In January, Australians were eager to start tackling their electricity bills with a solar power system. Here’s what those utilising our service were looking for last month.
Solar System Size Preference
Among Australians who already knew what capacity they wanted, 78% requested details on a 6kW solar system or larger. This was up from 76% in December and November; so back to an upwards trend after stabilising in the final month of 2019. Around 32% who submitted a quote request wanted advice on system sizing.
Solar Power Purchase Timeframe
23% of those using our service wanted to buy a system immediately – a big drop on December’s 32% (26% in November, 22% in October). The eagerness in December was attributable to Australia’s solar rebate dropping on January 1 and the scare tactics used by some dodgy advertisers in relation to this. However, the subsidy is still very generous – read more about Australia’s solar rebate in 2020.
In January, 85% of inquirers were considering a purchase within the next three months, compared to just over 88% in December and 89% in November.
System Quality vs. Cost
January saw 13.5% requesting pricing on a “top quality” (most expensive) solar package, the first time this figure has moved for quite a while – usually it’s been around the 12% mark. Most of the gain was at the expense of the good quality budget system category (7% vs. 8% in December). Just over 79% were wanting a system offering a balance between quality and cost.
Advanced Solar Consumption Monitoring
Last month the level of interest in advanced consumption monitoring jumped up to 65% (62% in December), which will make Finn happy – he’s a big fan of advanced solar monitoring – here’s why.
Battery Ready Systems
Just on 24% were after a battery-ready system (22% in December and November). Just about all solar power systems could be considered battery-ready, but we ask about this to help prospective providers with system design.
Solar + Battery Install
Again in January, 6% indicated they wished to have a battery installed at the same time as their solar panels. The home battery storage revolution in Australia (and elsewhere) is yet to begin – in terms of new installations anyway. That’s not surprising given the cost of solar batteries is still very high.
To understand the differences between cost and payback on a solar power system with and without storage, try our new solar and battery calculator.
Battery Storage Size
Where a battery system was desired and the capacity known, 42% wanted a 10kWh+ unit (37% in December and 41% in November), around the same were considering 5-10kWh (49% in December and 41% in November), and 16% a 1-5kWh system (14% in December and 18% in November).
Intended Battery Application
January saw 4% of battery-related requests indicating backup as the primary application (6% in December, 4% in November). Close to 44% were primarily interested in minimising grid electricity consumption (41% in December and November), and 52% for both backup and minimising grid electricity use.
Quarterly Power Bills
Where electricity costs were known, 43% indicated their power bills were between $500 and $1,000 a quarter on average (47% in December and 48% in November). Just over 10% were being slugged more than $1,000 a quarter.
While the figures above relate to electricity bills pre-solar panels, on a somewhat related note solar power system owners might want to check out our new tool for comparing electricity plans – you can learn more about how to use it here.
About The auSSII Report
Australians submit their details to us for solar quotes matched to their requirements from up to three pre-vetted solar businesses we trust. It’s these submissions that provide the information we use in the auSSII report.
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Time flies when you’re having fun – and assisting Australians eager to reap the benefits of harvesting the energy of the sun. SolarQuotes has consistently provided quality sales leads to companies that care about their customers for close to 11 years. Discover more about our solar sales lead service.
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