Just recieved my power bill for the last 3 months, and was a bit shocked!How do they expect me to apay the huge amount of 5 cents! I think I will send them a cheque.I have my own grid connect system, and sell power back to Ergon at 44c a kilowatt hour.The bill also includes my ambulance fee of $27 a quarter, which the panels also paid. I think I will frame the bill.
Has new SP system......suppose to get 44cents + 8 cents from AGL....not got bill yet.only had it on a month
bill12 said
02:06 PM Sep 15, 2011
Had mine for 12months or so, and am making about $2.60 a day through the panels, and using about the same. Good, Eh.Ergon have been putting their own panels on peoples roofs, and getting all the power , and giving nothing back. They are using private house roofs as their own power generaters, and giving nothing back. I have private panels.
Gerty Dancer said
04:06 PM Sep 15, 2011
Goodonya Bill!!
We had approval to put panels on the roof of our house in Canberra, but it is shaded most of the time by big street trees. No we cant get the trees removed or pruned so we still have big power bills, even worse because its so cold under those bl**dy trees!
BobnBev said
04:07 PM Sep 15, 2011
Sounds good Bill, what size set up do you have , been thinking about doing the same. Not letting the power comp. do the install but paying cash and go from there. Even if it just pays for what we use... do you live there for most of the time or are you on the road a little....
bill12 said
04:19 PM Sep 15, 2011
I have a 1.54kw system which cost me $2000 with the feds paying the rest . Its 9 , 170w panels on my roof which points to the north. Which is what you want if you want the best outcome.Am very happy with the system, and the bill shows the system works. What price do you get in other states for power sold back to the system? QLD its 44c a kw/hr. I hope they don,t change it as it seems to work for me.Bill
Douglas said
05:27 PM Sep 15, 2011
Just make sure you pay it before the due date. You don't wanna go on the defaulters list and have the power cut off.
Doug
bill12 said
05:39 PM Sep 15, 2011
Mate, given half the chance, I would go for a stand alone system, and would disconect from the grid.I would also live on rain water, but the council, and Ergon, won,t let me.9x 170w equals a lot of power, and I own the panels.How much are 1.2v Telecom batterys? By the way, Douglas, I would pay to see the coyote ring the roadrunners neck.........
-- Edited by bill12 on Thursday 15th of September 2011 05:42:55 PM
Smokeydk said
06:59 PM Sep 15, 2011
Bill.....I have a 1.5kw system....6x250 watt panels.got them through Cool or Cosy....SA.....cost $5,000..with digital inverter
Beth54 said
07:25 PM Sep 15, 2011
My landlord just got the panels put on the roof a couple of weeks ago. Looking forward to no power bills, hopefully.
A tree next door is partly shading it too, but he's on good terms with them, so they may let him cut the top off when he returns from holidays.
petengail said
07:30 PM Sep 15, 2011
Jeez Bill its lovely to hear someone say something positive about the Labor government, didnt think it would be you though lol.. I am waiting to see how much diffference my solar panels will make to my bill. They only came on stream 3 weeks before we got back from 10 weeks away recently and our bill was 30 odd dollars - money well spent I say. I think mine cost me about $2400 fitted and my next door neighbour who is a solar guy did the installation.
bill12 said
07:53 PM Sep 15, 2011
A mob from Maleny called ECOTEC did mine, and I think they lost money, cause they won,t come back to Mag.is. I think all new houses should have panels mandatory, at the risk of being thought a rabid Greenie.I think the power companys would have a fit, but it would be good for the enviroment. By the way, Ecotec was sold to the chinese..........
pauline said
07:55 PM Sep 15, 2011
I agree if you are building a new house it is a must do
Sheba said
09:51 PM Sep 15, 2011
I don't know why you wouldn't be able to have a stand-alone system Bill. Surely they can't force you to have their electricity ?
I'll have to look up my old Grass Roots Mags when I have time. [A bit busy for the next 4 or 5 days.] I remember a guy who had his whole house on Solar way back then, and he was only using Car Batteries for storage.
Apparantly it's pretty simple to make your own Solar Panels as well. Got the instructions for that somewhere too.
Jackie French, who writes for Earth Garden Mag, and has written numerous books for "Greenies", has been on total Solar for years. Long before Government subsidies etc. If I remember rightly, it was in the early '90's that they went total Solar.
I have always argued that it does not have to be outrageously expensive, and I still believe that to be the case.
Cheers,
Sheba.
