A greater proportion of Australians considering solar in October wanted to fill their rooftops with panels – and more were also interested in home batteries.
Solar System Size Selection
Where a system size was selected in our new range of options displayed on the solar quote form currently being shown to around half of enquirers, just 3% were interested in a system in the 3 – 5kW range in October. The most popular capacity range was 5 – 10kW at 78%. The “fill your roof” with panels option was chosen by close to 12%, well up on September’s ~9%.
Filling your available and compatible rooftop space with solar panels is often a great way to go. Solar panels are still comparatively cheap and while the installers on site, make the most of it. Check out some advice from SolarQuotes founder Finn on how much solar you’ll need.
Purchase Intent – Timeframe
In October, around 25% of enquiries indicated a desire to buy a solar power system immediately, which was the same level as the previous month. 33% were considering purchasing a system within 4 weeks, also similar to September.
Generally speaking, the best time to buy is right now. There are some very good reasons to have a solar system installed before the end of this year rather than putting it off; including a looming reduction in the solar rebate (sometimes confused with feed-in tariffs). But even if you can’t pull the trigger on acquiring a system immediately, solar power will still be a great investment in 2022.
System Price And Quality
There was a very small uptick of interest in a in a “top quality” (most expensive) system in October, at around 12%. Again, 81% wanted details on a system offering a good balance of cost and quality (same as September/August) and a little under 8% in a good budget system.
Related: Price guide for good quality solar in 2021 (from budget to top shelf).
Australian Solar Price Index – October
Keep tabs on how much is being paid for systems on average using the SolarQuotes Australian Solar Price Index. This is updated in real time as new information is collected from the many Australians submitting solar installer reviews to SQ. We’ll have a full report on October pricing results here on the blog towards the end of this month.
Microinverter/Optimiser Option
We mentioned in the last auSSII report that interest in microinverters and power optimisers (both of which are forms of panel level optimisation) would no longer be recorded/reported. However, a decision has been made to keep this question on the quote form.
In October, a whisker under 20% of enquiries indicated interest in receiving more information on these options – down a little on September.
On a related note, the eagerly-anticipated Enphase IQ8 microinverter family of products was officially launched a couple of weeks ago. When these devices will appear in Australia still isn’t clear.
Consumption Monitoring Option
Solar inverters incorporate energy generation reporting in various ways, but advanced solar monitoring takes things a step further and shows the level of solar energy self-consumption in the home. It’s an option strongly recommended by Finn. In October, around 37% of Australians using the SQ quoting service were interested in consumption monitoring, which is the lowest level for some months (September: 40%, August: 43%, July: 42%)
Battery Ready Solar
Not much changed here in October, with just under 6% expressing interest in a “battery-ready” solar power system. Batteries can be retrofitted to just about any existing system, some more easily than others. This question helps prospective installers understand what the customer’s future intentions may be and to design a system to suit. But it will increasingly become the case the potential integration of energy storage in the future will be a given in the design phase.
Solar + Battery Storage
Interest in home batteries really picked up in October. Just over 20% were considering installing storage at the same time as a solar system (12% in September and August). You can learn everything you need to know about solar battery storage here – particularly worth reading are Finn’s new “101” guides on understanding, buying and owning home batteries.
Home Battery Capacity Choice
Where a battery was desired with a new solar installation and a capacity specified:
- 1 – 5 kWh: ~9% (September ~11%, August ~12%)
- 5 – 10 kWh: ~53% (September ~52%, August ~48%)
- 10 kWh+: ~38% (September ~38%, ~41%)
It’s worth noting 62% of Australians using the SQ service in October interested in a concurrent battery installation were unsure of what capacity they wanted/needed.
Main Battery Application
Around 5% of those thinking about a home battery want it mainly for backup purposes (8% in September, 5% in August), 40% for minimising electricity consumed from the grid (close to 41% in September and August) and 55% for both applications (51% in September, 55% in August).
Electricity Costs Before Solar Installation
Where electricity bill amounts were known, a little over 49% were paying between $500 and $1,000 on average per quarter – up again on September and on the usual range of 45% and 47%.
Dropping back a smidge were those paying more than $1,000 a quarter – down to 12% in October (13% in September), but still more than in July (11%) and 9% in June and May. Wholesale electricity prices have been decreasing, but this only makes up a quarter to a third of an electricity bill – and many Australians haven been working from home.
About The auSSII’s Data Source
The auSSII is based on information provided by the thousands of Australians who utilise the SolarQuotes quoting service every month.
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