Saw this article about ShineHub in today's paper about a "fixed rate, free access" scheme to have a solar panel system.
What are your thoughts on schemes like this, where they give you the solar system for free, but you have to buy the electricity the system produces from the scheme provider at a fixed rate?
Not sure I like the idea of signing a 20 year contract.
The company pays investors or borrows money to buy the panels, then puts them on the roof and charges you for power.
If they make a profit, you could get a better outcome yourself.
EDIT: I mean, you can go rent a washing machine, or go to the laundromat, but the most wise financial choice for most people is to buy a machine.
Their quoted charge for Victoria is 18c per Kwh - I am with Alinta and only pay 16.4c per Kwh (after pay on time discount)
There was a mob in QLD a few years back who were doing systems for $1 with these 20+ year long contracts. Same idea as this really, they make money from your excess generation and always cover your bill (up to a set amount of KWH) per quarter.
But the price of electricity is fixed, or at least, that it what I understood. I like this idea.
20 years is a long time but I reckon this kind of scheme will eventually become the norm.