{"id":17242,"date":"2017-12-13T11:26:58","date_gmt":"2017-12-13T00:56:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/?p=17242"},"modified":"2024-01-25T16:16:39","modified_gmt":"2024-01-25T06:46:39","slug":"scrap-your-1-5kw","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/scrap-your-1-5kw\/","title":{"rendered":"Should you scrap your 1.5kW solar and replace it with a bigger system?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Should you bite the bullet and scrap your 1.5kW solar system so you can fit a bigger system on your roof?<\/p><\/div>\n

Five to eight years ago, just as the Australian solar industry was getting underway, many people locked in high feed in tariffs for their new, cutting-edge solar power systems.\u00a0 For example, many people in Victoria with systems installed before 2012 are now getting 71.3 cents per kilowatt-hour of solar electricity exported into the grid.\u00a0 And they will continue to receive this for almost 7 more years.<\/p>\n

While these sky high feed-in tariffs sound wonderful — and trust me, they are wonderful — most people who locked in dreamy feed-in tariffs<\/a> only had very small solar systems, with the most common size being 1.5 kilowatts<\/a>.\u00a0 This is because back then, not only were solar power systems incredibly expensive, but subsides were greater for smaller systems<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Having a high feed-in tariff \u00a0isn’t necessarily the golden goose it might seem for owners of small systems who don’t export much of their solar electricity. It’s more a golden willy wagtail or in Queensland perhaps a golden gecko.<\/p>\n

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If you google “Golden Gecko” this is the first image that comes up. While it looks like Queensland, something isn’t quite right. The geckos look a little too happy.<\/p><\/div>\n

As a result, many of the owners of these old PV systems are in a quandary: should they scrap their\u00a0small 1.5 kilowatt system, along with the high feed-in tariff and replace it with a larger system that generates more electricity?<\/p>\n

Should you replace your 1.5kW with a larger system?<\/h2>\n

The answer to that question can be clearly given in just two words — it depends.<\/p>\n

In Victoria<\/strong> the premium feed-in tariff is so high you probably won’t come out ahead.<\/p>\n

In the ACT <\/strong>a high feed-in tariff combined with Australia’s lowest electricity prices makes it a bad idea.<\/p>\n

In Perth<\/strong> the feed-in tariff the new system will get is so low you’re also unlikely to come out ahead.<\/p>\n

But in Tasmania, Queensland, and South Australia<\/strong>, it can save you money, provided your cost of capital isn’t too high.<\/p>\n

While 1.5 kilowatts is the most common size that gets a high feed-in tariff, some people did buy larger systems, with the limit generally being 5 kilowatts.\u00a0 So if you’re receiving a 71.3 cent feed-in tariff for a 5 kilowatt solar power system<\/a>, this article is not for you.\u00a0 You should be raking in that feed-in tariff money.\u00a0 In fact, if you are single, send me your phone number1<\/a><\/sup>.<\/p>\n

Existing High Feed-In Tariffs And Their End Dates<\/h2>\n

If you have locked in a high feed-in tariff for your solar system then you probably know about it.\u00a0 If there is any doubt, you can check your electricity bill to see if you get a fat payment for every kilowatt-hour you send into the grid.\u00a0 It is possible you may not know when your high feed-in tariff will end, so here’s a list of all the remaining old-time high feed-in tariffs and when they expire:<\/p>\n