do take umbrage is that after signing this so called legally binding contract the power suppliers then turn around without warning and break it by increasing your fee's and charges, mine was altered by increasing the supply charge a week after a new contract was entered into.

what if I suddenly decide not to pay the agreed amount, what would happen to me, yet the situation is identical, simply reversed.

if it is legally binding to me then it should be legally binding to them...... had a lawyer talking about this on Leon Byners talk back radio a few days ago, sticking point for a lot of consumers.

most contracts have this scenario in the fine print, that they can alter the prices without notice and breach of contract. doesn't make it right though.

leon byner lost any credibility with me when he decided to put his mug on gottagettagroup advertising.

[Rompers]

Originally Posted by poppa smurf

I have no qualms about signing a legally binding "contract" with it's clearly written "exit" fee's, where I do take umbrage is that after signing this so called legally binding contract the power suppliers then turn around without warning and break it by increasing your fee's and charges, mine was altered by increasing the supply charge a week after a new contract was entered into.

what if I suddenly decide not to pay the agreed amount, what would happen to me, yet the situation is identical, simply reversed.

if it is legally binding to me then it should be legally binding to them...... had a lawyer talking about this on Leon Byners talk back radio a few days ago, sticking point for a lot of consumers.

Ok - interesting perspective, never actually looked at in that light as my supplier is not the party that is raising the price, it is the pricing tribunal that regulates the price and the supplier is bound to them. Pretty sure the terms of the supply contract do cover this.

Thanks for the viewpoint though, it is something to look at for me.

[Rompers]

Originally Posted by prydey

there is no such thing as a free lunch, and never will be. anything that will threaten the income to big business/govt etc, will be dealt with, either by reduction of subsidies, or extra tariffs.

So true, this just reminds of something Bart Simpson said in one of the earliest episodes of the show.

"You're damned if you do and you're damned if you don't."

[poppa smurf]

Originally Posted by prydey

most contracts have this scenario in the fine print, that they can alter the prices without notice and breach of contract. doesn't make it right though.

leon byner lost any credibility with me when he decided to put his mug on gottagettagroup advertising.

Leon Byners input to the conversations carry little weight with me, he does, however, have high power/profile lawyers and officials commenting on his and his listeners conversations, mine included.

there have been a few occasions these lawyers have commented that if these raises in costs were actually challenged in a court of law the companies would lose, I await these challenges sand the consequential outcomes, may be damages to be paid.

these lawyers actually use the term "breach of contract" in their discussions.

[supershifty]

Originally Posted by poppa smurf

All sorts of stuff being talked about here, for instance if you have a battery bank to draw off at night then the power distribution mob will withdraw your FIT, or at least they are going to try to get that passed.

Bottom line we are a risk to their financial wellbeing, can't have that now can we.

big business, even overseas ones, must come first, profit at all costs, doesn't matter that thousands of us can't afford the "necessities" of life.

just be aware that if you do withdraw your "credit" it must be declared as income (unless you are on an age pension, no other pension has this benefit)......

My tax agent assured me that there a lot of folks that could be caught up in a "crackdown", which is bound to happen.

Touching on the bold text in the above - I'm on Newstart (unemployment benefit) and was dreading how to report my $1200 feed in tariff for last year. As it was a lump sum I figured I'd just have to cop it on the chin and lose my benefit for a month. That's fair enough, but making ends meet doesn't happen on $510 a fortnight.

Newstart allowance allows you to earn a little extra per fortnight without it affecting your benefit, used to be $80 but I believe it's gone up as of July 2013 - you must declare it though. I made an appointment with Centrelink and was prepared to argue my case that I had earned my solar credit gradually over the course of the year, although I received it as a lump sum.

To my surprise I didn't have to argue my case at all. They have a special provision for solar credits and they treat them as a fortnightly average. In my case it was $46/fortnight and that was well below the threshold for income. Common sense prevailed for once!

As Centrelink is a federal entity, I assume this is not just a QLD thing - check it out whether you are on age/disability/unemployment.

