Does Anyone Actually Not Get a Bill with Solar Any More?

Opaquer on 13/07/2023 - 21:13
Last edited 13/07/2023 - 21:39

Hey everyone

So, we were finally in a position to get solar recently and know it's a long term investment. We heard of people who got it ages ago and how much money they were getting from energy companies back in the day, and were excited to get it (though we didn't get it just to completely eliminate our power bill). Of course, the days of 52c/kW are long gone, and prices have gone up a ton since then, and a whole lot of stuff has happened, but now that the panels are up and on the roof, I've been looking into energy plans and it seems like with all the various charges and fees and price rises, it seems like unless you go with a massive system you basically won't be able to have a $0 or less bill?

As I said, we wanted solar for other reasons so aren't regretting it, but it's just a shock to me that if my maths is right (which is probably isn't), you can't have a $0 or less bill these days.

As a random breakdown - let's assume all the power you use during the day comes from solar, plus you have leftover for export. If throughout the non-solar generating hours you use, say, 10kWh at an average of 27c/kWh (random average from the plans I've been looking at), that's already $2.70/day, and with a daily supply charge (again, randomly averaged data) of 125c/day, that's a total cost of $3.95/day. And if you have an uncapped FIT of 10c/kWh, you need to export ~39.5kWh/day just to break even, assuming there's no other random charges like daily solar charge, controlled load, daily demand limits and whatnot?

Have I just done something terribly wrong in my calculations/missed something super obvious? I also know that companies are only in it for the profit, so this could just be how life is these days? Of course there's things like batteries, and people on bigger FITs and more panels and whatnot, but just as a general rule does anyone still get huge savings from solar?

I've been staring at this spreadsheet I made for just about the past week and can't make heads or tales of anything anymore, so any help/advice/suggestions are appreciated - especially if you're in SEQ and know of a good energy company I can look into instead of staring at my spreadsheet :)

TL;DR: Do you have a solar system and don't have an energy bill any more?

Thanks in advanced!

Home & Garden Solar Energy System

Comments

  • [Deactivated] on 13/07/2023 - 21:22
    -5

    Math is incorrect

    [Deactivated] on 13/07/2023 - 21:22 (Collapsed - Offtopic. Show)
    • Opaquer on 13/07/2023 - 21:26

      I'm not surprised but I'm not sure what I've done wrong/missed. There's a lot of articles out there about how to choose the best bill and it tells you to get the best FIT you can and whatnot, but I've noticed a lot of companies that have a good FIT also increase the electricity supply rate and daily supply charge for the so called "solar" plans with better FIT, which makes it even more confusing to figure out?

      Do you know what I might be missing/not accounting for?

      • [Deactivated] on 13/07/2023 - 21:37
        +10

        Maths

        • Opaquer on 13/07/2023 - 21:38

          Huh, touche! It's been a long day, I didn't even notice it! Thanks!

          • netjock on 14/07/2023 - 09:24
            +6

            @Opaquer: Don't worry about that person. Unless they can give you the math.

            You 40kwh export a day to break even is right if you assume same price peak and off peak

            Also depends on which part of Australia you are in. If you are in QLD then your solar output would be close to the same during summer and winter. Where as in Melbourne you'll get less solar output in winter.

            Batteries - they are not yet worthwhile for residential given the warranties are crap (read the total KWH discharged, not the years whichever comes first). It is like 10 years pay back at a minimum. You wonder why energy generators and retailers are not investing in it but they'd more than happy to throw you some bones to commandeer your battery as part of VPP.

            If you are retailer / generator and got access to the grid you get energy next to nothing between 12 - 2pm store it in a big battery and sell it back between 5 - 9pm for a healthy profit. The Tesla battery in SA made $50m just doing this kind of arbitrage a year.

