Your Complete Guide to Residential Solar Systems
Amongst rising inflation, installing solar panels is one of the most effective ways homeowners in Sydney are using to keep household bills low.
But while investing in clean and affordable energy is thrilling, understanding the ins-and-outs of new technology can seem like a lot to stomach.
Our experts at Solar System Pty. Ltd., have put together a guide for everything you’ll need to consider, expect and look forward to when it comes to your new small-scale solar system.
Answers to Your Common Questions About Solar
How much of a difference am I making in reducing the carbon impact?
How much can I save with a solar system?
A 5kW system can save homeowners up to $500 on their quarterly energy bills, provided they use all the power it generates. Our installers therefore generally recommend solar to homeowners who receive a quarterly energy bill of at least $350-500, as they will get the most benefit from these savings on costs.
For a better estimate, based both on your location and energy usage habits, we recommend contacting one of our installers for a free assessment and quote.
What’s an inverter?
A solar inverter converts solar energy gathered by your panels into electricity that your household and electrical grid can use. Every solar energy system needs one.
However, the same can’t be said for solar batteries, which store the excess power that panels generate.
Many homeowners already find it beneficial using their electricity during daylight hours. Nonetheless, we believe most – if not all – people can benefit from installing a solar battery.
Solar batteries allow you to use the electricity generated from solar panels at night. It’s one of the many ways homes and businesses are gaining energy independence. And we believe solar will be a large part of how Australia will switch entirely over to clean energy in the future.
If I’m planning to move homes soon, am I wasting my time?
Some homeowners become concerned that they will lose out on the value they get for their solar panels when they move out or sell the home. However, studies have shown that a solar system installation actually raises the value of a property on the market.
The new homeowners of the property can easily continue using solar energy, and who doesn’t like the sound of reducing their household costs? In a study by Origin Energy, 57% of participants reported that they would shell out up to $10,00 more for a home with solar power. So even if you aren’t certain of how long you’d like to reside in your current home, you can still greatly reap the benefits now when installing a solar system.
Find out more in one of our blogs: How can solar energy boost the value of your property?
How to Consider if Solar is Suitable For Your Home
- Inspect the condition of your roof
Solar panel systems are a rooftop installation. So, before any solar panels can go up there, you need to ensure that your roof is in good condition. This will help prevent you from wasting time and money on installing, un-installing and then reinstalling your panels if you will shortly require a new roof.
Your roof should be strong, have no leaks and should be able to support your new solar panels. It can be dangerous if too much weight is put on your roof which it cannot support. It could cause some damage to the structure, to the panels or possibly collapse your roof. For a weaker roof, additional supports can be installed to strengthen your roof’s load bearing capacity before an installation.
How do I check my roof’s condition?
If you aren’t sure about the condition of your roof, our solar installers at Solar System Pty Ltd. can arrange a free visit to inspect your roof to recommend whether you should take any action first before installing a solar energy system.
- Measure the slope or tilt of your roof
The slope or tilt of your roof plays a big factor in how effectively your panels pick up solar energy and generate power.
20 to 30 degrees is generally considered the optimum amount of slope for maximum output. In Australia, most houses have a roof that falls within these measures, so most likely you have nothing to worry about here. However, having a roof of at least 10 degrees is recommended to allow rainwater and falling debris to slide off your solar panels for self-cleaning.
In the cases of a flat roof, or a marginal slope, our solar installers can also add a tilting frame to maximize the efficiency of your solar panels.
- How much sun does your location get?
If you live in a sunny location, you will benefit the most out of your solar systems.
The amount of sunlight your location can expect will also determine just how much of an output your panels can provide. As well as whether your house would benefit more from thermal, or light based PV cells.
So, if you are looking to do more research yourself for how suitable an installation would be, get information on how sunny your area is. Also check out if there are any shadow overcast from surrounding structures, as this can impact lighting too.
Solar System Maintenance
You’ve probably asked: “what can I expect to be different about my day to day?”
The good news when installing a solar system is that it generally takes care of itself. There’s nothing generally that you need to do differently when you are using solar power.
However, if you don’t also have a solar battery installed, we would recommend that you would get the best benefit out of your solar system if you focus most of your electricity usage during daylight hours.
When it comes to maintenance, you can also rest easy knowing that it is a task that you don’t have to perform too often. Solar panels are mostly self-cleaning. Created with a strong non-porous surface and installed with a tilt, you can trust that rainwater and gravity will do most of the cleaning for your panels. For the best results however, we would still recommend hiring professionals or cleaning your panels yourself with the right gear once every 2 years. You should also hire a solar technician to every 5 years to inspect and check that everything is in order.
For more information on how to safely clean your solar panels, read more information here: Top 3 things you need to know about solar panel cleaning.
Inspections and Paperwork
Whenever you are making a major change to the home, you can rightfully expect that will be some steps that need to be taken beforehand.
However, a good solar installer will take care of arranging all appointments and handling the paperwork, so you won’t have to.
At Solar System Pty. Ltd., we’ll also take care of all of the paperwork to get your system approved, as well as the money-back incentives from current solar rebates.
The Experts in Solar Energy Systems
Solar System Pty. Ltd. are able to provide all the solutions you need for a proficient energy system. Our solar installers will look after all your requirements for your solar system from start to finish.
We’re offering all home owners a free solar assessment to assist people across Sydney with understanding how their household can benefit from their own clean energy system, based on their location and usage. Call 1800 975 270, or email [email protected].