Why We Installed Solar Power On Our Roof

Writing about something is always easier when you have a testimony!

Facts, figures and opinions are fine, but when it comes down to it, when one of the simplest ways to get a message across is to find people who have experience in the area that you are talking about.

Today I’d like to introduce you to Jill and Greg, both of whom have had solar panels fitted to their roofs, and produce part of their own power supply.

Jill and her husband had solar hot water installed on their house almost 20 years ago.

Jill said: “we’ve had such a great run out of solar hot water over the years that it only seemed natural to go to back to the grid solar power.

We had the 1 kilowatt system installed early last year, and it began making a difference to our energy costs straight away.

We’re now looking at upgrading to a larger system, probably more for environmental reasons than budgetary ones!”

Doing something for the environment is great!

Doing something to help the environment is a great motivation, and the fact that back to the grid solar panels can also save money is great news too!

Greg and his wife Maria installed a one kilowatt system after the power bill from hell last winter.

“We were so shocked at our consumption of power, and the cost, that we switched to solar as soon as we learned about the rebates from the government” said Greg.

“We’ve been saving some where around 30% on our power bill since installing the panels, but are now looking to install more panels, because with three kids, heating and cooling aren’t going to get any cheaper”.

I think that it is interesting that both these households are looking to increase their solar capacity within a year of installing the 1kw system.

This seems to be a common thread among people that I talk to, and I have taken advantage of their experience by ordering the larger 2kw system for our house at the start.

To my mind, while it may cost more, it will be cheaper than getting the installers back a second time.

While it may seem expensive to install solar panels, with the incentive of government rebates a lot of the sting is taken out of the cost.

Another thing to consider is that electricity prices are going up – with an increase of between 15 – 25% due over the next year or so.

The reason for the price increases are simple – Australia’s power stations need up grading to meet the demand from consumers, as well as the governments new carbon emissions targets.

Feed in tariffs can help – these are credits that home owners can receive for electricity that they feed into the grid, helping to reduce their costs even further.

Need more information? Simply fill in the form below with your message, and I will get right back to you.

A photovoltaic solar panel