Whilst I can’t tell each and every person if solar panels are the right choice for them financially, I would highly recommend investing in your home with solar panels. BUT, I’m not a financial planner, just an opinionated environmentalist.
We installed solar panels in 2020 after many years of me telling my husband I wanted to invest in them. He couldn’t see the financial return so wasn’t interested. Naturally the environmentalist in me was adamant that we would at the very least get panels and look into installing a battery later.
Living on a busy street means that lots of people see our roof when driving and walking past. Since we’ve had solar panels installed right across our roof, lots of friends and neighbours have been asking about our set up.
Before and After
Before the installation we were getting quarterly electricity bills that were over $1000. This isn’t helped by the fact that we have a pool, which was here when we moved in. After installing 10.36 kWh of solar panels at a cost of $7,700 and ensuring that the pool filter is on at peak solar time our bills haven’t exceeded $200 for the quarter. That is also with the buy back rate significantly dropping.
We aren’t that far off being in the clear after our initial investment. Plus it feels SO good on sunny days when we run our home almost for free. If it wasn’t for the fridge running over night we probably would some days.
Seasonal Difference in Solar Energy Use
There was a noticeable increase in cost over winter when we were running heaters at night. That is one of the main reasons why I’m looking into solar batteries again. We have extremely sunny days followed by days of rain, which means one day we can send lots of power to the grid and the next we are using grid power.
Our average daily electricity usage in March 2022 was 16 kWh which includes running a pool and having two adults working from home. On the best day we sold 39 kWh back to the grid for a measly $3.02. For the least sold day it was 0.69 kWh for $0.05, with the monthly total equating to $38.37.
It certainly isn’t a big short term savings, but I know that we have invested in the energy supply of our house. Estimations made by the solar providers show a savings of $25,000 over 20 years.
Personally, I love feeling better that greener energy choices are being used in our home. Plus, what we don’t use in our home goes out to the grid for our neighbours to use use greener energy.
Why We Don’t Have a Solar Battery Right Now
It is now 2022 and we have yet to install a solar battery. Mostly because of the costs associated with installation and set up. Since working from home has become a permanent thing for us we are planning on extending our home to include home offices.
When we installed our solar panels in 2020 they came with a 25 year warranty. The lifespan of solar batteries at the time was 5-15 years. So we decided to delay installing a battery for a while. This was in an attempt to reduce the amount of heavy metals we consume and send to landfill. The hope is that in a few years time the battery technology will have more of a circular economy.
What is Sustainability?
There are many definitions of sustainability. Many of us are focused on environmental sustainability right now, but we benefit as a global society by being mindful of all 17 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals . You can read up on them if you like jumping down rabbit holes like I do.
As with most things in life, whether or not solar panels and/or batteries are right for your home depends on your usage. Homes in different states may have higher energy costs and therefore associated financial savings make batteries a sustainable choice for households in that area.
It is worth searching for government rebates in different areas. I’m currently in the process of getting quotes for adding a battery to our existing solar set up. Whilst I’m not expecting them to come back showing me that a battery will be a good economical investment right now I’m starting to feel that with the improvement in battery technology it will be a good environmental investment soon.
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References
Australian Battery Recycling Initiative News 2020, NSW EPA-Circular Solar Trials funding program https://batteryrecycling.org.au/nsw-epa-circular-solar-trials-funding-program/
Australian Energy Foundation, Introduction to Battery Storage https://www.aef.com.au/for-home/battery-storage/introduction/
Farnsworth, S & Armitage, R 2017, Solar Batteries: Australians see energy storage as the future, poll finds https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-09-22/solar-batteries-the-future-poll-finds/8967652
NSW Environment Protection Authority 2020, Circular solar trials-expression of interest https://www.epa.nsw.gov.au/working-together/grants/infrastructure-fund/circular-solar-trials-expression-of-interest
NSW Government October 2020, Empowering Homes solar batter loan offer https://energysaver.nsw.gov.au/households/solar-and-battery-power/empowering-homes-solar-battery-loan-offer
NSW Government May 2020, The NSW Home Solar Battery Guide https://energysaver.nsw.gov.au/households/solar-and-battery-power/solar-battery-systems
Weule, G 2018, Solar power: Does it make economic sense to buy batteries now or should you wait? https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2018-08-16/does-it-make-sense-to-buy-solar-batteries-or-should-i-wait/10119900