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#1081 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 3,336
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The reason why I say go bigger is that you do not know what is going to happen in the future. What happens if you current consumption changes. Your life style changes and you use more power. Your fridges decides to start playing up and starts using more power.
You also have to take into account weekends. If no one is home during the weekdays, but on weekends everyone is home. You are using more power. So your average will not be correct. You have to remember with the old meters they read it once every 3 months and the average is worked out by the number of days in your bill divided by the amount of power you have used. The onyl way to work it out is read your meter everyday around the same time for a few weeks and see what the average daily use is. Also those calculators you see online, they are very basic and give you a general range on what you use. Most will be incorrect for the usage at your home, they can give you an idea, but best way would be to read the meter and do your own maths. Last edited by xisled; 12-09-2012 at 07:45 PM. |
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#1082 | |||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 3,408
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Quote:
I think we all have to look even further and make a plan eg are we going to live here for the next 15-20yrs to make a clear decision on system.
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#1083 | |||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 3,336
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Quote:
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#1084 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 1,848
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In NSW the FIT is instantaneous - so if at 10:30 and 23 seconds you are using 1.1 kw, and you are making 1.5 kw you will export 0.4 kw in that instant, if you do this on average for an hour you will have exported 0.4 kwh for about 3c.
Our electricity usage tends to be "peaky". To bring your bill down to zero you need to cover your peaks, not your average. On 22 Aug we used 35.8 kwh peaking at about 7 our 2.1 kw system generated 8.1 kwh on that day - peaking at 1.7 we drew 29 from the grid, and exported 1.3 to the grid If purchase price was not a factor we would continue to save money on a system that generates our peak instantaneous usage on a bad day. I am very much a numbers man, and have crunched the numbers every 6 or so months for the past 2 years - based on my mapping of our usage hourly, and real world hourly generation figures from next door. It did not make financial sense for us to install Solar with a 60c feed in tariff, but it does now with a 6c FIT ! In fact, my profiling says that if we install another 1.5 - to 2.5 kw for about $1000 per kw it will pay for itself in less than 4 years - in fact: even faster if I was able to factor in the fact that we have switched some of our usage to daylight hours (pool pump, dishwasher ...) in NSW you should not summarily limit yourself to a system that will only cover your total daytime costs for at least these reasons: 1) You are billed for your instantaneous NET usage - you may keep saving on a system able to generate enough to cover your PEAK daytime usage 2) not every day has full sunlight. 3) you need to factor in your acceptable payback period, purchase cost, electricity cost projections and FIT projections. In my spreadsheet a system with peak generation equal to about 80% of our peak consumption is roughly the sweet spot. For a more reasonable estimate you need to profile your usage curve against solar generation curves. |
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#1085 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 3,336
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Nsw has a 0 cent buy back at the moment, but some retailers offer a buy back. Nsw is very different to any other state. The main reason is due to peak, off peak and shoulder rate.
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#1086 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 3,408
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Origin are offering 6cents per kwh...
Are most of you NSW solar system owners on net metering system?
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#1087 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 5,048
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AGL offer 8c/kwh. Best of the lot.
All new systems going in are net AFAIK - with the current FIT, its not worth going gross. |
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#1088 | |||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 3,336
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#1089 | |||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 3,408
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Quote:
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#1090 | ||
Isn't it obvious?
![]() Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: in a world of idiots
Posts: 5,383
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get the bigger inverter but less panels?
ie get a 5kw inverter but run around 2kw of panels that way when when you can save a bit of cash you can add panels when you can afford them we're just about to move in literally the keys are sitting in my meter box as i type and im waiting for the misses to finish work so we can go and stand in our new house (we already live in a transportable on the same 2 acres and i can seet he new house looking out the lounge window) i desperately want solar and if the funds are there after doing a driveway and massive amounts of retaining walls im going for it if i cant afford a 5 or 6 kw straight up ill do the bigger inverter and less panels and add to it when we can afford it
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08 Strike G6E T. 10 Ergo G6E Sept 75 XB Falcon in mushroom beige, 3 on the tree 200cid for sale, offers in the teens |
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#1091 | |||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 3,336
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Quote:
What most solar installers do not tell you, if you add more panels you may not be able to stay on the FIT. Example in Victoria the PFIT program was 66 cent buy back which closed 30th Sep 2011. If you are on PFIT now and you want to increase the panels on your system, you will give up your PFIT and drop down to the current FIT, As of the 30th Sep this year in VIC it willbe 8 cents. It is the same in NSW also. |
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#1092 | |||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 5,048
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Quote:
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#1093 | |||
Rob
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Woodcroft S.A.
Posts: 21,536
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Quote:
i would recommend against it for another reason though. apparently inverters are most efficient when they are maxed out, so if you only have 2kw worth of panels, a 2kw inverter will be more efficient. how much that is though may not be enough to make a lot of difference. the other thing is, when i spoke to my installer, he said they had never done an 'upgrade' as its a very expensive exercise to add panels. not sure if that was just the company i used or all companies. the figure they quoted was around $900/panel. |
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#1094 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Country SA
Posts: 722
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Not very happy at the moment - got my first electricity bill since the 5kw system went on the house - they say I have averaged over 18kw/h a day from the grid [down from 22, but had the spa off and had the meter going backwards for 2 the weeks prior to the new meter being installed - yes, old type 3 phase meter actually went backwards]. Got a credit of $170 off the bill for the 600 odd kwh I fed into the system; my inverter says I made over 1200kwh in this time. Can't be right, bill of nearly $500 bucks. I'll be calling ETSA tomorrow and offending someone.