            • Opaquer on 15/07/2023 - 10:41
              -1

              @netjock: Good to know - yeah, I'm in Brisbane area so that summer output is handy

      • frewer on 16/07/2023 - 10:58

        You want $0 bill AND [maybe] a little bit extra ? Mine bitcoin, there's a off chance that once a block mint you get extra as a reward. Also you can claim the electricity, rent on tax … just a thought … Set it up so that the PC only runs on the daytime

  • Wiadro on 13/07/2023 - 21:23
    +5

    you will always get a bill because you need to pay a daily supply charge unless you completely remove yourself from the grid.

    if you solar generated enough to credit the whole bill you will be a magician

    • Opaquer on 13/07/2023 - 21:28

      True - I wouldn't expect the whole bill to disappear, but maybe in my heart I was hoping for more savings? And true about that daily supply charge - would be nice to be completely off grid but that would be a huge investment that I don't know if I'd want to do!

      • LVlahov on 13/07/2023 - 22:34
        +5

        I guess if you spend around $5.5k for a system, and it knocks out around 50% of your bill, or around $1,500 per year, you still come out in front by a decent amount in the end. But yeah, unless you have cut your non-solar hours usage to a handful of units per day (possible perhaps with gas cooking & hot water, and no powered heating or cooling, and just a small fridge), you'll still get a bill.

      • Whomastadon on 16/07/2023 - 20:08

        My bill went from ~ $350 every 2 months, to ~ $80 every 2 months.

        I think the main reason was the pool pump. 1 horsepower ( 750watts ) going about 8 hours a day, which the solar would offset.

        I try to set dishwasher and washing machine etc on a timer for midday aswell.

    • knobbs on 14/07/2023 - 09:40
      +4

      No you don't always have to get a bill. Some people end up generating credit with the energy company, or used to. Just because there is a daily supply charge doesn't mean you can't offset that and more with your FIT. No magic needed just lots of sun and someway to harness it.

    • Dslrfirst on 14/07/2023 - 10:15

      No just signing up early when FIT's were good eg 42.7 cents/kWh.

      • HamBoi69 on 15/07/2023 - 07:51
        -1

        That’s what we did, and we were with Red Energy. They’ve since increased their rates and we’ve moved. Never had a bill (well we always received one but the cost was $0) for the past 8 years and got one just the other week. I suppose we didn’t generate enough credits.

        • Jono05 on 19/07/2023 - 12:17

          Even in winter in Victoria? I find that hard to believe because no sun equals no solar energy. What’s the FIT?

    • brad1-8tsi on 14/07/2023 - 11:58
      +5

      Up until the end of 2021 the 6.4kw system at my partners place in Sydney was in net credit for the year.
      The credit on the Summer bill offset the winter debit. The shoulder seasons broke even.

      That's all finished now.

    • morebunnings on 15/07/2023 - 12:17
      +2

      10 years ago you used to get 50c/kw, while the daily supply charge was ~90c.

      People in my area ran their pool pumps at night so they'd export back to the grid during the day. A lot of people were up ~$100/month.

    • hopper on 15/07/2023 - 15:09
      +2

      In summer i pay less than $9 and in winter i pay more….no sun shine in melb

  • Muzeeb on 13/07/2023 - 21:27
    +3

    What were your break even time calculations you came up with before deciding to install?

    Also, I haven't heard the term whatnot in years and I count 3 already. I'm impressed.

    • Opaquer on 13/07/2023 - 21:33

      Thanks, I use whatnot a lot :). It's a favourite word of mine! I use it at least daily if I can

      I think we were expecting to break even in about 5ish years if memory serves? We just got solar very recently though, so haven't even gotten a bill yet showing our savings, so a lot of this is based on guesstimates. We were tossing up on what size to get, but now seeing all these charges, it kinda seems like no matter how big a system we got, we'd still not be having $0 bills like back in the day!

