Curious about what fellow Australians are looking for in solar power systems? All is revealed in the latest SolarQuotes auSSII report, covering activity in March.
Solar Power System Size Preferences
5kW solar systems remained supreme in March, accounting for 51% of all quote requests where a size was specified and 31% of quotes overall. The next most popular system size (where size was specified) was 6kW, representing 21%. Interest in 1.5kW systems remains minimal at less than 1%.
PV System Purchase Intent
Plenty are keen to purchase solar power systems immediately, but not as many as very early this year.
March saw 14% of Australians ready to buy systems straight away – down from February (15%) and January (16%). 26% wanted to install in the next four weeks, again down on February (28%) and January (29%). The number considering an installation anywhere from now to three months was 75%, compared to 76% in February and 80% in February.
Top Pick – A Good Mix Of Quality And Price
As in February, approximately 79% of Australians using our service said they were after a system that was a “a good mix of quality and price”. The “good budget system” option remained at 7% and “top quality (most expensive)” was steady at around 14%.
Battery Ready Systems
Specific interest in battery-ready systems dropped a little in March, with 11% registering this option (February: 12% and January: 11%).
Solar + Battery Storage – Curiouser And Curiouser
In March, 5.3% of submitters wanted a quote for a concurrent solar + battery installation and the most requested battery system capacity range was 10+ kWh.
Since starting the auSSII, the percentage of those wanting a price on batteries as well as solar panels has always been in the low to middle single-digit percentage range.
It’s a bit of a curious situation given recent claims that around 12% of solar installs in Australia last year had a concurrent battery installation (representing around 21,000 battery systems).
The Clean Energy Regulator pegs the concurrent solar + storage installation number in 2017 around the 4,400 mark, which is around 2.5% of all 2017 installations – so more in line with what we’ve been seeing. However, the Regulator notes that its numbers will continue to rise as more installs are reported for the period and the information it receives is voluntarily provided – but it’s still a big jump from 4,400 to 21,000.
Something that does dampen requests for solar + battery storage pricing via SolarQuotes is a flag displayed on the screen as part of the quoting process detailing indicative costs and an option for “battery-ready” solar instead. This is done as many people aren’t aware of the costs involved, and so that the installers who will be quoting know that the person is aware of those approximate costs – it can save everyone a bit of time.
The “sticker-shock” and information provided on the SQ web site, such as Finn’s recent Six Biggest Myths About Battery Storage post, probably go some way to encouraging people to carefully reconsider if battery storage is well-suited to their needs (and budget) at this point; or if it’s best to install solar first and then wait for prices on solar batteries to drop further.
Primary Use For Batteries
2% of Australians wanted a battery primarily for backup (5% in February and 4% in January), 43% for minimising grid electricity use (46% in Feb. and 42% in Jan.) and 55% for both (49% in February and 54% in Jan.)
Average Quarterly Electricity Bills
45% of users of our service reported quarterly electricity bills of $500 – $1,000 – up a little on February (44%). 12% reported quarterly bills of $1,000 or more. As was the case in February, approximately 7% weren’t sure what they paid per quarter on average.
About The auSSII
The information in this report is based on the thousands of requests for solar quotes received via the SolarQuotes web site each month.
If you’re interested in going solar, while you’re here you can submit your details to to receive up to three no-obligation quotes from pre-vetted Australian installers matched to your requirements who are participating in the Solar Quotes network and service your area.
About Our Solar Lead Generation Services
SolarQuotes has been providing superior sales leads for Australian solar companies who care about quality since 2009. Learn more about our solar lead generation services.
Reproducing This Report
Reproduction of graphs and other detail from any auSSII report is welcome, but the report page from which the information is taken needs to be acknowledged as the source.
About Michael Bloch
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