{"id":12497,"date":"2017-07-11T18:33:24","date_gmt":"2017-07-11T08:03:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/?p=12497"},"modified":"2017-10-19T10:25:18","modified_gmt":"2017-10-18T23:55:18","slug":"solar-for-renters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-for-renters\/","title":{"rendered":"Solar For Renters? Landlords &#038; Tenants Share The Benefits with &#8216;Matter&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_13082\" style=\"width: 660px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-13082\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13082\" src=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/three-houses.jpg\" alt=\"rental property without solar\" width=\"650\" height=\"480\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/three-houses.jpg 650w, https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/three-houses-300x222.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-13082\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Have you ever noticed that rental properties almost never have solar?<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Australia has the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/panels\/cost\/\">lowest cost rooftop solar<\/a> in the world, plenty of sunshine, and because we are heading towards having the most expensive pre-tax grid electricity in the world, solar is a must have for almost anyone who owns a roof.<\/p>\n<p>But over the past 11 years Australian home ownership has fallen from <a href=\"http:\/\/www.abs.gov.au\/ausstats\/abs@.nsf\/Lookup\/1301.0Main+Features1292012\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">70%<\/a> to around <a href=\"http:\/\/goo.gl\/YBUP2y\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">66%<\/a> and since it costs over a million bucks to buy a <a href=\"http:\/\/goo.gl\/dnVytC\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">butterbox in Sydney<\/a>, this figure isn&#8217;t likely to improve any time soon.\u00a0 This means one-third of the Australian population is locked out of owning rooftop solar.<!--more--><\/p>\n<p>There is almost no solar on the roofs of rental properties because landlords have little incentive to install it, as only the tenants will benefit from the reduced electricity bills. \u00a0And tenants don&#8217;t install solar, as they can&#8217;t take it with them and most are in no hurry to gift their landlords with a free solar system.<\/p>\n<p>However it is possible, using good old human cooperation, for landlords and tenants to thread the needle of self-interest so both benefit from rooftop solar being installed, but this rarely happens.\u00a0 Regrettably, landlord and tenant relationships are often adversarial rather than cooperative.<\/p>\n<p>To get around this coordination problem, a third-party can be brought in that helps everyone play together nicely and arranges for electricity generated by a rental property&#8217;s solar system to be sold to the tenant at a price less than they would pay for grid electricity and then hands that money over to the landlord.\u00a0 After, of course, they take their cut.<\/p>\n<p>This is a service a company called <a href=\"http:\/\/matter.solar\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Matter<\/a> provides.\u00a0 They do this by installing a box that measures how much solar electricity a rental property consumes and exports.\u00a0 This means that a company called Matter functions as an energy trader.\u00a0 Because in everyday life matter and energy are regarded as being two separate things, to me, this suggests that when it came to selecting a name, they chose poorly.<\/p>\n<div class=\"youtube-wrapper\"><iframe title=\"He chose... poorly\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Ubw5N8iVDHI?start=4&#038;feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>Maybe a company that trades in energy would have been better off calling themselves something like &#8220;Bernard&#8221;.\u00a0 As my uncle Bernie always used to tell me, that&#8217;s a great name.\u00a0 Or if they wanted, they could have picked something funky such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=YacEGOPh0WE\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Genki A Gogo<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/qkc8YduPnOM?t=1m15s\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Electric Boogaloo<\/a>.<sup class='endnote'><a href='https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-for-renters\/#en-12497-1' id='enref-12497-1' onclick='return hhEndnotes_show(12497)'>1<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n<p>Despite their odd name, I think Matter provides a service a number of landlords will be interested in.