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New Solar Panels Fitted Today
Hi Guys,
we going to have a new 1.5Kw solar panel system installed onto roof today!
Hope all goes well, will update the blog with photos, supplier details and the whole experience next week when I get a moment.
Stay tuned.
Andrew
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Buy a Digtal Power Meter
Perform a Power Usage Audit
Before starting down the solar panel path, work out how much power appliances around your home consume.
Digital Plug-in Power Meter
A great starting point is the purchase of a digital power meter and then performing a power audit of your house. You’ll be supprised at the amount of power household appliances consume. Note the reading of 1966 watts being consumed as I turn on the jug, luckily the jug is only on for a short time.
However a number of other items in the house such as oil filled column heaters use this amount of power and more, these are often on for hours or even all night. As the price of electricity increases it’s important to be aware of the cost of operation of house hold appliances. Set aside a whole day and go from room to room in your house and note appliances in each room even if it is switched off, often electrical appliances draw standby power even when they are switched off.
The power meter I used was purchased from Jaycar Electronics for $29.95, http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=MS6115 you can also use it on appliances such as fridges that have a cooling, defrost and normal modes of operation. You’d normally run this test over a two day period to average out the daily power consumption of fridge.
Standby Power Sucks.
During my power audit I measured the power consumed by our two desktop computers whilst operating, on standby and turned off. The flat panel screen uses approximately 40 watts when operating and 4 watts in standby and even 3 watts when turned off. The computers used between 100 and 140 watts and 8 watts when turned off. I found that with the firewall, modem, hub, speakers and two PCs turned OFF they combined consumed 50 watts of power when switched off. So during the night these systems continued to draw 50 watts of power for nothing.
These computers and screens were turned off and they still consumed power. To fix these little suckers I purchased a power board with switches and connected leads to this power board and then on to the computers. At night I just flick a couple of switches and all systems and power packs are disconnected from the mains. Both systems and all the peripherals only draw a total of 400 watts, so operating and running them through 2 switches should be fine. Power boards are normally rated at 10 amps or 2400 watts, however ensure that read the ratings on your power boards and don’t overload the system. Make sure that you use your power meter to measure the total power going through the power board.
24hr Timer
You can also purchase 24hr timer from your local hardware store for under $5 and set it turn off at 11pm and come back on in the morning.
Guide to Purchasing Solar Panels
Homeowners Guide to Installing Solar Panels
Homeowners are getting a real shock when they read the charges in recent electricity bills. Furthermore these charges are tipped to rise as much as 60% over the next few years. Luckily some State Governments are now offering generous feed-in tariffs to encourage homeowners to generate their own electricity. The most popular method is to install a Solar Panel System on your roof and receive payments from the government for power you feedback into the grid.
Today’s Power Usage
A suburban 4 bedroom home with 2 adults and 3 children, runs a number power hungry devices such as plasma TVs, computers, dishwashers, air conditioners, clothes dryers, washing machines, down-lights, electric stoves, pool pumps and water heaters. These devices push the household power consumption to 10,000 – 15,000kWh per year producing electricity bills in the $2,500 – $5,000 per year.
Power Bill Example
A recent AGL quarterly bill of 3,181kWh for 96 days was $697.92 Inc GST or $2,654 / year. A daily rate of 33.14kWh (kilo watt hours) costs approximately $7.27 /day Inc GST.
Reduce Your Current Power Consumption
Each household is different; however consumers need to invest time in studying their electricity bill and performing their own power audit.
Digital Plug-in Power Meter
Spend $30 and purchase a power meter and start measuring the devices in your home, you’ll be amazed at what consumes the power! Then replace power hungry lights and appliances with energy efficient models and turn off standby appliances. Then look at your next electricity bill before installing a solar panel system.
Feed-In-Tariffs
You can offset this consumption by installing solar panels on your roof and feeding surplus electricity (called Net Metering) or all of your solar generated power (called Gross Metering) back into the grid. Most State governments offer feed-in-tariff schemes paying money for the electricity you generate.
For example the New South Wales government has just announced a new scheme starting 1 January 2010, where the government will pay you 60 cents per kWh for the total amount of electricity you generate via the Gross Metering model. This is approximately 3 times what the electricity company charges you for your electricity, thus making the investment in solar panels worthwhile.
However before investing in solar panels I have found six must visit websites before ringing the nearest solar panel contractor.
6 Must Visit Websites Sites
Over the past 3 years there has been an explosion in the number of websites dealing with solar energy, panels and various package deals. The topics covered on these six websites attempt to make life easier for those considering solar energy.
- Feed-In Tariffs
- Renewable Energy Certificates
- Green Loans
- How Solar Panel Systems Work
- A Solar Panel Company with online configuration & quoting
- Finding an Accredited Solar Panel Company / Installer
Website 1 NSW Feed-in Tariffs – Solar Bonus Scheme
Each Australian State government has its own set of feed-in-tariffs and associated legislation. Perform a Google search by entering the state NSW, Vic, Qld, etc and feed-in tariff. For NSW type “NSW feed-in tariff” and select the NSW Solar Bonus Scheme located on the New South Wales Government website.
