Our latest Australian Solar Systems Index (auSSII) report outlines what prospective buyers were wanting in a PV installation (and home batteries) last month.
Solar Power System Capacity
Among the Australians using our quoting service in September, just over 69% had a system capacity in mind. Of those, 74% wanted to know the cost, specifications and other details for a 6kW solar system or larger. Interest in this capacity range is continuing to inch up (73% in September, 72% in August, 69% in July and 67% in June).
Australia’s Clean Energy Regulator noted last week that up until the end of September, there had been a quadrupling of PV installations sized between 6.5 – 7kW this year compared to the same period last year. This jump isn’t surprising as big solar is better in most scenarios.
PV Purchasing Timeframe
There were plenty of Australians eager to harvest solar energy from their rooftops and smash their electricity bills as soon as possible, with close to 22% expressing a desire to buy a system immediately (21% in September, 19% in August).
86% were considering a purchase between now and within 3 months (September 87%, August/July 84%).
Quality Vs. Cost
The proportion of prospective solar buyers interested a “top quality” (most expensive) system has been within the 12-13% range for some time. The figures remain similar for those wanting a system providing a balance between quality and cost, and also those with an eye on a good budget system.
Advanced System Monitoring
Advanced solar monitoring continues to stir up a lot of interest, with 66% wanting information and pricing on this important optional feature last month (67% in September, 66% in August, 63% in July).
Battery Ready PV
Again in October, interested “battery-ready” systems registered at 24%. While any solar installation could be considered “battery-ready”, some are more ready than others and this question is asked to help prospective installers with system design.
Solar + Energy Storage
The hullabaloo over batteries is still failing to get the attention of many of those wanting to install panels. Generally speaking, solar-only still provides the best bang for buck as a battery is unlikely to pay for itself within its warranty period at current pricing levels.
Last month, 5.6% were considering having a battery installed concurrently with their solar panels (September and August 5.5%, July 5%).
Solar Battery Sizing
Where energy storage was desired and a capacity noted, there was a big dip in interest in the 1-5kWh range – from 16% in September to just 8% in October. Meanwhile, there was a jump in interest in 10kWh+ batteries – from 39% in September to just shy of 50% in October. Again in September, 56% of those using our service wanted advice on battery capacity.
Primary Battery Use
Having a home battery for backup purposes remained the least popular primary application – 4%, well down on September’s 7%. Approximately 43% were wanting a battery mainly for minimising mains grid electricity consumption and 53% for both applications.
Quarterly Electricity Costs
50% of Australians using our service who knew what they were paying for electricity indicated they were seeing bills of between $500 and $1,000 per quarter on average (49% in September, 45% in August). Those paying more $1,000 a quarter dropped to around 11% (13% in September).
The auSSII Report – How Is It Compiled?
There are thousands of Australians using our solar quote service every month to get quotes from up to three of the hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers in the SolarQuotes network. The auSSII reports are compiled based on the information they provide.
A Decade Of Quality Solar Sales Leads
We’re always on the lookout to work with Australian solar companies who care about quality and their customers. Learn more about our solar sales lead service.
Reproducing Content From The auSSII
Content from auSSII reports may be reproduced with attribution to the page from which it was sourced.
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