\u00a0 Especially now that both grid electricity prices and feed-in tariffs have risen so high.\u00a0 Tenants may also want to suggest their landlords use Matter&#8217;s services, as they will get lower electricity bills.\u00a0 However, depending on how tightly the landlord turns the screws, they may not be much lower.<\/p>\n<p>Matter, of course, has to be compensated for their services.\u00a0 But what Matter is doing is not complicated, so competition should work to keep the cost of their services low.\u00a0 And that competition could kick in any time now.<\/p>\n<h2>How Matter&#8217;s System Works<\/h2>\n<p>Matter&#8217;s business model involves them being a middle man in an electricity trading sandwich.\u00a0 They sell electricity produced by the rooftop solar to the tenant at a rate less than they pay for grid electricity.\u00a0 If it wasn&#8217;t less there would be no point in the tenant participating.\u00a0 Also, by law, tenants cannot be charged more than what grid electricity costs.\u00a0 Matter then gives that money to the landlord after charging a fee of $14 a month.<\/p>\n<h2>Matter&#8217;s Box Costs $1,500 Before Installation<\/h2>\n<div id=\"attachment_13041\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-13041\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13041\" src=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/matterbox.jpg\" alt=\"Matter box\" width=\"300\" height=\"197\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-13041\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">For some reason, this Matter box appears to be installed in the middle of a table.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Matter sells landlords a little box that measures how much solar electricity a property generates and how much it sends out into the grid for a feed-in tariff.\u00a0 It then sends this information to Matter&#8217;s server independently of the tenant&#8217;s internet connection, using 4G.<\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately, this little box doesn&#8217;t come cheap.<\/p>\n<p>The box itself costs $1,500 and needs to be installed by an electrician.\u00a0 The good news is the installation shouldn&#8217;t be complex and so not too expensive.\u00a0 The bad news is, despite its high price, its warranty is only for 2 years.\u00a0 Personally, I don&#8217;t think I could bring myself to pay that much for something that only has a 2 year warranty.\u00a0 There are devices that do a similar job with longer warranties that are far cheaper.\u00a0 For example, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.solaranalytics.com\/au\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Solar Analytics<\/a> sells a device where the basic version costs $300 to $500 installed and has a 5 year warranty<sup class='endnote'><a href='https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-for-renters\/#en-12497-2' id='enref-12497-2' onclick='return hhEndnotes_show(12497)'>2<\/a><\/sup>.<\/p>\n<p>I expect competition will soon result in lower costs and better warranties for these types of devices.\u00a0 (Maybe Solar Analytics will go into competition with Matter?)<\/p>\n<h2>Matter&#8217;s Warranty And Consumer Law<\/h2>\n<p>Australians are protected by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.accc.gov.au\/consumers\/consumer-rights-guarantees\/consumer-guarantees\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">consumer guarantees<\/a> that apply no matter what written warranties or sales people say.\u00a0 If a product fails outside of its written warranty period, a consumer can still be entitled to a repair, replacement, or refund.\u00a0 Because Matter&#8217;s box is so expensive and because devices that perform a similar function are much cheaper and have a 5 year warranty, I suspect a consumer tribunal would require Matter to provide a remedy free of charge if the box broke down within a 5 year period or possibly longer.\u00a0 But note I am not a lawyer.\u00a0 This is just my opinion and not professional advice.<\/p>\n<h2>The Accuracy Of Matter&#8217;s Little Box<\/h2>\n<p>Matter&#8217;s little box uses CT clamps (current transformer clamps). \u00a0 \u00a0Their accuracy can be checked by seeing if the amount of electricity Matter says you should be receiving a feed-in tariff for is the same as the amount on your electricity bill.<\/p>\n<p>If you are being overcharged you should insist the results be adjusted.\u00a0 If you are being undercharged, then you should definitely inform your landlord of that fact at some point, when you&#8217;re not too busy.<\/p>\n<h2>The Tenant Pays For Grid Electricity Use Normally<\/h2>\n<p>The tenant will need to pay for their own grid electricity use.