      • brad1-8tsi on 14/07/2023 - 12:01

        I got 5.4kw of solar on my town house recently. I've estimated my payback at 7 years. The previous systems I've been involved with were all around 4 years payback

        • vorsprung on 15/07/2023 - 10:41
          +1

          I got 6.6kw (5kw inverter) on my townhouse in Jan and based on my savings to date I also estimate my payback at around 6-7 years.

          That’s with electricity at 25c/kWh tho (what I pay now). I suspect that’s about to jump quite a bit, which should bring forward my payback.

          20% of the savings are from the 6c/kWh FIT, the rest is from using the solar myself (work from home, EV). As others have said, Solar is most economical if you use the power rather than export it. Don’t rely on the FIT.

      • dtc on 14/07/2023 - 09:40
        +10

        Given that the etymology of 'whatnot' dates it from 1500s and, if my memory serves correct, 'american' wasnt really a big thing around that time, its probably not an American word

        • iDroid on 16/07/2023 - 20:51
          +1

          Oh you and your fancy etymology and whatnot.

      • infinite on 15/07/2023 - 21:24
        -1

        Why the bigotry ?

      • diddy50 on 15/07/2023 - 23:38
        +1

        Cringe is so cringe haha

  • pharkurnell on 13/07/2023 - 21:32
    +11

    I also know that companies are only in it for the profit, so this could just be how life is these days?

    Close the internet, we have a winner.

    • Opaquer on 13/07/2023 - 21:34
      +8

      I was a little scared writing such a controversial statement. Took a lot of guts and searching within myself to keep that in there :)

      • RockyRaccoon on 13/07/2023 - 21:43
        +5

        Did Chris Bowen forget to tell you its winter.

        Sunshine is greater in the northern hemisphere. Our solar generation is ½ to ⅓ less than summers peak. Hard to make money on solar at the moment.

        Plus 5 years ago your panels cost twice as much as today.

        Eg from our system Yesterday full sun = 19Kwh generated. 45kwh in most full sun days in January

        • Opaquer on 13/07/2023 - 21:45

          Wow, that's a huge difference! I knew that the summer months would be a much bigger return and this time would be the least amount of solar for the year on average, but I didn't realise it was that big of a difference! Out of curiosity, whereabouts are you located?

          • RockyRaccoon on 13/07/2023 - 21:47
            +1

            @Opaquer: Central Coast NSW and we dont get full sun all day with a two storey next door that shades some of the panels in afternoon. Thats the reason why we also went microinverters

            Keep in mind some days 2 weeks ago we only got 4kwh due to heavy overcast days

            Something else. Given the need to save the planet, we probably will never break evan over the year again. 25% increase in power is going to make it a dream.

            • Opaquer on 13/07/2023 - 21:51

              @RockyRaccoon: Wow, that's really great! I'm definitely looking forward to seeing how much exporting we'll be doing in the summer compared to now, as that'll definitely help along with things!

              • RockyRaccoon on 13/07/2023 - 21:53
                +1

                @Opaquer: also ours is a 6.4 kW system not like mskeggs 10kW

                • Opaquer on 13/07/2023 - 21:57

                  @RockyRaccoon: Indeed, we went with a bigger system than we needed too because a) saving the planet and b) we want to be able to expand and not have to worry about needing to upgrade our solar down the line.

                  • try2bhelpful on 13/07/2023 - 23:08
                    +1

                    @Opaquer: Also check how much energy you are allowed to export. A lot of suppliers have limits. It will be hard to cover the supply charges but we are doing pretty good with exporting more than we import most of the time. In summer we will be exporting much more than we import. Once they get EV as home battery sorted out we will be looking at an EV acting as our battery.

                    What we are looking forward to is running the air coming Summer guilt free. We are also in the process of looking for electric replacements for our gas appliances so we can get rid of that supply charge.

                    • Opaquer on 13/07/2023 - 23:19

                      @try2bhelpful: Yeah, I've seen that on a lot of supplier's websites unfortunately. Also we want to get an EV down the line - having it act as a home battery is such a clever idea!

