Independent Advice Since 2009
17,500+ 5-star reviews combined
Get tiny bills for decades by avoiding these 7 mistakes
Unfortunately, all the hype in the mainstream media about batteries has made people question the viability of solar without batteries – to the extent that people are waiting for ‘affordable batteries’ before they invest in solar.
Don’t get me wrong – with the right installer, using certain brands, it is possible to get a great deal on a solar and battery system when you buy them in one hit.
If you can get such a deal – go for it. But if you can’t – or if they’re still outside your budget – my advice remains ‘don’t wait to put on solar’.
Every day you don’t have solar is another day you do have to pay high electricity bills. A well designed solar system without batteries can give you tiny bills.
Waiting 2, 3 or 4 years for batteries to become affordable means another 2, 3 or 4 years of high bills. One day, batteries will make lots of sense – and when that day comes they can easily be added to any existing solar system using a method called AC coupling.
So don’t lose years of savings waiting for cheap batteries to arrive.
Consider going solar now – with the knowledge that you can easily retrofit batteries later when they will pay for themselves – not before.
I swear this isn’t a shameless plug for the free service that my website provides. It’s absolutely critical to get multiple quotes wherever possible (and not just when it comes to solar!).
By having multiple companies give you a breakdown on how much solar will cost you, you can gain a real understanding of whether solar is right for your budget, and whether or not you’re being ripped off (in either price or quality).
People get these mixed up all the time. To keep it simple:
The “solar rebate” acts like a point-of-sale discount off the cost of a solar system, and is claimed on your behalf by your solar installer.
The “feed in tariff” is what your electricity retailer pays you, per kWh, for feeding excess solar into the grid. It pays to shop around, as retailers can pay anywhere from 0-12c per kWh.
If you see prices quoted online, on the telly, or in the paper, there’s a 99.99% chance that the quote price already has the ‘discount’ from the solar rebate applied.
It’s worth about $350 per kW of solar panels installed, but this will vary depending on where you live.
As an example, a 6.6kW system attracts around $2,300 in rebates.
Anyone can claim the rebate, even if you’ve already bought solar power systems in the past and want to buy a new system.
Almost every week someone will tell me that they’ve had a solar installer tell them that they need to have their systems serviced once every two years (or more) in order for the system to stay in warranty.
This is bollocks. Speaking as a chartered electrical engineer, good-quality solar systems will only need to be serviced once every 5 years, and cleaned once per year.
If you have a slimy salesman telling you that you’ll need to pay some kind of ‘maintenance fee’ to keep your panels in warranty, show them the door.
Another tactic that dishonest salesmen use is to assure you that your solar systems will have a 25 year ‘performance warranty’, to make it seem like any problems that befall your system will be covered under this apparent 25-year warranty.
Unfortunately, this isn’t the case. It’s very easy for solar manufacturers to wriggle out of this ‘performance warranty’, by claiming that any defects in the panels fall under the ‘panel warranty’, which can only be 5 years in some cases.
In reality, there are actually four separate warranties that you get with your solar system – the ‘performance warranty’ being one of them. The other three are for your inverter, the panels themselves, and the workmanship. In terms of warranty, what you really want to look for is:
10 Year
warranty
for your inverter
25 Year
warranty
for your solar
panels
5 Year
warranty
for the
workmanship
Check that the warranty is backed by an Australian Entity. I’ve seen cheapo deals where the Chinese manufacturer’s warranty states that the owner has to post the panels back to China at the customer’s cost to get them tested!
If you’re looking to get quotes for solar from installers within our trusted network, that are looking out for your needs (and not just their own wallet) then simply
The only thing shonky installers hate more than an investigation from a fair trading/consumer affairs body is a customer who knows their stuff! With knowledge comes power, and if a shonky installer realises that you know solar, their ability to rip you off just took a nose dive and they know it.
Always, always, always independently verify information, whenever possible. There are numerous resources available to help you verify what solar salesmen tell you (the Whirlpool forums are one of my favourite sources of such information), but if Google can’t help you, I will. Just shoot me an email here.
‘How many panels should I buy?’
I get asked this question daily. My answer is invariably: Put on as much solar as you can reasonably fit and afford.
The max you can install depends on a few things, like available roof space and limits set by your local electricity network. A smart installer is a godsend here, as they will leverage the rules to get as much solar as possible on.
I’ve never heard a homeowner regret buying a large solar system. But I hear all the time from homeowners who wish they had installed more panels when they had the chance. Adding panels to an existing system is expensive and complicated.
Even if you “don’t need” a bigger solar system right now, you probably will in the future when you add a battery and an electric car to your home. If you buy a smaller system, you’ll likely be disappointed, especially when winter comes.
This couldn’t be further from the truth! East or west facing panels only lose 15% output compared to north-facing.
In fact, depending on the time of day you use your electricity, it may make more sense for your solar panels to face east or west (for morning or evening heavy electricity usage habits, respectively). I go into greater detail about this topic here.
See what others say about SolarQuotes:
The three quotes I got from SolarQuotes’ recommended provider/installers were excellent. All were small-scale, personal approach entities with copious and thorough information on my solar needs. Genuinely impressed with SolarQuotes, and I’m a research-savvy academic, not given to over-effusive praise!
Dr Rob Robertson
Very convenient for me as a solar panel ignoramus. With so many installers to choose from, the three referrals obtained proved ideal.
Marcia Attwood
Solar quotes helped me to navigate the minefield and weed out the cowboys. Made a final decision based on information and advice from the website. Certainly not the cheapest however confident I have a system that will last at least 25 years with minimal issues. Without Solar quotes would probably ended up with a ‘too good to be true’ offer and all the accompanying issues
Mark Ratclffe
Solar Quotes is a “must use” site for anyone planning to install a solar system. The solar installers suggested by Finn were prompt in contacting us and arranging a visit to gauge our needs. The quotes given to us were competitive. We have accepted a quote and hope to have the system installed in the next 2 weeks.
Stuart
This is the second time I have used SolarQuotes. The first a few years ago was for a solar panels rooftop system. I received 3 excellent recommendations and my system was installed well. This time I am looking at adding a battery. Again 3 recommendations all of which appear to be excellent. Well presented quotes and communication to establish what I have and my needs.
John Wylie
17,500+ 5-star reviews combined
I’m a Chartered Electrical Engineer, Solar and Energy Efficiency nut, dad, and founder of SolarQuotes.com.au. My last “real job” was working for the CSIRO in their renewable energy division.
Since 2009, SolarQuotes has published 78,324 uncensored reviews of 2,769 solar installation companies and provided solar quotes to over 762,000 Australians, helping them find the right installer.