\u00a0 This means they will have to maintain a contract with an electricity retailer and pay for all the grid electricity they use, as well as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/supply-charges\/\">supply charges<\/a> and any other <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ergon.com.au\/retail\/residential\/tariffs-and-prices\/what-is-the-metering-services-charge\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">fixed costs<\/a>, which, depending on location and electricity plan, can be over $1.50 a day.\u00a0 Matter will have no involvement with the grid electricity supply.<\/p>\n<h2>Matter Suggests Tenants Receive An 18.2% Discount<\/h2>\n<p>The landlord determines how much of a discount tenants receive on solar electricity they use, compared to the price of grid electricity.\u00a0 The landlord could provide no discount at all, but they are not allowed to charge more than the price of grid electricity.<\/p>\n<p>Matter suggests a 20% discount exclusive of GST.\u00a0 If you are a normal human being who is just looking at what you actually have to pay for electricity, that comes to about an 18.2% discount.\u00a0 So if you are paying 30 cents a kilowatt-hour for grid electricity, with Matter&#8217;s suggested discount, you will save almost 5.5 cents per kilowatt-hour of solar electricity used.<\/p>\n<p>Many retail electricity plans already come with discounts that can be as high as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.agl.com.au\/-\/media\/AGLData\/DistributorData\/PDFs\/V_PPIS_R_E_OC_1SAVERS_VD-Eff_1July17.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">33%<\/a>.\u00a0 Matter will check what sort of discount, if any, tenants are receiving, to ensure they pay less than the cost of grid electricity.<\/p>\n<h2>Using Solar May Not Save Tenants Much<\/h2>\n<p>A tenant receiving an 18.2% discount for the solar electricity they use isn&#8217;t likely to save a great deal of money over a year.\u00a0 This is because most households use less than half the electricity generated by rooftop solar.<\/p>\n<p>Tenants who are at home during the day and use an above average amount of electricity may self consume up to 50% of the electricity generated by a 5 kilowatt solar system.\u00a0 It is possible, but unlikely, they will use more.\u00a0 A typical household that often has people at home during the day might only use 30% and people who are usually out during the day may use 10% or less.<\/p>\n<p>So if a rental home has a 5 kilowatt rooftop solar system that generates an average of 20 kilowatt-hours a day, and the tenants self-consume 30% of that electricity, then with Matter&#8217;s suggested 18.2% discount and a 30 cent a kilowatt-hour price for grid electricity, they will save around $10 a month\u00a0 or $120 a year.<\/p>\n<p>A generous landlord can increase the size of the discount provided and I am sure there are many of them around.\u00a0 Or at least more than you might expect.<\/p>\n<h2>Feed-In Tariffs Can Go To The Landlord Or Be Shared<\/h2>\n<p>Any solar electricity not used by the tenant gets sent into the grid and receives a feed-in tariff that is credited to the tenant&#8217;s electricity bill.\u00a0 Matter can bill the tenant for the feed-in tariff they receive and send it to the landlord.\u00a0 Matter recommends only charging tenants 6 cents for each kilowatt-hour of feed-in tariff and letting them keep any extra they may receive.\u00a0\u00a0 Now that feed-in tariffs have increased for the majority of Australians, this can save a tenant far more money than an 18.2% discount on solar electricity.<\/p>\n<h2>SA Tenants Could Be Quids In<\/h2>\n<p>In South Australia it is now possible to get an 16.3 cent feed-in tariff, which means which means if the landlord takes 6 cents of that and 70% of the output of a rooftop solar system that produces an average of 20 kilowatt-hours a day is sent into the grid for a feed-in tariff, then a tenant could save $44 a month or around $520 a year from feed-in tariffs alone.\u00a0 And that&#8217;s not bad at all\u00a0 &#8212; for the tenant.\u00a0 The landlord may disagree.<\/p>\n<p>Landlords may not be happy with any situation where tenants can save more money by not using solar electricity and sending it into the grid for a feed-in tariff.\u00a0 This is because the landlord will typically make more than three times as much money if a tenant uses a kilowatt-hour of solar electricity than if they get a 6 cent cut of a feed-in tariff.\u00a0 Landlords want their tenants to be guzzling electricity during the day, not conserving it and receiving a feed-in tariff.<\/p>\n<p>As a result, landlords may demand an increased portion of feed-in tariffs.\u00a0 But this sets up another problem.