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#1095 | |||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 3,408
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Quote:
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#1096 | |||
Rob
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Woodcroft S.A.
Posts: 21,536
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Quote:
my neighbours first bill was a big one also and what had happened is the numpties come around and read the power generated as 'usage' before the smart meter goes on (or something like that). a phone call to AGL or ETSA had the error resolved so hopefully it is the same in your situation. if you were using an average of 22kwh before installing a 5kw system, then thats going to be knocking most of that out, not just 4kwh. obviously the weather in SA hasn't been fantastic but in the 10 days mine has been operational (3.8kw) its made 150kwh so i would imagine a 5kw system should be just about taking care of all your usage. |
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#1097 | |||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 3,336
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Quote:
Bascially the meter is configured for the size of the system. The meter and the inverter work together. Also your isntaller will send a thing called the EWR to your retail company. |
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#1098 | ||
Looking for clues...
![]() ![]() Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Morayfield
Posts: 23,222
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Well, after waiting nearly 11 weeks, the intallers have just left. 16x 190 watt panels are now fixed to my roof. According to the inverter, it's sending about 9.8amps back to the grid, and the old meter is spinning backwards nicely.
Apparently I've got a 3 week wait before Energex comes out to upgrade the meter, but I'm not sweating on that. I'm locked into a 44c/kwh feed in tariff for 25 years.
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2016 Ford Falcon FG/X XR6 Turbo you beaut ute 1985 XR4Ti Sierra - Build Thread 1971 Fairlane 500 and... a collection of Jeep Towpigs and... two collections of rust and some new plastic bits roughly shaped like an F-Truck and.... some spare metal bits with holes in them |
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#1099 | ||
Rob
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Woodcroft S.A.
Posts: 21,536
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good job swanny and great deal with the FIT. sounds like you'll be laughing.
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#1100 | |||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 545
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Quote:
The way electricity prices are going we'll be paying more than 44c in a few years, certainly better than 8c now though. |
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#1101 | ||
Looking for clues...
![]() ![]() Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Morayfield
Posts: 23,222
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I just checked the inverter, and it's generated about 13kw in just under four hours.
The meter, however, has only gone back 5kw. Maybe I do want Energex to put that new meter in sooner!
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2016 Ford Falcon FG/X XR6 Turbo you beaut ute 1985 XR4Ti Sierra - Build Thread 1971 Fairlane 500 and... a collection of Jeep Towpigs and... two collections of rust and some new plastic bits roughly shaped like an F-Truck and.... some spare metal bits with holes in them |
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#1102 | |||
Excessive Fuel Ingestion
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Central Queensland Coast
Posts: 1,585
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Quote:
When I did all my paperwork, there was nothing that specified this in writing. I rang Ergon, and the lady there said that the 44 cent rebate was a government thing, and not the electrical retailers. My understanding from all this is that we are at the whim of the government, and if they decide to keep their promise about the rebate or not. Only time will tell I suppose... Ed ![]()
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#1103 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 3,336
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With the 44 cent rebate you had to have all your paperwork in by the 9th of July. If you did this your buy back is locked in at 44 cents. I think you had to fill out a contract to get this.
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#1104 | ||
Looking for clues...
![]() ![]() Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Morayfield
Posts: 23,222
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Yes, I got my paperwork in before the cut-off date, I'll have to read through it all again to make sure, though.
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2016 Ford Falcon FG/X XR6 Turbo you beaut ute 1985 XR4Ti Sierra - Build Thread 1971 Fairlane 500 and... a collection of Jeep Towpigs and... two collections of rust and some new plastic bits roughly shaped like an F-Truck and.... some spare metal bits with holes in them |
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#1105 | |||
Missing a sock...
![]() ![]() Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Brisbane 4017
Posts: 8,250
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Quote:
I think our brothers down south are getting screwed though - their base cost for electricity is high, and their feed in tariffs seem to be lower than QLD. Not trying to rain on your parade swanny - it's nice to think that we will have that feed in tariff for years to come. I got a guarantee on my solar system's performance, not a guarantee on the feed in tariff. Anyway, it goes to the fact that you have solar, and you'll be saving coin in the long scheme of things! Cheers!
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Last edited by supershifty; 14-09-2012 at 09:46 PM. |
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#1106 | |||
Excessive Fuel Ingestion
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Central Queensland Coast
Posts: 1,585
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Quote:
Next for me is a real luxury that has been out of reach, air con in the lounge room. Without the million $$ cost to run it Ed ![]()
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#1107 | ||||
Rob
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Woodcroft S.A.
Posts: 21,536
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Quote:
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#1108 | |||
Looking for clues...
![]() ![]() Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Morayfield
Posts: 23,222
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Quote:
I guessed that after I posted - the inverter shows how much energy is collected, before it gets to the switchboard, where the lights and GPO's take their power from.
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2016 Ford Falcon FG/X XR6 Turbo you beaut ute 1985 XR4Ti Sierra - Build Thread 1971 Fairlane 500 and... a collection of Jeep Towpigs and... two collections of rust and some new plastic bits roughly shaped like an F-Truck and.... some spare metal bits with holes in them |
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#1109 | |||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 3,336
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Quote:
But during summer it would lower the cost if we had solar. The reason why air con can be expensive is people use the wrong air con for the house or get a wall air con that is not suited to the room. |
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#1110 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: outback S.A...hiding in a workshop
Posts: 3,513
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ah sounds like a few wins amongst us for now..........solar going up everywhere.....we just did some 4,500 kilometres around the joint (NSW, Vic and South Aus).....and everywhere we went solar was firmly entrenched
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