Note to Grand Designs: “Do your bloody homework!”
Today’s top solar tip:
Please don’t look to Kevin McCloud or Grand Designs for advice on solar power!
Now don’t get me wrong, I love Kevin McCloud, he seems like a top bloke. And Grand Designs is one of the few things I actually watch occasionally on the gogglebox.
But they really need to do their research when it comes to solar.
The UK episode on ABC1 last week showed that they don’t have a freaking clue about solar power. [Read more…]
Richard Branson wants some solar quotes. (cue gratuitous celebrity stalker shot)
Note for our solar installer readers: Like to bid for the chance to deck out Sir Richard Branson’s pad in a solar power system? Be part of the Great Innovator’s strategy on solar energy? Great, but before we go further let’s make sure you know what you’re in for.
Over the last four years, I’ve written thousands of words and made hours of videos answering the question:
“Finn – there are hundreds of solar companies out there – they all claim that “they are the best and everyone else is second rate or worse”!
How do I choose a good, honest, solar installer that will charge a fair price and look after me and my panels if anything goes wrong down the track?”
At the end of the day – if you follow these 5 golden rules you can’t really go wrong: [Read more…]
Should you point your solar panels North so that you get the maximum power from them?
Not necessarily…let me explain:
And here’s the transcript if you prefer reading: [Read more…]
Hint: It’s a bit more complicated than you might think!
By my reckoning 25% of people buying solar power systems want to save the planet as a priority. The other 75% want to save their bottom line and saving the planet is a nice side-effect.
I get a lot of emails saying: “Help! My bills are [insert large number here] dolars a quarter – what size solar system do I need?”
The answer to this question is quite longwinded – but if you want to understand whether a solar system is worthwhile for you financially – you need to understand this stuff! So I made a video to help explain. If you are considering buying a solar system I strongly recommend watching this:
[Note: Since I made this video the Victorian and QLD Feed In tariffs are no longer more generous than the rest of the country – they are both 8c per kWh at time of writing!]
Did you hear about the Queensland proposal a couple of weeks ago that proposed an 8c per kWh GROSS Feed In Tariff? That would mean Queenslanders would have to sell ALL their solar power to the retailers for 8c (yes – ALL of it – even the stuff that they used in their home). And then buy it back for about 30c.
Yup – that would be called institutionalised theft.
Stories like that make most people want to get off the grid altogether.
So I get quite a few quote requests these days for “Off Grid” solar power systems. However most people don’t fully realise what a big and expensive step it is to cut the wires to the grid.
So I made this video to explain what it really means to go off grid in 2012. I hope you enjoy it:
Discover the 3 types of solar installer that you’ll find in the Australian Market. Learn which ones to avoid, and the tricks the bad ‘uns will pull to get your business.
Or if you don’t want to watch the video, here’s a transcript for your reading pleasure.
[Read more…]
I’ve been busy making videos that answer some common solar questions. Here I talk about Feed In Tariffs and what to do if your nasty energy retailer wants to punish you for going solar…
Transcription below for those who prefer to read: [Read more…]
Finn will be making a video a week for the next 15 weeks…
Well the long winter’s behind us and the new Spring awaits. Emerging blinking into the daylight, solar fans naturally turn their thoughts to increased solar radiation (you thought I was going to say love didn’t you?) as the sun begins its long, slow journey back towards its summer zenith.
(This post was written in 2012 – but the principles still hold true!)
Everyone loves a bargain. Especially me! But are those solar systems advertised at jaw droppingly low prices a great deal or a future headache?
I feel quite strongly about this – so I decided to make a video. Here it is.
And here’s the transcript if you prefer to read rather than watch: [Read more…]
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