<\/p>\n<h2>High Vs Low Feed-In Tariffs:\u00a0 A Possible Bone Of Contention<\/h2>\n<p>Many people assume households with solar are better off with electricity plans that have high feed-in tariffs.\u00a0 But, as I painstakingly demonstrated <a href=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-bloggers-head-explodes-looking-for-the-best-electricity-plan\/\">here<\/a>, the best electricity plans for a solar household can be those with low feed-in tariffs.\u00a0 This is because electricity retailers often use high feed-in tariffs to lure in customers and then hit them with higher charges that can make a solar household worse off.\u00a0 If a landlord is taking a large chunk of the feed-in tariff, then electricity plans with low feed-in tariffs are even more likely to be the best plan for a tenant.<\/p>\n<p>This can result in a situation where a landlord wants a tenant to take a plan with high feed-in tariff so they can take a large chunk of it, but the tenant will save more with a plan that has a low feed-in tariff.\u00a0 This means the landlord and tenant may need to negotiate to come a mutually beneficial arrangement.\u00a0 For example, the landlord may offer more than an 18.2% discount in return for the tenant using an electricity plan with a high feed-in tariff that the landlord will take a large portion of.<\/p>\n<p>But tenants and landlords negotiating together to arrive at a mutually beneficial position creates a paradox in the Matter energy continuum.\u00a0 This is because if tenants and landlords can negotiate successfully, they may not need Matter to act as an intermediary.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_13080\" style=\"width: 486px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-13080\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13080\" src=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/2017-07-11_17-17-41.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"476\" height=\"307\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-13080\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Matter \/ Energy Paradox<\/p><\/div>\n<h2>Matter Charges $14 A Month<\/h2>\n<p>In addition to paying $1,500 for their box, with installation on top of that, Matter will charge landlords $14 a month for their services which comes to $168 a year.\u00a0 This fee only has to be paid if the property has a tenant.<\/p>\n<h2>Matter Can Arrange For Solar To Be Installed<\/h2>\n<div id=\"attachment_13036\" style=\"width: 324px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-13036\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13036\" src=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/matterdoes.jpg\" alt=\"What Matter does\" width=\"314\" height=\"285\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/matterdoes.jpg 314w, https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/matterdoes-300x272.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 314px) 100vw, 314px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-13036\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">What Matter says they&#8217;ll do.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Matter will provide their services to properties with existing solar systems, but they will also arrange for the installation of solar panels on a property.\u00a0 They are not a solar installer, but work with partners who are.\u00a0 Because they buy in bulk, they say they can arrange low prices.<\/p>\n<p>Matter told me their partners only use tier one panels and mentioned two specific inverter brands that have been used.\u00a0 They were Fronius, which is a very good inverter, and Zever, which is definitely an inverter.\u00a0 I&#8217;m not saying Zever is a bad inverter, but it is a lower cost option and, in my personal opinion, not likely to be as reliable as a Fronius.<\/p>\n<p>You can of course arrange to have solar installed yourself and then involve Matter.\u00a0 This will allow you to use an installer and hardware of your preference.<\/p>\n<h2>Beware Of GST On Matter&#8217;s Business Cases<\/h2>\n<p>I&#8217;ve had a look at a business case Matter prepared for a property owner in Queensland and they gave a price of $4,397 for a 5.3 kilowatt system.\u00a0 That definitely looks like a good price, provided it is professionally installed and comprised of quality components, but it is before GST.\u00a0 And that is a lousy way to present the price of a solar system, because most people are going to naturally assume GST will come to 10% of that total, but because the price has been lowered by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/glossary.html#stc\">STCs<\/a> that most people refer to as the &#8220;solar rebate&#8221; and GST has to be paid on the full price, the actual amount of GST will currently come to about 19% of that figure.