Norrie is a long-time reader who just spent $8,300 on a home battery. The install looked tidy. The installers were pleasant. Then the surprises landed after they were gone. He was told only one circuit could be backed up. Not the fridge and lights together. Not the air conditioner and lights. One. He was also told that in a blackout he must go outside to the switchboard and pull a lever to get power. None of this had been mentioned beforehand. He now feels stitched up and is wondering whether he has any recourse.
Five Tests You Must Do Before Your Battery Installer Leaves
Don’t Bet The House On Cheap Batteries – We’ll All Pay Twice
After 17+ years experiencing the ebb and flow of the solar industry, the sheer number of new battery brands available right now is mind boggling.
To me the only thing more confusing is this; why do people peg their expectations so low when they see a rock bottom price?
FranklinWH – The AC Coupled Answer To VPPs
FranklinWH are busy making themselves a compelling reputation for Australian customers.
So should you consider one for your place? Yes, if it’s an AC coupled solution you need.
NSW Finally Opens Up The Garage Door To Batteries
Good news for battery customers in New South Wales – you can now join the rest of the country, installing battery systems within 600mm of garage door openings and other similar applications.
What exactly does this mean? Simply that NSW has now adopted the pragmatic approach everyone else takes to interpreting the rules.
Battery Rebate Scramble: Installers Booked Out Until May
The rush to get large home batteries before the federal rebate is restructured has seen many reputable battery installers booked out through to May, when the changes to the Cheaper Home Battery Program come into force.
When Did AC Coupling Become A Fashion Crime?
There’s a strange certainty creeping into battery talk lately. The idea that DC coupling is the grown-up option, and AC coupling is something we did back when we didn’t know any better. I keep seeing installers and Facebook pundits claiming the only proper way to attach a battery to a house is with a DC-coupled system. Anything else is framed as inefficient, messy, a historical mistake or just deeply uncool.
I don’t get it.
[Read more…]
Regulator Reveals Key Lesson From Sigenergy’s Melted Plugs
The Clean Energy Regulator (CER) has revealed it warned manufacturers and installers to provide early notification of product risks, after reviewing the spate of melted Sigenergy inverter plugs last year.
Australia Is The World’s Cruellest Battery Test Lab
If you wanted to design the world’s harshest endurance test for home batteries, you wouldn’t build a lab. You’d build a normal Australian suburb. [Read more…]
Owners Left In The Dark With Manual Battery Backup
Imagine buying a home battery that offers automatic blackout protection, only to discover that when the lights go out, the installer set it up to require manual operation? It’s a trend that’s plunged far too many households into the dark across Australia. Here’s what to watch out for.
Four Battery Backup Myths That Need To Die
Fifteen years ago, one of the hardest parts of selling solar was explaining why your panels shut down in a blackout. No grid meant no power, even on a sunny day.
Today, batteries fix that. Yet I am seeing thousands of homes getting large batteries with either no backup at all or poorly designed backup. That’s because – as batteries go mainstream – a set of myths has taken hold.
Let’s knock them over.
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