Recommend Solar Panels For Home

OzBoganYeah on 12/09/2018 - 10:37
Last edited 12/09/2018 - 15:28

Hi I'm interested in installing some solar panels to help reduce the electricity bill. I've done a bit of research but am still undecided and don't know which company/brand to choose (Vic). Are there any special rebates/offers? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Things I would like to know;
- Best brand/company?
- Bad/worse company to avoid?
- Any good offers/rebates currently available?
- If you have solar panels, what brand/company are they and how long have you had them for?
- Anything else I should know about solar panels?

I found these but not sure if it's available now https://www.premier.vic.gov.au/cutting-power-bills-with-sola… http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-08-19/victorians-to-get-half…

edit: Aside from offers/rebates, when is the best time to buy (month/season)? And are there any companies are offer free quotes (e.g. they come to your house to access and give an estimate)?

Home & Garden

Comments

  • GG57 on 12/09/2018 - 10:49

    As you are in Victoria, you should be aware of the recent Labour Party announcements:
    - support for home owners for the installation of solar panels; or
    - support for home owners for the installation of solar hot water heaters; or
    - support for home owners (with existing solar panels) for the installation of a battery storage unit.

    Conditions apply to each of those, and only one can be selected. I suppose the responsibility lies with the home owner to determine which is the best for them.

    I'm unsure if this is yet in place, or are just policy announcements leading up to the election on 24 November, but I won't be rushing into related decisions until I can find all the facts.

    • OzBoganYeah on 13/09/2018 - 07:55

      Thanks, hopefully I won't need to wait so long to find all the facts. I can't really find anything online.

  • w0mbat on 12/09/2018 - 10:51
    +1

    Hey,
    more reading :)
    https://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies.cfm?t=2746783 VIC specific
    https://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum/143?g=371 more general reading about inverters/panels installers ect.

    Going through the same as you but in WA.

    —Steve

    • OzBoganYeah on 12/09/2018 - 15:28

      Thank you for the links.

  • peterpeterpumpkin on 12/09/2018 - 12:31

    Sorry to hijack, but does anyone here know of economical solar panel setups fro vans?

  • Diji1 on 12/09/2018 - 13:03
    -3

    Are you going to continue to vote for the two parties that drove electricity prices so high with privatisation that purchasing a generation plant makes more sense than buying electricity? You have lost so much money because of this.

    • GG57 on 12/09/2018 - 13:25

      No-one has raised politics in this.
      My point is that the current government has announced a range of policies that OP should be aware of, in relation to the advice they are seeking.
      If the major opposition party had announced any related policy, I would have mentioned that.

    • Baysew on 12/09/2018 - 13:26
      +2

      If you tell us which party to vote for we can stop voting for the "two parties"

    • OzBoganYeah on 12/09/2018 - 15:30

      I didn't vote for either of the two preferred parties but I do agree with you with the outrageous prices. Electricity bills are way too expensive.

      • Euphemistic on 17/09/2018 - 16:03

        Electricity bills are way too expensive.

        How much are yours? I don’t think ours are outrageously expensive compared to what some people pay, but wouldn’t complain if prices came down. For a lot of those that pay ridiculous electricity bills, they could probably benefit by cutting consumption. On the comparison table on the bill our family of 5 seem to use less the same as an average 2 person household.

  • 0FoxGiven on 12/09/2018 - 20:02
    +1

    Rebate is only for those with a household income of up to 180k right?

  • bargain_knight on 17/09/2018 - 15:26

    Hi-

    I too am researching and am looking for the same answers to the questions above. I think there are a lot of dodgey companies around so we need to watch out.

    My 2cents:

    1) Warranties are worthless as companies just phoenix;
    2) Companies that seem reputable are at least $2k more expensive than cheaper companies. Is the price difference worth it?
    3) Decided on Jinko or Longi budget panels;
    4) Decided on premium Fronius inverter;
    5) Looks like "Hello Solar" had a deal posted on Ozbargain, where similar system is $5,250. Not sure if I trust this mob.
    6) Solargain who have good whirlpool rap are quoting $6,250 for the same system. I.e. 6.6kw.

    Any further feedback from others would be great. Has anyone had any good experiences with any solar companies?

    • iand on 17/09/2018 - 18:55

      don't forget you should get the Vic Gov $2225 rebate making a good company a bit more affordable

  • Talos2005 on 21/09/2018 - 13:32

    Any thoughts on Solar Edge?
    They claim that their product is basically the rollsroyce of Solar Panels?

  • XyCo on 09/01/2019 - 14:42
    +1

    @OzBoganYeah. I'm looking at this now. Interested to know which solar company and system you ended up using and how was the experience/service?

    • Zenith2k3 on 18/05/2019 - 11:28

      likewise. I'm going through this process now, and what freaks me out is that the companies just disappear, making your warranty worthless.

      • brendanm on 18/05/2019 - 22:57
        +1

        Word of mouth, use companies that people you know have used years ago. Ask people in your street who they used if they've had solar for years.

  • chuneeperformance on 18/05/2019 - 23:05

    Just stay away from cowboy companies like Captain green solar. There installers they use are very dodgy, cut corners, waste your time rectifying their mistakes and at times are not CEC accredited

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