If you’re thinking about installing solar panels in Murray Bridge, SA, it’s first important to understand exactly how installing a solar power system will benefit your home or business there. Once you understand how solar power works and if it’s right for you, you will be ready to shop around and compare system prices & installer offerings before ultimately selecting one. This article is an overview of what you need to know if you’re thinking about going solar in Murray Bridge, SA.
Are solar panels worth the investment in Murray Bridge?
The simple question to the above question is yes, and there are a number of reasons why this is the case. We’ve listed them below.
1. Solar system installation prices have fallen significantly in recent years across Australia, including SA & Murray Bridge. Installing a solar system has never been more affordable or as within reach to so many Australian households–of which over 1 million now have solar panels installed.
2. The price of electricity has climbed dramatically in every state in Australia as the cost of solar PV has come down. Murray Bridge residents, along with other South Australians, have felt the sting of these price rises in their household and business budgets. Solar panels allow their owners to purchase less power from the grid and thereby lower there power bills.
3. Federal incentives for installing solar systems are one of the main reasons that installation prices have fallen. In Murray Bridge, the up-front discount available through the federal government’s Renewable Energy Target scheme amounts to around 65c per watt of installed solar capacity. As an example, the federal discount for installing a 5kW solar system would come out to around $3250.
4. South Australia’s solar feed-in tariff scheme ensures that solar system owners are paid a premium for the power that they ‘export’ to the electricity grid. Currently, this is around 23c/kWh–one of the most generous in the country. The cumulative amount of exported electricity is credited to electricity bills quarterly or monthly. The application deadline to be eligible to continue receiving this rate is 30 September 2013. Read more about SA’s feed-in tariff.
How much energy will a solar system produce in Murray Bridge?
The average rooftop solar system in South Australia will produce around 4 units (kilowatt-hours or kWh) per installed kilowatt (kW) of system capacity per day, averaged across the year. So around the spring and autumn equinoxes, system owners can expect about 4kWh of power from their system per kW of capacity, more (around 5kWh) of power at the peak of summer, and less (around 3kWh) in the dead of winter.
There are other factors that also come into play, including tilt angle and orientation of the solar panels, overall system efficiency, and presence or absence of shading, but for now we will assume a best-case scenario. Some examples are given below. (To give a point of reference, the average 3-person home in Australia uses about 20kWh of electricity per day.)
1.5kW solar system: 6kWh of electricity per day.
2kW solar system: 8kWh/day
3kW solar system: 12kWh/day
4kW solar system: 16kWh/day
5kW solar system: 20kWh/day
10kW solar system: 40kWh/day
Read more: What size solar PV system should you buy for your home or business?
How to use your solar energy in Murray Bridge
As noted above, solar PV system owners in Murray Bridge stand to benefit in two separate ways: 1) Credits on power bills via SA’s Transitional Solar Feed-in Tariff scheme for power that they export to the grid, and 2) by avoiding purchasing power from the grid in the first place by using their solar power while it is being generated–during daylight hours.
Since the feed-in tariff rate will be around 23c/kWh (close to or higher than the price of grid electricity for most homes and businesses) until 2016 for those who apply by 30 Sept 2013, Murray Bridge residents who go solar by then don’t need to be home and consuming their solar electricity in order to extract the greatest benefit. Instead, they can basically sit back and let their solar system do its own thing without thinking about it much. During this period this benefit will go a long way towards enabling the solar system to ‘pay itself off’, after which point all of the power it produces will essentially be free electricity to the household.
However, after 30 September 2016, the transitional feed-in tariff scheme will close and the overall rate paid for solar will be reduced. It is unclear as of yet what the new rate will be, but it will likely be lower than the retail electricity tariff. Therefore, it will then make more sense for those who own solar systems to either install an energy storage system (if cost-effective), or to use as much of their power while the sun is shining, as doing so will save them more money than exporting it.
Compare solar panel prices in Murray Bridge
In order to get the greatest possible return on investment out of a solar panel system it’s important to shop around and know your options. It goes without saying that the best solar deal is one that strikes a balance between price and quality–the lifespan of a solar system is 25+ years, so it’s important that the latter is weighed seriously in decision-making.
Solar Choice, as Australia’s free Solar Energy Brokering and advice service, is uniquely positioned to help our customers identify the best deals within their budget anywhere in Australia. Our services are 100% free to our customers. If you’d like an impartial look at the market in Murray Bridge, get in touch. You can request a Solar Quote Comparison today by filling out the form to the right of this page, or call us on 1300 78 72 73.
© 2013 Solar Choice Pty Ltd
(Top image: Bahudhara via Wikipedia)
