Hi Gordon we have just started the process of Solar Power quotes including a battery. Its all looking a bit complicated. As you are the “Solar Champion” are you aware of any reputable companies in Melbourne that do Panels & Battery?
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Unfortunately no I don’t know of any right in Melbourne, but I’ll PM you the name of someone not too far away that I know does good work. I used to work for a good company online, but sadly things went downhill when they were bought out by a now bankrupt US company.
If you are grid connected, be very careful regarding a battery, as the commercial offerings still don’t really stack up economically. Over the past few decades I’ve been hearing that the price of batteries is coming down, but that only seems to be for EVs! If you have frequent and long blackouts, then they make more sense.
Of course many battery selling installers will tell you that they are good value, but that is only when combined with a PV system. A PV system with no battery is much better value if grid connected.
If you are going off-grid then yes, they are required, and you avoid all the expenses associated with being connected to the grid that make a battery marginal value at best, and only in a very few locations.
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Thank you Gordon… I think we would still be on the grid. We would be entitled to the current rebate but want to avoid all the “cheap” companies. From what I’ve heard they have unreliable Inverters and the actual Panels are not good quality. Also we would be looking at adding a couple of Split Systems for cooling and heating. We currently have Ducted Evap which is not ideal with our increasing humidity in Melbourne. Also considering changing to Electric hot water and cooktop.
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Have a look at heat pumps for water heating, and induction cooktops, both much more efficient than electrical resistance heating.
Multiple smaller split system ACs are a more efficient way to go than one large system. The units themselves are more efficient, and the cooling can be better directed to where it is needed.
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We started looking at the induction cooktops just as we went into Stage 4 lockdown… I don’t like online shopping unless I know the exact model… so will attend to that part in a couple of weeks… I hope… LOL
I’m not familiar with heat pumps so will research those as well.
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Re induction cooktops, we just use a couple of small portable hobs- use them anywhere! Store them in a cupboard when not in use to free up extra bench space.
A much less expensive alternative to buying a fixed 3 or 4 element stove, and you can run them from a standard power point, rather than needing a dedicated 50 or 60amp circuit.
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When we first looked at solar PV we had a quote for a battery system with enough capacity to leave the grid. Our then modest two person needs of 6-8kWh per day, annual bills totalled less than $1200. The $30,000+ investment was not justifiable.
We spent a fraction of that fixing everything else electrical, installing LED lighting, better insulation etc.
This included dumping the big old wall rattler air con and installing 4 inverter split systems.
Rather than spend up big on batteries we went with a standard install as large as we could fit for panels (5.5kW) and single inverter. With modest use of the RC aircons during winter and summer, our PV system exports annually to the grid typically 5,000 kWh of power against an import of just 2,000 kWh. Self consumption is also approx 2,000kWh. Days of cold wet weather or heavy cloud are not a problem as we make enough excess in the better part of the year (spring and autumn) to pay for the extra consumption during bad weather days. This may be even more important in Melbourne (we’re in SE Qld).
For us a small battery (6-10kWh) would still leave us needing the grid. The potential saving in power costs, less than $200 per annum vs the $10,000+ outlay. Not justifiable in today’s money. Hope you get some great advice for your needs.
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We do the same, the small single and double plate models that are “portable” are brilliant. IKEA sell them and we have 2 of the single plate ones from them and one from ALDI. I like the response from the IKEA units but I really like the ALDI one for it’s temp and wattage measurements placed together on the menu. The ALDI one has a bit more fan noise than the IKEA one but both are excellent compared to gas, and normal electric coil types.
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It is worth reading Choice’s article on solar batteries…
@gordon and @mark_m have good advice about economics of grid connected batteries. The other issue is their reliability has been poor which can make PV battery systems, where batteries fail/perform below expectations, a stressful experience.
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Hi @kathy2, We bought our solar system (regular on-grid) via SolarQuotes responses. I thus could not recommend my installer for an off-grid system having no personal experience for such a system but would not hesitate for a typical on-grid install. (Melbourne metro).
What I can say is if you asked for a quote through SolarQuotes, those who respond can be checked through SolarQuotes reviews, those reviews are IME credible, and you should find at least 1 of the 3 quotes, if not more, to impress you with their veracity.
SolarQuotes puts the RFQ’s up for the taking to their installers base, and the installers pay for the contact information so they are keen to win the business.
I also contacted a non-SolarQuotes related [large] company that was impressive with excellent reviews everywhere, so that could have worked out also, sans personal references. One non-SolarQuotes company company I contacted was noticeably behind the curve of the better ones and it quickly became obvious. Some did not bother to respond!
My message is to start testing the market as it will be educational. It may initially be confusing with the disparities of advice, but when you start comparing claims and products you will probably start zeroing in on your comfort level and preferred suppliers after a few weeks.
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Hi PhilT… You were right, it is very “educational” and everyone likes to quote just that little bit different so as it isn’t quite straightforward in comparing apples with apples. We have decided against a battery at this stage as the ROI will take forever & we won’t be in the house that long… LOL did you install a smart meter to monitor consumption etc?
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Victoria rolled smart meters out a few years ago. My solar system has a display as does Ausnet our grid supplier. It makes one very aware of power consumption if one pays attention to what is available.
‘That is when the kettle turned on, there is the oven, there is the A/C, …’
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