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Return on your investment is no reason to justify a hybrid system at all
Its simply not viable
To go off grid or hybrid you need a reason other than thinking it will save you money from being on grid, such as connection to grid costs are 20+k, you work from home and consistant power outages cause loss on income, you want to "rebel", what ever, but the payback on this stuff is not viable alone without and additional reason either install costs, loss of income or emotion
Most of the hybrids I've done are for two reasons, loss of grid connection, and to stick it up the power companies. That's the customers reason, not mine! Like matt said, sticking it up the suppliers is just not financially viable, but hey, its their money.
My motives were to find a way to utilise energy generated in daytime for use at night, without having to rely on the whim of the government of changing feed-in tariffs (and destroying economic plans). I only have access to 9c/kWh feed-in and pay 23c/kWh for electricity used, so I need to pump into the grid during the day 2.5 times what I use at night to break even financially. It would seem that battery storage is not feasible, so I am best off just joining the sheep and putting the biggest system I can afford up on the roof and playing the feed-in tariff game.
I have toyed with off-grid systems previously when we were buying a farm a long way from the grid. This system was not going to be like that,much smaller, but it seems it is still not feasible/economic.
Cheers,
My 2 cents worth...
The Good News was... we got in by the skin of our teeth... and enjoy top dollar (ok, "cents...") rebate.
The Bad News was... we also paid Top Dollar for our system. 3.5kW. Both because it is a good brand, and that was the gouge that suppliers could get away with then.
Bottom line is.... in the few weeks before they changed our old-fashioned Farady-type meter to the electronic bi-directional one... we used about $3.oo worth of power. - If that. :D
We now are around $600+ in permanent credit...
Our chief power users are.... two fridges,one is an upside down unit and the other is all fridge, one chest freezer (old) and an UNeconomical evap air cooler. Just recently added a large screen TV, previously a 'glass' one of 65W.
Hot water is flat-plate solar with occasional electric boost, or gas instant HWS.
Stove is gas.
My suggestions would run on the lines of spending money on better appliances, altering your times of use, and lotsa PV panels.
Don't obsess over orientation, ours is facing 045 degrees, (NE) pm 18 degrees pitch (should be way more...) and drops off rapidly after 2pm.
But, overall output is on a par with a cheaper (panels) system mounted on a tracker !