                      Our dining/lounge room is huge, and has a massive AC (I think it's a 7kW AC) in the corner for the whole area. It's definitely power hungry and in summer, while we like having the air con on, also makes us feel a little guilty, but now with our system we probably won't have to worry about it as much, which is always a good time!

                      • try2bhelpful on 13/07/2023 - 23:56
                        +1

                        @Opaquer: For winter you might want to consider creating a snug area where you just heat a smaller area. We’ve created some thermal curtains that allows us to isolate a smaller lounge/kitchen area that reduces our heating costs considerably. In winter we don’t try to heat our big open area. In Summer the extra space means it takes a few hot days for it to be uncomfortable. Our snug area is where our reverse cycle is.

              • bobs burgers on 17/07/2023 - 01:32
                +1

                @Opaquer: I think the problem is you are thinking about it completely wrong.
                When the FIT is low, the best way to save money is to use the solar. That's where your savings are. Instead of paying 30c/kWh you are saving it by consuming your own produced solar, ie: self consumption.

                Increase self consumption and you will reduce your bill.
                So dishwasher when sun is up, washing also, but during winter don't do both at the same time…

                You learn quickly how to increase your self consumption

        • brad1-8tsi on 14/07/2023 - 12:06
          +1

          Our solar generation is ½ to ⅓ less than summers peak.

          Indeed it is.

          6.4kw system in Sydney. Nov-Jan is around 800kWh/month. May-Jul 300kWh/month

          Around 6.5MWh/year

  • mskeggs on 13/07/2023 - 21:50
    +4

    With the numbers you provided, a 10kW system wouldn’t get a bill in the summer quarter, and almost zero in spring and autumn.
    Add a 5kWh battery system and they wouldn’t ever get a bill.

    In any case, Solar is most financially beneficial if you can offset your own power usage, not hope for feed in tariffs. Move 3kWh of the night usage you quote to day time and you would get a zero bill 9 months a year with a 10kW system.

    • Opaquer on 13/07/2023 - 21:56
      +1

      That's what we're doing but there's some things we can't move to the daytime. I've done some very rough calculations and estimate that 8-10kW/night is about the minimum of what we'll have because of things like watching TV/playing games, cooking, doing other stuff that requires power, and that's all stuff that can't easily be moved to the day unfortunately. Do you think a 10kW system can really provide no bill during summer, spring and autumn? Whereabouts are you located?

      A battery is a bit out of the ballpark for us atm, but we did get everything battery ready so we can upgrade when we want to. And overall we're still really happy with solar.

      • mskeggs on 13/07/2023 - 22:17
        +8

        You can look up the insolation for your location at the BOM, it will show you how much the sunshine varies throughout the year at your location.
        Here is a link for Sydney.
        http://www.bom.gov.au/jsp/ncc/cdio/weatherData/av?p_nccObsCo…
        It obviously varies more as you move away from the equator.
        A rule of thumb is you will generate 4x your kW value on average over the year in Australia. With a 10kW system that is around 50kWh a day in summer, 15kWh a day in winter, give or take. In Brisbane you’ll do a bit better.
        So in summer it is easy for a FIT earnings to cover everything, but almost no FIT in winter.

        • Opaquer on 13/07/2023 - 22:51

          Woah, that's a pretty handy link, thanks for that. And that's a good rule of thumb to know - it'll make calculations easier to work out!

  • Cheapskate Paul on 13/07/2023 - 22:04
    +6

    The important calculation is how much you save, not how much you spend. The more energy you self-consume, the more you save.

    • Opaquer on 13/07/2023 - 22:10

      That's a fair point - unfortunately there's only so much that we can self-consume since we're out most days, but we've started doing as much stuff during the day as we can

      • Muzeeb on 13/07/2023 - 22:39
        +6

        Timers and inbuilt delay functions will be your new friend.