\u00a0 That means the actual cost will come to around $5,210.<\/p>\n<p>Hopefully this was just some kind of oversight and Matter will make sure no one who reads their business cases in the future will ever be unclear on how much GST will need to be paid.<\/p>\n<h2>Beware Of Self Consumption Figures On Matter&#8217;s Quotes<\/h2>\n<p>Earlier I mentioned how its very unlikely any tenant would self consume more than 50% of the electricity produced by a 5 kilowatt rooftop solar system.\u00a0 But in the business case I examined, Matter went way beyond that.\u00a0 They assumed the tenant would self consume 70% of the electricity from a 5.3 kilowatt solar system in Queensland.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_13069\" style=\"width: 560px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-13069\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13069\" src=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/matterconsumption.jpg\" alt=\"Matter's self consumption prediction\" width=\"550\" height=\"570\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/matterconsumption.jpg 550w, https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/matterconsumption-289x300.jpg 289w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-13069\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Matter&#8217;s prediction of a 70% self consumption rate for a tenant in black and white.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>I am really having a hard time seeing how this could be realistic.\u00a0 I mean, sure it&#8217;s possible the business case was done for tenants who are agoraphobic gardeners who grow all their special herbs and spices indoors under bright electric lights.\u00a0 Maybe they&#8217;re growing lilies.\u00a0 And gilding them.<\/p>\n<h2>Depreciation Improves The Return<\/h2>\n<p>Unlike owner occupied solar, installing solar on a rental property is a business expense which can be written off.\u00a0 This significantly improves a system&#8217;s return, but by just how much will depend on circumstances.<\/p>\n<h2>Total Savings Over A Year For Tenants And Landlords<\/h2>\n<p>There are plenty of variables that affect how much tenants are likely to save and landlords likely to make using Matter.\u00a0 But I will make an estimate using Matter&#8217;s suggested 18.2% discount and a charge of 6 cents for every kilowatt-hour of feed-in tariff received.\u00a0 I am not going to use Matter&#8217;s completely unrealistic self consumption rate of 70% that might only be achieved by herbal entrepreneurs, and will instead use a much more realistic, but still high rate of 30%.\u00a0 My assumptions are:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The solar system is 5 or more kilowatts and produces an average of 7,300 kilowatt-hours a year.<\/li>\n<li>The tenant consumes 30% of the solar electricity generated.<\/li>\n<li>The tenant pays 30 cents a kilowatt-hour for grid electricity.<\/li>\n<li>The landlord charges the tenant 24.55 cents per kilowatt-hour for solar electricity.<\/li>\n<li>The tenant receives a feed-in tariff of 11.3 cents.<\/li>\n<li>The landlord charges the tenant 6 cents for every kilowatt-hour that receives a feed-in tariff.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Under these circumstances a tenant can expect to save a total of $390 over a year.\u00a0 The landlord would receive $844 a year in total, but after Matter takes their $168 in fees it will come to $676.<\/p>\n<p>As you can probably see, when the landlord only gets 6 cents for each kilowatt-hour that receives a feed-in tariff, there is a considerable risk of their return being considerably lower if the tenant&#8217;s self consumption falls below what is expected, or if new tenants have lower self consumption.<\/p>\n<p>If everything in the above example is kept the same, except new tenants move in who are out most of the day and only self consume 10% of the solar electricity generated, then the tenants would still save around $390 since their savings from using using solar electricity and receiving a feed-in tariff are almost equal, but the amount received by the landlord would fall to $405 after Matter takes their $168 in fees.<\/p>\n<p>Because of the risk of low returns, landlords are either going to want tenants who are home during the day and who don&#8217;t skimp on electricity use, or they are going to want tenants with electricity plans that have high feed-in tariffs and take a large portion of them, so it won&#8217;t matter if they don&#8217;t use much solar electricity.<\/p>\n<h2>Matter Appears Well Worth It &#8212; Compared To Not Having Solar<\/h2>\n<p>In the example above, the tenant makes a considerable saving of around $390 over a year.