Cheers!

[poppa smurf]

good job, happy for you...... I talked to a couple of folks in centrelink down here, just in passing, blank looks and consternation were the order of the day with the obligatory "I'll look into it and get back to you!"..... never did of course.

good to see some folks in the echelons of power do still remember common sense.

just remember to anyone with a credit, it will pay you to declare the amount and hopefully the outcome above will be repeated.

better to pay a little tax now rather than be caught with tax evasion later.

[Rompers]

Originally Posted by poppa smurf

better to pay a little tax now rather than be caught with tax evasion later.

Interesting, as I don't actually get paid - I'm on a NET system, although I do get a credit on my bill for my excess generation, I wonder how this will play out?

I'll ask my accountant next time I see him.

[supershifty]

Rompers, my experience with AGL is that they will let the credit sit there forever. I thought (wrongly) that they would dump the credits back into my bank account each 1/4. You have to ring AGL billing and arrange to have the credit put into your account each time you want it. I do it annually, but you can do it 1/4'ly or however your billing cycle runs.

The bastards won't do you the favour of giving your coin back without asking mate - don't know who your biller is - get onto them.

Cheers!

[Rompers]

Originally Posted by supershifty

Rompers, my experience with AGL is that they will let the credit sit there forever. I thought (wrongly) that they would dump the credits back into my bank account each 1/4. You have to ring AGL billing and arrange to have the credit put into your account each time you want it. I do it annually, but you can do it 1/4'ly or however your billing cycle runs.

The bastards won't do you the favour of giving your coin back without asking mate - don't know who your biller is - get onto them.

Cheers!

Well AGL is who I use and the credit is right there on my bill as a credit, no need to claim it, it is just there.

[poppa smurf]

As super shifty said it will sit as a credit, if you wish to cash it out, and you can at any time, then give them a ring.

it is at this point of cash out that it becomes "taxable income"

[Rompers]

Originally Posted by poppa smurf

As super shifty said it will sit as a credit, if you wish to cash it out, and you can at any time, then give them a ring.

it is at this point of cash out that it becomes "taxable income"

Nope - I don't have to claim any cash back, it is a specific line item on my electricity bill



It reduces my bill.

EDIT: I should add that I still have a bill, my generation doesn't cover all costs.

[poppa smurf]

it sits as a credit...... and it does reduce your bill....You can pull out $25.92 if you so desire.

you don't have to pull it out, but you can.

[Rompers]

I can't pull the credit out, it has already been passed to me a discount on my bill.



I'm happy to be shown otherwise.

[poppa smurf]

okay! I see you still owe money..... When you get to a credit then you can withdraw.

[Rompers]

Originally Posted by poppa smurf

okay! I see you still owe money..... When you get to a credit then you can withdraw.

Will never get to a credit unfortunately, my excess will never be (approx) 4 times my requirements during non generation times. Mine is only a new system, as it is my first saving is approx $380 that I didn't have to pay on the bill for the other approx 1150 kWh I produced and used before feeding back out to the grid.

I just wish I had the cash to do this when the feed in tariff was around 60c AND the power companies bought all your power.

[Blue Ice]

How big a system do you have Rompers?

[Rompers]

Originally Posted by Blue Ice

How big a system do you have Rompers?

5kW system, but only 3 of it point North, the other 2 faces west, I also suffer shading on the north array in the morning and my roof pitch isn't ideal - although it will yield fairly well in winter too.

[ute83]

http://www.solarchoice.net.au/blog/t...f-going-solar/

We have been through this before.

[ILLaViTaR]

Originally Posted by Rompers

I think it may well come down to something as simple as customer discrimination.

As a pseudo government organisation the consumer has no chance, if they were fully privitised the government would be all over them for discrimination, either way I think we'll be screwed over any which way.

I don't know it was better when they were government owned. The moment they went private the standards and quality control dropped horrendously the government shows mercy (hasn't cracked down at all) and we have to live with substandard power. Oh and prices went up too so in regards to the utilities privatization has been a total flop.