        • Cabrinha on 14/07/2023 - 09:06
          +4

          100% put everything on a timer i.e run the dishwasher and washing machine during the day if you can, but most of all move your hot water to heat only during daylight hours. This is what reduced our consumption the most rather than feeding back 6Kw/h a day to the grid for a measley 7ckw/h

  • cauilfield on 13/07/2023 - 22:05
    +3

    Got 5kw, getting 4-6kwh in winter, 25-30kwh in summer.

    Yeah, shitty roof and Melbourne.

    I got a 10kwh battery as well. My bill almost 0 in summer (I pay for supply only)

    • Opaquer on 13/07/2023 - 22:10

      Wow, that's a huge difference! At least your summer bill is basically 0

    • freefall101 on 13/07/2023 - 22:19
      +1

      Same, plenty of winter days where I don't export a single thing, heater is consuming more than the solar panels are collecting with a 5kw system.

      Part of it is my house though, stays incredibly cool in summer with one split system running and the excess solar is massive. Winter the heating runs flat out to keep it barely warm, really need to work on some insulation.

    • netjock on 14/07/2023 - 09:26
      +1

      I get 10 and 40. East-West 80% of optimal, not enough space to face them all north.

  • Mike-A on 13/07/2023 - 22:57
    +1

    From what I’ve seen there’s 2 ways to achieve it, first the easy way (what i did because I’m lazy) https://repositpower.com/no-bill so it’s solar + battery needed. No bill for almost a year now.

    The other is a self build of what reposit is doing in the first place. You wont do it on the normal billing provider, you’ll need someone like https://www.amber.com.au/ where you can get access to the wholesale rate. Look at amber for batteries section. You’ll need a battery, grab extra power off the grid and manage when to dump power to the grid. Note also means you’ll get charged for dumping power to the grid when the rates go negative. So active management is required but I’ve seen people on whirlpool forums setup using raspberry’s & the API on their inverter if you’re so inclined.

    Anyhow yeah effort required for self build.
    Hope that helps.

    • cauilfield on 14/07/2023 - 12:30

      wholesale rate is not good in peak hours, you will get broke with amber.

  • burningrage on 13/07/2023 - 23:08
    +1

    Thanks for the TDLR. Not in my experience. I have a 4.5Kwh system in VIC and only in summer, we managed to offset usage but during winter, it is impossible. Production ranges from 2.7kwh to 5.6kwh per day when daily usage is minimum 7kwh. For Southeastern States, I don't believe it if people say, "Hey I made $x money from Solar" unless that guy belongs to really old Premium Feedback.

    • Opaquer on 13/07/2023 - 23:21

      Yeah, I know a few people who are on a version of that old feedback and are getting money back and it seems so good. Unfortunately though I think you might be right about it being impossible these days! At least we can reduce our bill a lot with this, that's for sure!

  • drewbytes on 14/07/2023 - 07:19
    +1

    10kW system with Tesla Powerwall 2 (recently upgraded to 16kW). Only get a bill during the winter period (Canberra), the rest of the year even with a crappy 8c FIT we still don't have to pay anything generally.

    • Opaquer on 14/07/2023 - 08:44

      That's so good - I'm very excited when batteries keep coming down in price and we put one on our system

  • Nedman on 14/07/2023 - 07:44
    +1

    We get close to it. 18 kw of panels, 15kw inverter, 10kw feed in, 13.5c feed in tariff. High power use household. Rural Qld.

    • try2bhelpful on 14/07/2023 - 08:09
      +1

      Sounds great. Once the battery technology improves it sounds like you will be sitting fairly pretty with being mostly self sufficient. I think rural areas are where solar will get the best bang for buck.

    • AustriaBargain on 14/07/2023 - 10:47

      How you get such good feed in tariff?

      • Nedman on 15/07/2023 - 08:16

        The feed in tariff is set by the Qld gov [I think] and it's only been 13.5c since July 1st. Last year 9.5c and the year before 7c. The deal in rural Qld is that if your land is zoned rural, you can get up to 30kw of solar feed-in. You will need 3 phase power, one 3 phase connection will get you 15kw [3 x 5kw] and two 3 phase connections will get you 30kw.

