Future’s bright for batteries

The rebate is finally here, but watch out for the cowboys

The original Northern Beaches solar company, Solarpro, is educating & taking orders now for quality batteries that will have a price reduction from November thanks to the new Government rebates.

“We are encouraging anybody considering a battery under the government scheme to talk to us now about how it will work; come see the batteries in our Allambie Heights Showroom and fully understand the benefit of using the discount on a high quality, high-capacity battery,” said David Veal, Solarpro’s Managing Director. “We have a rapidly growing list of people wanting installations before years-end!” he added.

The Battery Rebate

The rebate will fall somewhere between $1,600 – $2,400 depending on battery efficiency and the usable capacity of the battery. It’s available from 1st November to anyone with a new or old solar system that doesn’t already have a battery. There is also a $250 to $400 incentive on offer for connecting a battery to a Virtual Power Plant.

Benefits of Batteries

A solar battery will save you money on electricity bills by storing excess solar energy produced during daylight hours for later consumption. The battery charges during the day which significantly reduces the possibility of you exporting over the 6.8kWh free export threshold and paying the 1.2c/kWh ‘Solar Tariff or tax’. If sized correctly, this means the ‘Solar Tariff’ has virtually no impact on your savings. If the battery has a ‘back-up’ facility, it will also keep your lights on in a black- out and importantly, they can improve the stability of the electricity grid.

Understand What Battery You Need

“The ‘Battery Cowboys’ are already out there,” said David. Whenever there is a new government rebate on offer, they come out of the woodwork. You will likely receive some scare tactic marketing about the doom and gloom of the ‘Solar Tax’ offering a ‘Super Cheap’ battery deal. To the untrained eye they may look like a great deal but before you mount the horse there are a few things you should understand:

1 Don’t throw away your money by installing a battery that is too small. Reviewing the hundreds of homes we have assessed over the years I’d estimate 95% of them would require a battery with a capacity of at least 10kWh minimum. The goal with a battery is to get you through the peak and shoulder periods and into the evening, so when it finally goes flat you are consuming off peak power again.

2 Batteries are priced on the useable stored kWh. What looks to be reasonable, say a battery that may be offered for $3,000, may look cheap but when you check the size it may only store 3kWh’s of energy. That works out to be $1,000/kWh which is average. The size of this battery will likely leave you very underwhelmed with buyers’ regret!

3 Understand what you are buying. Back-up is important and many batteries have it, but many don’t. Quality Back-up ensures your solar system continues to generate energy through the blackout whilst charging the battery, otherwise it will just go flat.

4 Back-up with Black Start is important. This function will automatically start your solar and charge your battery the morning after a blackout and for weeks on end in extended blackouts. Back-up alone won’t do this!

5 What is Load shifting or a Time of Use setting? This gives you the ability to charge your battery when energy is cheap so you can use it later in the day when energy is more expensive. This function can really accelerate the financial return on a battery and is a rare find on the cheaper brands of batteries. This can make up the financial return difference for spending a little extra on a larger and higher quality battery.

Range of Batteries

“We have a range of batteries available with different capacities and prices. We are happy to have an obligation free chat in our Allambie Heights showroom or at your home, to ensure you choose the battery that’s the right capacity for your circumstances and so you benefit long-term from the battery rebate. This is a great time to buy a good quality battery”. David said.

Trusted Local

Solarpro is the oldest Northern Beaches residential solar & battery company, servicing the whole of the northern Sydney region. The Company has been vetted and selected as the preferred supplier of solar and battery systems by independent third parties such as Willoughby City Council and Zero Emissions North. Solarpro was also voted the Winner of the Outstanding Service Business in the Northern Beaches Business Awards and recently won two awards from global panel manufacturer REC.