[Matty4]

I just got my first full quarterly bill since having my system installed in June.
My previous bills were usually between $900 - $1000.

Current bill usage and supply charge is $412. Happy with that so far...

My average usage in this billing cycle is 13.35kwh, down from 35.25kwh same time last year.

[PCT302]

So with all the information and results from installations is it still worth considering going solar. I know "how long is a piece of string"

Put it this way, how many people are happy with the results ?
Perhaps admin can set up a poll or something

[xisled]

Hi Poppa in Victoria a retailer can change the rate every 6 months.

I do not see a point in changing retailers as you will receive 1 invoice and by the second invoice the rate has increased and you have to start the power search all over again.

Most companies in Vic will have a high price then next increase a lower price in the market to bring customer back, and then the cycle continues.

It basically like cat and mouse for each retailer.

That is basically how most people are conned here in Victoria.
You will have the cheapest rates one day, but the next they will be the highest.

[poppa smurf]

Originally Posted by xisled

Hi Poppa in Victoria a retailer can change the rate every 6 months.

I do not see a point in changing retailers as you will receive 1 invoice and by the second invoice the rate has increased and you have to start the power search all over again.

Most companies in Vic will have a high price then next increase a lower price in the market to bring customer back, and then the cycle continues.

It basically like cat and mouse for each retailer.

That is basically how most people are conned here in Victoria.
You will have the cheapest rates one day, but the next they will be the highest.

I understand what you are saying, without knowing the in's and out's of the victorian system, I would still be checking rates to see who is supplying the best.

the whole system has to be looked into at some stage.

[Blue Ice]

All installed, now just the wait on the electrical inspector to do his bit and SP Ausnet to switch the meter over to bidirectional.

Pretty poor day for it, the previous two days have been stinking hot here in Vic, today it was on and off raining.

[buggerlugs]

Originally Posted by PCT302

So with all the information and results from installations is it still worth considering going solar. I know "how long is a piece of string"

Put it this way, how many people are happy with the results ?
Perhaps admin can set up a poll or something

I was extremely happy until a couple of fuses carked it All fixed up this arvo , so now I have to keep an eye on the meter. Should be between 3500 and 4000 during the day........

[poppa smurf]

Originally Posted by PCT302

So with all the information and results from installations is it still worth considering going solar. I know "how long is a piece of string"

Put it this way, how many people are happy with the results ?
Perhaps admin can set up a poll or something

more than happy with mine, every solar install that I have been involved in or know about are over the moon with theirs.

yet to meet a person who did all their homework that regrets placing solar.

do your figures HONESTLY and make the decision, in the end it is yours to make.

[CJR09]

Originally Posted by PCT302

So with all the information and results from installations is it still worth considering going solar. I know "how long is a piece of string"

Put it this way, how many people are happy with the results ?
Perhaps admin can set up a poll or something

If you are paying $0.20/kWh or more, have good NW/N/NE facing roof & plan on being in the property longer than the economic payback period in a general sense it is worth it, have a usage profile done and look to negate peak rate.

[poppa smurf]

Finally got my new account, $1,460 in credit after falling below $1,000 over winter with heavy reverse cycle air-con use.

averaging 8 kw's usage per day........21 kw's production

Love this mild sunny weather.

[zeuss000]

Originally Posted by poppa smurf

Finally got my new account, $1,460 in credit after falling below $1,000 over winter with heavy reverse cycle air-con use.
averaging 8 kw's usage per day........21 kw's production
Love this mild sunny weather.

You've got to be happy with that mate, Great result!! I'm expecting my first bill since getting solar installed any day now, looking forward to it actually.
We have been putting away $50.00 a week, doing it for years and it generally covers the bill with a bit to spare depending on what time of year it is, hoping to have a fair bit left over this time, it'll be put towards car rego(s) and hopefully will cover them with a bit of luck..
Cheers
Ed