  • kipps on 14/07/2023 - 08:05
    +1

    10kW system in Qld, still getting bills over $100/month with solar. Without solar the bills would be at least $243/month more (approx 11,410kWh used directly from production p.a. plus feed in). Still well worth it with very high levels of self-consumption.

    • Opaquer on 14/07/2023 - 08:54

      Maybe it's just a QLD that makes us have a bill regardless :P! But either way, that's a huge savings you've got with solar. Definitely worth it

  • Waltervp on 14/07/2023 - 08:28
    +2

    I haven't had a bill for 3 yrs. 6kw captain green system, 1st energy, 5kw inverter in Tasmania. West facing cells. Modern 3br split level home with 3 adults. We don't do anything special to be conservative. We stopped the gas connection and use reverse cycle hot water. I get pensioner elect. subsidy and the occasional credit from the gvmt. I keep a spreadsheet with all the data. Here is my elec bill graphed over the time I've had solar.

    https://files.ozbargain.com.au/upload/165797/105096/screensh…

    • Opaquer on 14/07/2023 - 08:55
      +1

      I love how you've tracked the energy, that's so cool! I might have to implement something like that for our system. And that's good to know that you've got such good benefits from it, even so far south. Gives me high hope for my system

      • Waltervp on 16/07/2023 - 11:18

        I never expected it either. But as a centrelink 'patient' you get more discpunts and even an anual energy supplement which all help. In any case it is saving me about 2500pa, not bad!!! As a pensioner 200/month is significant! Amd the outlay as far as i was concerned was nothing as the bank gave me a morgage holiday for 6 months… im not after paying house off in a hurry so that is not an issue, but getting credit/loan for a 50+yo on a pension is impossible.

        Also very fortunate to have locked in low interest rates for 5yrs till 2025, another big saving as it turned out.

  • Jac33au on 14/07/2023 - 08:40
    +1

    I have a 7.7kwh system and get a low bill but never zero because of solar. I'm with ovo and get a monthly rebate from people I referred so I'm in credit and won't pay electricity for quite a while now. I reckon I'd need a 14kwh system to get zero or credit bill(without referral rebates) but that's only at current feed in rates. Still worth it though. Gone from $600+ a qtr on 2021 rates to max $100. Solar will pay for itself within 2 years.

    • Opaquer on 14/07/2023 - 09:01

      That's pretty good! I had a look at Ovo and with the dummy data I plugged in, I actually found the non solar plan to be slight cheaper, oddly enough. Where I am I have a much higher daily supply charge and electricity cost on the solar plan, so even with the FIT being better, it still ends up more expensive, which is kinda weird to me! Still, they were definitely up there in terms of being the cheapest, which is good! May have to check them out some more

      • Jac33au on 18/07/2023 - 08:31

        I think with fit so low the biggest impact is doing everything through the day. I use smart switches and timers and try to do whatever I can during 10-1

  • GordonD on 14/07/2023 - 09:39
    +3

    I got solar in 2009. A 1kW system. Back then that was a full sized solar installation. I still get "bills", but it ALWAYS** says CR next to the dollar amount. If you want to call that "not getting a bill", I haven't gotten one in 14 years. I transfer the accumulated credit to reduce my gas bill from the same company.

    The amount of credit I get each quarter is slowly falling as the panels get older, and get dirtier. Peak output is still around 700 watts. These days summer gets me through winter.

    The reason I don't get electricity bills is firstly because I genuinely believe that it is my duty to future generations to minimise my CO2 emissions. And because back in 2009 they offered us early adopters a FIT of 50c FOR 20 YEARS to incentivise us to install solar. And I'm still getting it. Six more years to go. I look like expiring before it does. I'd like to update my system to a larger one, but if I change anything I lose the 50c FIT.