(Dept of Industry & Investment, New South Wales Government, 2009)
Website 2 Renewable Energy Certificates
In addition to the various State Government schemes the Federal Government announced a new scheme called the Renewable Energy Certificates scheme on the 1st of July 2009 to replace the previous $8,000 grant. (Office of the Renewable Energy Regulator, Australian Government, 2009)
Website 3 Federal Government Green Loans
After completing a free home sustainability assessment, to reduce household power consumption; Australian homeowners can apply for a $10,000 / 4 year interest free loan from the Federal Government. The loan can only be used to make changes recommended in your home sustainability assessment report including the purchase of energy efficient appliances and the installation of solar power systems. (Australian Government, 2009)
Website 4 SolarQuotes.com.au
Before studying the numerous Australian websites offering solar panel systems, homeowners should visit the SolarQuotes website and read their easy to understand guide to solar panel systems. The site also details how to specify a system to meet your needs and how the RECs rebate system operates.(SolarQuotes.com.au, 2009)
Website 5 EnergyMatters.com.au
There 100’s of solar panel companies and installers in Australia offering products from dozens of different manufacturers, all of which are rather confusing. The Energy Matters website not only explains the different technologies, panel types, inverters and RECs pricing, it also allows you create your own solar panel system and create an online quote. For those wanting to further understand the technologies and tinker with system specifications, this comprehensive site is an ideal starting point. (Energy Matters, 2009)
Website 6 Clean Energy Council
The Clean Energy Council is not-for-profit association / industry body that promotes a set of standards for the renewable industry sector. The association also provides a technology standards program for solar panel and inverter technologies as well as an accreditation program for installers. Most government rebate programs insist that systems are installed by CEC accredited installers. After looking at numerous solar panel installer websites, and prior to commissioning a contractor, homeowners need to check that installers are accredited and the panels and inverter quoted are also approved. (Clean Energy Council, 2009)
Annotated Bibliography
Australian Government. (2009, November 11). Green Loans. Retrieved December 28, 2009, from Living Greener: http://www.livinggreener.gov.au/rebates-grants-loans/home-owners/green-loans/
The Federal Government’s Living Greener website lists numerous government initiatives and programs that Australian residents can take advantage of. To help fund you solar panel installation, the government is also offering interest free Green Loans up to $10,000 for those who first subscribe to free household sustainability assessment. (How to make your home less power hungry and more efficient). This site is covered in terms and conditions and written in the typical Federal Government style; thankfully it is a little easier to understand than the RECs site. Again this is another must read website for those considering solar panels or alternate energy methods.
Clean Energy Council. (2009). Find an Installer. Retrieved December 28, 2009, from Clean Energy Council: http://www.cleanenergycouncil.org.au/cec/accreditation/Solar-PV-accreditation/findaninstaller.html
The Clean Energy Council is an Australian industry association representing clean energy, energy efficiency and renewable energy industry sectors. The site details how the various technologies (solar, wind, hydro, thermal, bio gas and emerging) operate and provides accreditation to companies and installers of these technologies. Not only does the site list accredited installers it also lists solar panels and inverters approved for installation in Australia. Anyone considering solar panels must visit this site to check their installer in accredited so they are eligible to claim RECs and feed-in payments from the government. The site is professionally written and is easy to understand.
Dept of Industry & Investment, New South Wales Government. (2009, December 22). Solar Bonus Scheme for NSW. Retrieved December 27, 2009, from Energy, Industry and Energy, New South Wales Government : http://www.industry.nsw.gov.au/energy/sustainable/renewable/solar/solar-scheme
The NSW Solar Bonus Scheme pages are mandatory reading for anyone in New South Wales considering the installation of solar panels on their roof. The site details the new rules that come into effect on the 1st of January 2010, where the owners of solar PV systems and wind turbines less than 10kW in capacity will be paid 60 cents / kWh on the gross amount (i.e. all the power) their system generates. As opposed to the current net metering method of payment paid on the not used surplus.
Like most government sites, this site contains numerous pages of terms and conditions. Reading the Frequently Asked Questions page is a must, as it details the majority of questions that consumers are likely to ask.
Energy Matters. (2009). Renewable energy system design tools . Retrieved December 28, 2009, from Energy Matters: http://www.energymatters.com.au/climate-data/?q=2066&find=Search
Energy Matters have an extensive Shop Online site, with a large range of solar panels, inverters and battery power systems. The site also has a comprehensive online quoting system, allowing homeowners to configure numerous panel and inverter combinations to suit their power requirements. The site also details how the RECs system operates and provides links to various State Government feed-in tariffs WebPages. The site also includes other forms of renewable energy including wind powered, battery backed systems and solar powered pumps. There are numerous other websites selling solar products, however the design, layout, comprehensive list of products and specifications make the Energy matters website an excellent starting point for anyone considering solar panels.
Office of the Renewable Energy Regulator, Australian Government. (2009, August 17). Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs). Retrieved December 27, 2009, from Office of the Renewable Energy Regulator, Australian Government: http://www.orer.gov.au/recs/index.html
The Federal Government’s Renewable Energy Certificate (RECs) website details the scheme and how they apply to those who install solar panels, wind or small hydro electric systems. Like many Federal Government websites this one is extremely detailed, complex and is full of jargon. Readers will spend hours clicking on numerous hyperlinks to find details about the RECs program, how to calculate the number of RECs the Government will present you for your system.
After much searching, links from this site will allow you to calculate the number and value of each REC offered by the government. It also details the various options and processes available for surrendering your RECs and claiming several thousand dollars in rebates.
SolarQuotes.com.au. (2009). Solar Basics: Type of Solar Energy. Retrieved December 28, 2009, from SolarQuotes.com.au: http://solarquotes.com.au/types-of-solar-power.html
The Solar Quotes website is primarily designed to allow homeowners to request three quotes from solar panel installers in their area. More importantly however the site provides and easy to follow guide to solar energy. This guide shows how a solar power systems operate, explains feed-in tariffs (how you can get paid for generating power), explains how many panels you’ll need, which type of panel will best suit your needs, explains the RECs scheme and advice on how to choose an installer. This is an ideal site for understanding all the important aspects of installing a solar panel system and the technologies involved.
Solar Panels what’s it all about !
Solar Panels free energy from the sun, save on electricity bills and protect the environment! The government are offering new incentives to install solar panel on our roofs, however are the really worth it?
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