Browse Forums Eco Living 1 Oct 12, 2010 9:30 pm Hi we have had our Basix altered and require a 0.3 KW peak photovoltaic system . Would anyone know rough costs for this and what some reputable products/companies are . We were told prices vary a lot many thanks Mike Mike 2/3 of the way thru the build Re: solar panels - cost and best brands 2Oct 12, 2010 9:36 pm Hi MJAB, Beware of the higher cost of peak time power cost for those who have Solar power. I read an article (at the domain news I think) that said people with Solar power panels are charged 30 cents a Kilowatt while those without are charged 15-20 cents. Tarneit : The Reserve Re: solar panels - cost and best brands 3Oct 12, 2010 9:46 pm Correct. I did the math some time back and it's a joke. Re: solar panels - cost and best brands 4Oct 14, 2010 10:26 am MJAB Hi we have had our Basix altered and require a 0.3 KW peak photovoltaic system .... I'm not sure what you mean - what is Basix? I doubt you'd find it worthwhile getting a 0.3 kW system even if it was available. I suggest you go for the biggest you can afford that is within the limits for a feed-in tariff for your state. In Victoria that's 5 kW, NSW I think it's 10 kW, ACT it's huge and not sure about other states. Most people get a system 1.5 kW or larger if they can. First thing to do is work out how much power you use every day at the moment. Check your bills and/or take readings from your meter. I've just installed a 3 kW system which is excellent, and expect it to pay for itself within three years - after which time I'll be ahead of the game a lot. NSW is the best with a gross feed in tariff, if you can get in in time, at least for early payback. If you get in the NSW FIT is guaranteed to last for 7 years, I believe. Victoria is good with the premium net feed in tariff lasting for another 14 years so could be better in the long term. In Victoria there are different retailers and distributors so you can work out how to get the best return by shopping around. Not sure about other states. If you're on a time of use tariff, the trick is to minimise your daytime use of electricity and use it during off peak hours (depending on your tariff). I use timers to run things off peak. That way you maximise what you get paid and minimise what you are charged. Get a few quotes and ask here or on other Australian solar forums if you have questions about components or pricing. Re: solar panels - cost and best brands 5Oct 14, 2010 12:58 pm 0.3 kW is a very tiny system (2 panels). Look up solar panels on the web (0.3 kW = 300 W). You'llneed enough panels to make up 300 W, an inverter and some installation. I would increase the system to 1.5 kW (or more). Demolition August 2009, Construction Started September 2009, Completed December 2010 Re: solar panels - cost and best brands 6Oct 14, 2010 1:50 pm rramesh Hi MJAB, Beware of the higher cost of peak time power cost for those who have Solar power. I read an article (at the domain news I think) that said people with Solar power panels are charged 30 cents a Kilowatt while those without are charged 15-20 cents. I want to stress at this point that all of Victoria is moving onto interval metering, and so this meter & tariff change is actually not related to your solar system. It’s simply because the distributors are rolling out these meters, and so any service order that is submitted for work on the meter results in an immediate upgrade. Basically, the distributors are saving themselves a job later down the track. So if you decide not to get your solar system now, you will be moved onto TOU billing in the next 6-12 month anyway. The Media is very, very good at only telling part of the story. ~W~ Building our forever home - Lilium Estate Clyde - Land due May 2019 Built our first home - Pakenham - 2011 Re: solar panels - cost and best brands 7Oct 14, 2010 3:28 pm I don't know which retailer/distributor is charging 30c/kWh. I'm with SP Ausnet as a distributor, which is one of the most expensive and the various retailers vary a bit in the price they charge residential users. Eg with RED, the rates for those in an SP Ausnet area are 11.68c/kWh off peak (11 pm - 7am Eastern Standard Time weeknights and all weekend) and 20.74c/kWh peak, plus 59.07c/day service charge (all incl GST). TRU charges more but offers some discounts. Others vary as well. Anyone paying 30c/kWh in Victoria should shop around for a better rate. If they get the right sized system, it should be generating power much of the year anyway, so the sunlight hour charge becomes less relevant. The important charges to consider are during the non-sunlight hours. (I would be happy to be 'charged' 30c/kWh in daylight if I could pay 8c/kWh after dark ) With solar in Victoria, most if not all retailers only offer a time of use tariff (TOU). For me that's a better option than a single tariff, given I am paid 66c/hour in daylight peak time, and use more in off peak when it's cheaper. Every kWh extra my system generates during the day pays for almost six kWh used during off peak! TOU might not suit everyone if they can't adjust their usage hours. But as frosty said, it's expected that everyone in Victoria will be put on some sort of time of use tariff in the next couple of years anyway. Re: solar panels - cost and best brands 8Oct 16, 2010 7:59 am Here is the article http://news.domain.com.au/domain/green/ ... 166zw.html\ Tarneit : The Reserve Re: solar panels - cost and best brands 9Oct 16, 2010 8:31 pm A quick scan and the article is wrong on at least one count. There is no moratorium on price increases in Victoria. Prices are still going up Going to the AGL website, it's hard to figure out who the distributor is for the person who says AGL are charging them 32c/kWh. If the person wanted to, they could shop around and probably get a cheaper rate. AGL for 3000 (Citipower) and for my postcode area (SP Ausnet) is nowhere near 32c / kWh for peak hour on time of use metering, which is normally the only option for those on solar. I couldn't be bothered putting in any more postcodes to try to figure out their distribution region. Someone else might know which distributor it is. Bit of a beat up by the journalist and sloppy or no research or fact checking. Might have been a slow day at the news desk Re: solar panels - cost and best brands 10Oct 16, 2010 8:35 pm My understanding is that it's AGL customers in the Jemena distribution patch. The 32c is a shoulder rate for a couple of hours in the evening. I'm aware of the article, I've been writing correspondence for our customers about it all week. Out of the 12 to 15 customers I've done the calculations for, only 2 of them worked out to be worse off on our TOU rates and it was by about $5 a week (but when you use 35kwh per day, seriously, what chance do you have.) ~W~ Building our forever home - Lilium Estate Clyde - Land due May 2019 Built our first home - Pakenham - 2011 Thank you fro your response, Simeon. It is good to hear that you have had a positive experience with Parisi. I am always on the lookout for reliable products, and personal… 2 4340 Hello - we were hoping to apply laminate click lock panels to our concrete ceiling, but not too sure how to go about attaching the panels to the concrete. Any idea what… 0 1680 0 10939 |