    I expect the $250 assistance with my electricity bills the government (ie, you) is going to give me for the next two quarters will pay my next year's gas bills.

    **Actually once in winter after I was sick and used the heater a bit I got a bill for $2-60. When I tried to pay it online my electricity company's website said it was below the minimum I could pay. I had to pay them $10.

    • Opaquer on 14/07/2023 - 10:01

      That's such a great set up - I remember when they were offering the 20 year FIT, it was amazing. I'm surprised more people didn't pick it up then. And that's kinda annoying about the energy company making you pay $10. Hopefully the rest went into credit for the next time you got a bill!

      • GordonD on 14/07/2023 - 10:15
        +2

        Best investment I made in my life, that solar system. The government offered a rebate and a 50c FIT for 20 years. The price of solar had dropped to the point where the solar company was willing to supply and install the solar system for the amount of the rebate, so nett cost was zero, and no power bills for, so far, the last 14 years.

        • Opaquer on 14/07/2023 - 10:25

          Wow, that's so good! I wish the gov was still offering amazing rebates and FIT like they did back then! You got in at a great time!

  • singingwolf on 14/07/2023 - 10:04

    If if you had batteries and a 30kwh system, they still charge you the ~$1.10 daily fee so at a min you will always get a ~$120 quarterly bill. It's all rigged unless you take the gamble and go off grid.

    • Opaquer on 14/07/2023 - 10:13
      +1

      Though I'm sure at some point with a large enough system like a 30kW system, you'd have enough to fully charge the battery and export enough each day to cover that $1ish daily charge. That said, I know for a fact my roof can't handle a 30kW system, though it would be nice!

      • singingwolf on 14/07/2023 - 10:51
        +1

        Your wallet would give in before your roof…

  • RichardRides on 14/07/2023 - 10:20
    +2

    IMO you can get to a zero $ bill anywhere - if you spend the money on infrastructure - but the more relevant question is the pay-back period. You pay $$$$$$ up-front, but only save $, then your upside is for the planet, not so much your finances.

    When we installed solar (MEL) approx 10 years ago the pay-back period was estimated at 8-12 years.

    Over the years since we have had quotes for upgraded solar, battery and heat-pump hot water. Every time the pay-back period has been in that 8-12 year range. Even with the technology improving the pay-back has stayed the same. Part of the reason is that government subsidies and things like feed-in tariffs change, but also our household using more electricity as kids get older.

    • Opaquer on 14/07/2023 - 10:24

      Yeah, we got a bigger system than we probably needed to because it'll help the planet more as we expand in the future. Eventually we'll probably have EVs, and if we can charge it at home then even better, so decided to go big upfront even if it's a longer payback period.

  • apple2016 on 14/07/2023 - 10:23
    +1

    I have a similar system. Its break even for a few summer months. in winter there is hardly any power generation. I am based in melbourne.

  • ColtNoir on 14/07/2023 - 10:23
    +1

    My dad has 30-40 solar panels and hasn’t had a positive bill since doing so. However, he has gas as well, so he doesn’t have the cost of water heating and included (he switched to an electric stove/oven after solar installation)
    2 person household with aircon/ heaters running all year round.

  • Dslrfirst on 14/07/2023 - 10:24
    +1

    Have only had one "bill" since 2011 (that one was for a period of very bad weather) - the rest are statements of deposit to our bank a/c. 30 PV panels about 250w per panel. Gross FIT 47.5 cents/kWh.

    • Opaquer on 14/07/2023 - 12:27

      Wow, that's such a great FIT! I wish they were still offering them today!

  • AustriaBargain on 14/07/2023 - 10:46
    +2

    Electricity cost almost 12 times as much as feed in, so you will need to feed in 12 times as much electric as you use from the grid. Probably need a battery to beat that.

