The good news is, my sister is getting a battery. The bad news is, she says I have to decide how large it should be, and god knows what she’ll do to me if I get it wrong. To find out how I decided what battery capacity to recommend, while taking into account her average electricity consumption, modest 6.6kW solar system, and the fact she’ll be topping up her battery with free daytime electricity — read on. But if you only want to know how I rate my chances of getting out of this unharmed, then also read on.
About Ronald BrakelsJoining SolarQuotes in 2015, Ronald has a knack for reading those tediously long documents put out by solar manufacturers and translating their contents into something consumers might find interesting. Master of heavily researched deep-dive blog posts, his relentless consumer advocacy has ruffled more than a few manufacturer's feathers over the years. Read Ronald's full bio.
Sizing My Sister’s Battery To Store Free Daytime Electricity
Beware ‘Bargain’ Battery Offers In Your Letterbox
Sometimes I write blog posts that are fact checks. But today’s is more a statement of fact. And that fact is:
If your electricity consumption is anywhere close to normal, it’s a bad idea to blow your only chance to use the battery rebate on a tiny 5 kilowatt-hour (kWh) battery, like the one promoted by Solar Battery Group’s letter mailout campaign.
Australian Refinery Plan To Ease Fuel Crisis
Common sense says refineries process oil, not make it, so more Australian refining capacity would be useless in the current oil shortage. But common sense isn’t always right. Here’s how the federal government’s New Australian Refinery Plan, announced April 1, will help the nation power through the fuel crisis.
Energy Regulator Details Free Daytime Power Offer
Late last week, the Australian Energy Regulator went and shoved a Default Market Offer document onto the internet. But don’t worry — that’s normal behaviour for an Energy Regulator around this time of year. The important thing is, it came with information on the Solar Sharer Offer that will make 3 hours of free daytime electricity available in NSW, SA, and South East Queensland to anyone with a smart meter who wants it, from July 1.
[Read more…]
Fact Check: No, The Battery Rebate Isn’t Ending
Across the country, installers are bending over backward to get systems in before the federal battery rebate reduces on May 1. Note I wrote “reduces”. The rebate is declining, not disappearing.
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The Air Con Efficiency Rating You Should Really Care About
Pop quiz! What’s more important when it comes to buying an air conditioner?
- (a) Cooling efficiency
- (b) Heating efficiency
- (c) Purple monkey dishwasher
Fact Check: No, Smart Meters Won’t Cook You With Radiation
You can find plenty of claims online that smart meters are a health hazard or part of a sinister government conspiracy. I’ve had a look and found these claims to be false.
[Read more…]
Want Three Hours Of Free Power? You’ll Need A Smart Meter
Many Australians will have access to plans with three hours of free power from July, but there’s a catch: you’ll need a smart meter. This means there will be a stampede of people after them in a few months time. Here’s why getting your old analog meter upgraded now is a good idea.
Free Daytime Electricity Will Save Everyone Money — Including Renters
The government’s Solar Sharer Offer will make free electricity available for three or more hours around midday.
I’ve heard this called a dumb policy that won’t lower costs because it will just shift them around, causing people to pay more at other times and in other ways to make up for what they get for free. But this isn’t true!
Revealed: How Home Batteries Cut Over Ten Times The Emissions They Create
A Sungrow battery installed by I Want Energy.
Here are two facts about home batteries:
- Using a home battery reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
- Making and installing a home battery increases greenhouse gas emissions.
The good news is the first effect is much larger than the second. Pinning down how much home batteries reduce emissions isn’t easy, but I’m going to take a stab at it. Hopefully, by the time you get to the end of this post, you won’t want to take a stab at me.
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