Australian Solar Systems Interest Index – August 2018

Australians were still thinking big during July when considering a solar power system purchase, with 6kW systems and larger combined extending their lead on 5kW.

Solar Power System Size Preference

Alas poor 1.5kW and 2kW systems, we knew them well. We have removed these options from our solar quote form as there’s little interest in these capacities nowadays. Combined, 1.5/2kW made up less than 1% of quote requests back in June.

During July, 6kW solar system interest crept up again, accounting for ~29% of quote requests where a size was specified. 5kW solar system interest dropped slightly to around 36%. There was a big jump in Australians interested in 6kW+ systems, rising from 17% in June to a whisker over 20% in July. The proportion of submitters wanting advice on solar power system sizing remained static at around 31%.

Looking back to last year, interest in 6kW+ systems in July 2017 was zilch and in for 6kW systems, it was around 22%. 5kW solar ruled the roost back then, accounting for 51% of choices where sizing was specified.

Intended Buying Timeframe

The proportion of Australians using our service considering buying solar panels immediately dropped back from 17% in June to approximately 16% in July. However, that wasn’t indicative of appetite to install a system reasonably soon decreasing – 81% were considering doing so anytime from immediately to three months – up on June (79%), May (77%) and April (75%)

Quality Vs. Price

Things were fairly steady again in July concerning price vs. quality stakes, with approximately 78% requesting quotes for systems that were “a good mix of quality and price”.  The “good budget system” option was favoured by around 8% and the “top quality (most expensive)” interest was again approximately 13%.

Battery Ready Solar Interest

Battery-ready system interest crept up a little from June’s 29%, to nudging 30%. Battery-ready interest is asked on the quoting form to alert installers to a potential customer’s future intentions, as this may have some impact on system design.

Concurrent Solar + Battery Installation

Again in July, just under 10% requested quotes for a concurrent solar panel + battery system installation – this figure has been relatively static for several months now, since we removed a flag during the quote request process whereby if solar + batteries were selected a message would display ballpark pricing and also offer a battery-ready option as an alternative.

Battery Storage Size Preference

Of those who were interested in having a solar battery storage system installed along with their solar panels and had an idea of desired capacity,   ~38% were after 10kWh+ capacity (up from 32% in June). Interest in 5-10kWh capacity range dropped from 48% in June to approximately 43% in July. 59% of overall solar battery related quote requests asked for guidance on capacity, up on June’s 57%.

Battery Application Intention

Around 3% of submitters wanted to install solar batteries primarily for backup purposes, so still remaining between the 2% and 4% range we’ve seeing since we started the auSSII a year ago. There was a significant increase in the proportion of those wanting a battery for  minimising grid electricity use  (51% vs 46% in June) and approximately 46% were desiring a battery for both applications (51% in June, 54% in May, 53% in April).

What Australians Are Paying On Their Electricity Bills

The proportion of Australians with quarterly electricity bills averaging $500 – $1,000 moved up again to 47%  (46% in June, 44% in May). However, this number hasn’t really changed much since July 2017 (46%).

Also creeping up a little again were those with reported quarterly electricity costs of $1,000 or greater (11%, vs 10% in June). 6% were unsure of what they paid on average per quarter.

About The auSSII Report

The figures in our auSSII reports are based on the responses of thousands of Australians who request solar quotes via this web site each month.

If you’re contemplating joining Australia’s home solar revolution, you can submit your details and receive up to 3 no-obligation quotes from trusted, pre-vetted Australian solar installers that are part of the Solar Quotes network. We’ll match you to installers servicing your area and your requirements.

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Reproduction of or from this post or any other in our auSSII report series is welcome, but the page from which any data or graphs are sourced must be acknowledged.