    • vorsprung on 15/07/2023 - 21:13

      For me electricity costs about 4x as much as feed in. I live in a townhouse complex in QLD and I don’t realistically have a choice of retailer. I don’t think my rates are overly competitive by any means. It would seem tariffs vary drastically around Australia. This isn’t a tariff from 10 years ago. It’s from my install Jan this year. 25c/6c.

      • AustriaBargain on 15/07/2023 - 21:38

        I guess there’s a lot of variation between energy and food prices across Australia. Each state has a fair bit of autonomy and develop their own systems.

      • kipps on 19/07/2023 - 08:57

        25c/6c is very competitive for SEQ if it's a post 1 July 2023 rate and it doesn't come with demand charges. Literally the only mob that might be cheaper now is probably Energy Australia but they are due to jack their prices for 2023 on 1 August

        • vorsprung on 23/07/2023 - 19:38

          I just checked… it’s now $0.3076. I’ve only got the one rate, anytime use.

          I’m in a townhouse complex so it’s a bulk buy / embedded network situation,

          Still 6c FIT which is nice.

  • donbot on 14/07/2023 - 11:23
    +2

    We have solar and was installed Dec 21, but still get a bill. Still worthwhile having it, but cannot adjust further electricity usage to utilise solar during the day anymore without causing disruption to lifestyle. Smallest bill I had was $19 for a month.

    At an average electricity bill of $50/month for a house of 4, I'll live with that - running pool filter daily, dishwasher daily, heat pump dryer 5-6 cycles/week, all cooking, etc. Only use gas for central heating and on demand hot water service (no tank).

    • Opaquer on 14/07/2023 - 12:29

      That's a great power bill for a house of 4. And I'm in the same boat, there's just some things that we can't move to day time usage, like the stuff we do at home after work (watch TV, cook, play games etc). Everything else we can move to daytime hours and it works well though

  • ssx on 14/07/2023 - 13:12

    We are with powershop and we do/did not get a bill (NSW). I am pretty sure we will be getting one next month though, with the price changes.
    Normally, we are in credit with powershop but last month's bill ate most of the credit up, so we will be getting one for July

  • HG Dendrobium on 14/07/2023 - 13:32

    5.5kw system with Jinko pannels and Pronius inverter, max summer export is 41.5kwh while winter is 29kwh, daily usage average 4.5kwh, gas month usage ~220MJ(~$30).

    I've been able to pay both electricity and gas bills with credit from FIT, but after the price hike a few months ago, I had to pay $30 out of pocket for gas as the credit wasn't enough. I use dishwasher 3 times a week, washing+dryer 4 times a week, a PC that is always on during daytime, barely use air con in both winter and summer. Due to work schedule, I pretty much go to sleep as the sun sets, come back home and start using energy when the sun is already up.

    Manage to not use so much energy as I'm by myself, though I estimate the energy used when I have a family probably would tripple, and more out of pocket for bills.

    Though after using a system myself and feedbacks from friends, get at least 9kw or even more if you are able to, 5.5kwh is not enough for a family (to break even)

    • Opaquer on 14/07/2023 - 14:55
      +1

      Yeah, we ended up with a 10.45kW system so we'd be future proofed with it

    • chriskq on 16/07/2023 - 00:11

      Fronius Inverter

  • chris666 on 14/07/2023 - 14:00

    My bill is still around 1k a month even with solar 10kw system nsw

    • Opaquer on 14/07/2023 - 14:54
      +1

      1k per month! With a 10kW system? Something doesn't seem right there, surely?! That's an insane amount!

      • chris666 on 14/07/2023 - 17:21

        Sorry ment a quarter not sure why I wrote month

    • vorsprung on 15/07/2023 - 21:18

      1k per quarter, I mean you must be using some serious energy. Running climate control 24/7?

      • chris666 on 16/07/2023 - 13:04

        I wish we both work full time

        • VQLD on 21/08/2023 - 16:17

          could be all neighbors connected through your meter :)
          maybe, a year, not a quarter?

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