Thread: Power prices, gas prices- ouch or Solar perhaps?

They must be filthy if that’s all they could manage.

Originally Posted by biggin

They must be filthy if that’s all they could manage.

That’s about 23KWh a day - about double the power our house uses each day. I think I’d be happy with that myself.

I have found one of the hidden costs of Solar Power is replacement cost of components. We have two sets of panels on our roof. The 1st was installed using the Gov discount scheme, the inverter had to be replaced under warranty & we now find we will need to replace this one as it has now failed. The second lot of solar panels which we paid full price for the inverter failed 6 months out of warranty at a cost of around $1500. We were told by the people who installed this inverter they only have around a 5 year life, not sure if this is true though. Now going back to the one that has failed now, I have been ringing around all the Solar Companies & a lot are no longer in business & those that are still in business none of them want to just replace the inverter & only install new systems at a cost of around $10,000.
We use all the power we make running ducted A/C & pool pump & air pump hot water system that starts up every time we turn on a hot water tap. For me comparing our electricity account before & after solar there not that big a difference & I am thinking is it really worth it if we are going to be up for this sort of cost every 5 years.
In the meantime, I spoke with my electrician & he is going to supply & fit the new inverter for me.

Email just came in. This could be in GRUMPY Thread!!

"Here’s what you need to know
We estimate you'll pay $1534* more over the first 12 months after the new rates take effect. Keep in mind that this is an estimate only based on a calculation required by energy regulations. Your actual energy costs may be significantly different if your usage or energy plan changes during this time.

Your solar feed-in tariff will bedecreasingat the same time"

Thats right Pay over 1000 per year more and get les for the same electron that flow out if I do not use them.

I think I have made about 42000Kwh of solar at home and used a lot. I assume I have made more at work over the last 7 years and used almost all except on Sunday. Its about $28,000 of power saved assuming cost $0.34 per kWh. Fully appreciate exports is a few cents only (or less Now )


Rather than get grumpy I jsut spoke with my very cool sparky. Every millimeter of solar I can fit is in bound asap The big Australian electrical company is not really the focus of my grump. I am grumpy with me for not adding more earlier. Both solar set ups cost well under 10K Pay back at work was clearly better and faster than homes on. I have never made money from the export anyway

Mario looked in to solar for us when he was here, and had contacted a few solar people and they looked at our house, and because the stupid guy next door to us had put in a tree right up against the fence and the tree grew over our house. when the companies looked at it on goggle they said that because of the shading of the roof it would cost more as we would have to get a booster. So we never took it any further. Any way the guy took out that tree last year because he could stand the mess it made when it dropped leaves in winter. And now there is only me I really don't use much power and my age I would make the money back, Heather

Originally Posted by 1950landy

I have found one of the hidden costs of Solar Power is replacement cost of components. We have two sets of panels on our roof. The 1st was installed using the Gov discount scheme, the inverter had to be replaced under warranty & we now find we will need to replace this one as it has now failed. The second lot of solar panels which we paid full price for the inverter failed 6 months out of warranty at a cost of around $1500. We were told by the people who installed this inverter they only have around a 5 year life, not sure if this is true though. Now going back to the one that has failed now, I have been ringing around all the Solar Companies & a lot are no longer in business & those that are still in business none of them want to just replace the inverter & only install new systems at a cost of around $10,000.
We use all the power we make running ducted A/C & pool pump & air pump hot water system that starts up every time we turn on a hot water tap. For me comparing our electricity account before & after solar there not that big a difference & I am thinking is it really worth it if we are going to be up for this sort of cost every 5 years.
In the meantime, I spoke with my electrician & he is going to supply & fit the new inverter for me.

Decent inverters will last for decades. FIL's Sunnyboy Inverter is back from the very early days of Solar and still going fine and old Selectronic Inverters have been around for decades and still doing their thing 24/7/365 without issues. The problem is the huge glut of installers out there feeding off the Government rebates and buying the cheapest ****tiest equipment they can find to maximise profits.

Yes. My Sunnyboy and panels are still behaving.
Panels are still putting out close the original output too.

They will be upgraded soon through, and more added.

My problem at the moment is that I can’t find anyone to install a system to my requirements. I tel them what panels and inverter I want and I get silence or ‘We can’t do those but we have brand x that is just as good…’

Then they pester me for months afterwards asking if you want to go ahead.

I have had to be less than polite to 2 different companies that just wouldn’t take no for an answer.

It irks me no end that I can do the installation myself but can’t get the rebate if I do this due to how the wiring rules in Vic are enforced.

I’m a Licensed Electrician but don’t hold an REC so I can do my own work no dramas, legal etc as I’m not contracting for profit or gain, but that means I can’t get a rebate as I can’t sign off on the work (that I don’t need to when I do it myself) so I have to pay some other spanker to do it… 🤬