By Evolution Solar Sunshine Coast

With so many new properties being built and more land being cleared for housing on the Sunshine Coast, it is great to see that a fair amount of new houses install solar power. However, we have spotted a few issues and it struck us that people are just not getting the right advice. ‘Salesmen’ are getting the better of people and getting the ‘easy sell’ and not doing right by the customer. Here are a few tips and explanations to help you understand and build right.

We are left scratching our heads at some of the new houses we have come across. Most new builds are three or four bedroom homes built for families and usually have three or more people moving into them. They are installing a 1.5kW solar system and using cheaper lights that are not energy efficient. New homes of this size are more than likely going to need a bigger solar system on their roof to accommodate for their power usage. It is more costly to install a second system than it would be install a bigger system first time around. Using inefficient lights is further exacerbating the issue and making their power bills unnecessarily high not to mention the wasted money spent on the wrong products.

New builds are eligible to apply to Energex for the current 8c feed-in tariff. This means, once the house is built and the solar power has been installed, any excess power the solar system produces (after it has serviced the house) will be exported to the grid. Owners will be paid 8c per kilowatt hour for this excess power. In order to make the most of this deal, we recommend to our customers that they install solar panels on their eastern and western roofs. These means their system will power up with the early morning sun and produce power for them to use when they wake up and make their breakfast. It also means the system will absorb all the late afternoon sun and produce as much power as possible for as long as possible. With the 8c feed-in tariff, customers should be trying to use as much of their own electricity generated by their solar system rather than buy from the grid at a more expensive rate. Installing on the eastern and western roofs will maximise the generation time of their system.

Then we have come across a few visually unappealing issues as well. These do not necessarily affect the running of the solar system but in our minds, it shows poor execution, low standards and gives the industry a bad name. Finishing touches are important even though the actual working of the system stays the same. These include, making sure the panels are straight, hiding the isolators at the end of the row of panels so they are not visible from the road and making sure the rails have been trimmed to size to name a few. Different panels have different installation guidelines and if these are not followed, it could cause the warranty to be void. Installation is important and can cause serious problems if it is not carried out by experienced professionals.

Before building, it is important to get the right advice from the right people. Don’t let ‘salesmen’ push you to buy their product without explaining and making sure it is right for you and your situation. The following points need to be considered carefully;

1. Install the correct hot water system. Make sure it will service the number of people living in the house and it is energy efficient. Bear in mind, that solar hot water systems will have to boost (with electricity or gas) on overcast or rainy days which can increase the running costs.

2. Install efficient lightings. LED lighting would be the best choice. Wide angle 45 degree lights would give off the best light, however there are less costly energy efficient globes that could also be used.

3. If a pool is going to be installed, make sure to leave it on the normal tariff 11 (only for homes on the 8c feed-in tariff) so that the pool runs of electricity produced by the solar system. If pool heating is out of the budget to begin with, make sure the pool is built with solar provisions so that it is easier to install in the future.

Don’t be fooled by salesmen who try and sell you cheaper products that offer ‘short term gain and long term pain.’ The only one who pays the price for it is you. Do the research now and reap the rewards for years to come.