\u00a0 While this is much less than the $1,230 a homeowner might save in a similar situation, since the tenant doesn&#8217;t really have to do anything to get this saving, the situation for her is pretty much pure win.<\/p>\n<p>The landlord who scraped in $676 a year or potentially less after having paid for the solar system, the $1,500 Matter box, and its installation, may not be feeling so happy.\u00a0 While $676 dollars a year may not seem a bad return on an investment that may have cost around $8,000 or less all up, I suspect that many landlords would be happier if they could claw a couple of hundred dollars from the tenant&#8217;s savings for themselves.\u00a0 And since the landlords has a lot of power in this situation, I suspect that&#8217;s what many will do.<\/p>\n<p>While Matter&#8217;s box is very expensive and there are monthly fees to be paid, because the average return on rental properties is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.globalpropertyguide.com\/Pacific\/Australia\/rent-yields\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">so low<\/a>, installing solar with Matter can still give landlords a better return than renting the property does.\u00a0 As tenants should save at least a little on their electricity bills, it is possible for both tenants and landlords to be better off using Matter&#8217;s services.<\/p>\n<p>But this doesn&#8217;t mean using Matter is the best option.<\/p>\n<h2>Other Options For Solar On Rental Properties<\/h2>\n<p>Landlords looking to install solar on their rental properties don&#8217;t have to limit themselves to using Matter or a similar service.<\/p>\n<p>One alternative would be to simply install solar, give the tenant the full benefit of all the electricity generated,\u00a0 and make good on the investment through charging higher rent.\u00a0 I know I would definitely be willing to pay a premium for a rental property with solar.<\/p>\n<p>Another option would be for landlord to have the electricity account in their name and provide electricity to the tenant at a discounted rate.\u00a0 Alternatively, electricity could be provided free as part of the rent or as a fixed charge, potentially with incentives to discourage excessive use.\u00a0 While this is not as easy to set up as it sounds, it is a common arrangement overseas<sup class='endnote'><a href='https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-for-renters\/#en-12497-3' id='enref-12497-3' onclick='return hhEndnotes_show(12497)'>3<\/a><\/sup>.<\/p>\n<h2>Having An In-between Can Be Worth The Expense<\/h2>\n<p>As a final exercise, if you rent, or if you&#8217;ve ever rented in the past, I want you to imagine sitting down with your landlord and having a pleasant and amicable discussion where you both arrive at a mutually beneficial arrangement regarding rooftop solar.<\/p>\n<p>What&#8217;s that?\u00a0 You say you can&#8217;t imagine having anything amicable to do with your landlord?\u00a0 You think, possibly with very good justification, that your landlord is a stingy bastard who will only stop trying to screw you over once pigs fly through Hell&#8217;s frozen landscape?<\/p>\n<p>Well, this antagonistic relationship that all too often exists between tenants and landlords is why I think services such as those provided by Matter, or similar companies, may become reasonably popular.<\/p>\n<p>Sometimes the only way things get done is if there is a middleman between two opposing parties, acting as a kind of lubricant to reduce friction.\u00a0 They require payment for their services, so it&#8217;s not a perfect solution, but the perfect should not be the enemy of the good.<\/p>\n<p>So I think it is possible that Matter&#8217;s business plan could be a success.\u00a0 That is, once they lower the price of their box and give it a better bloody warranty.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Australia has the lowest cost rooftop solar in the world, plenty of sunshine, and because we are heading towards having the most expensive pre-tax grid electricity in the world, solar is a must have for almost anyone who owns a roof. But over the past 11 years Australian home ownership has fallen from 70% to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":13083,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[509],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12497","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-solar-innovations","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.2 (Yoast SEO v27.2) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Is Solar For Renters Finally Possible? 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