-- Edited by Sheba on Thursday 15th of September 2011 09:58:58 PM
Cruising Granny said
10:14 PM Sep 15, 2011
The Labour Govt isn't doing it. The private sector is doing it. If the electric mob is using private roof space for their power generation they should be paying to lease space their using. The problem is every dollar you save, costs those without solar or the capability to install solar, eg renters, twice as much. It's a shocking system since privatisation. Good for you getting the benefits It's good to hear a good news story for a change.
DandS said
04:30 PM Sep 16, 2011
bill12 wrote:
I have a 1.54kw system which cost me $2000 with the feds paying the rest . Its 9 , 170w panels on my roof which points to the north. Which is what you want if you want the best outcome.Am very happy with the system, and the bill shows the system works. What price do you get in other states for power sold back to the system? QLD its 44c a kw/hr. I hope they don,t change it as it seems to work for me.Bill
We have a 1.5kw, We are paid 66c for each Kw it produces, and then get to buy it back for only 17.5c per Kw. NSW.
Daryl
bill12 said
07:33 PM Sep 16, 2011
I will have to move to NSW.Actually, I am thinking of buying some land nr Tathra to spend the summer. Summers hear are hot and humid.Why do they pay you more for the power than us?Its them damn politicians, I bet.What really pisses me off is 4x gold is cheaper in NSW! BUGGA.
snapper49 said
08:05 PM Sep 16, 2011
like mine better last one they owed me $75
DandS said
08:56 PM Sep 16, 2011
bill12 wrote:
I will have to move to NSW.Actually, I am thinking of buying some land nr Tathra to spend the summer. Summers hear are hot and humid.Why do they pay you more for the power than us?Its them damn politicians, I bet.What really pisses me off is 4x gold is cheaper in NSW! BUGGA.
Former govt stupidity I guess. At the time anyone that had solar or had signed a contract prior to somewhere around Oct last year would receive the greater buy back amount, after that date it is only 40 cents per KW.The current Govt was going to cut it back to 40 cents for people prior to Oct but people were getting angry so they done an about face (as govts do). We also had a number of options to buy back power. One was a choice of three different rates over a 24 hour period. Peak time would cost us about 38 cents per KW. After some rough calculations we decided to stay at the flat rate of 17.5 cents per Kw for anytime of the day. Seems a good deal: Buy it back for about a 1/4 of the price you sold it for.
Bloody confusing
-- Edited by DandS on Friday 16th of September 2011 08:59:10 PM
maryfairy said
06:29 AM Sep 17, 2011
for comparason ... I have a 2 kw system, I use about $120-$160 power a quater and I get back a minimum of $100 quater from ergon on top of what I use...... I actually own my system... Some crowd from brisbane came up and installed mine... they were fast and efficent and my system works well... Where as My daughter and her husband are having quite a different experience that you need to be aware of... they have what they thought (&they did ) pay for a 1.5 system which now turns out to be a 1kw system... that only generates $11 worth of power a quater.... the installers have all the answers ..ha... so my kids got an independant guy out to assess it.. who pointed out it was a 1kw system.. the wiring is too light so doesn't carry the current back to the grid efficiently and the system is set up wrong... she keeps getting the run around wherever she goes no one wants to know... apparently other people who my daughter had also helped to get solar from this company have gone out and bore the cost to have the system fixed themselves... I think there should be a govt enquiry into this but the govt doesn't want another scandal... this company is called FREE SOLAR... ha
_wombat_ said
07:06 AM Sep 17, 2011
snapper49 wrote:
like mine better last one they owed me $75
Are you aware that if you are a pensioner, centrelink want to know how much you get from electric company as it counts against your income
_wombat_ said
07:12 AM Sep 17, 2011
maryfairy wrote:
for comparason ... I have a 2 kw system, I use about $120-$160 power a quater and I get back a minimum of $100 quater from ergon on top of what I use...... I actually own my system... Some crowd from brisbane came up and installed mine... they were fast and efficent and my system works well... Where as My daughter and her husband are having quite a different experience that you need to be aware of... they have what they thought (&they did ) pay for a 1.5 system which now turns out to be a 1kw system... that only generates $11 worth of power a quater.... the installers have all the answers ..ha... so my kids got an independant guy out to assess it.. who pointed out it was a 1kw system.. the wiring is too light so doesn't carry the current back to the grid efficiently and the system is set up wrong... she keeps getting the run around wherever she goes no one wants to know... apparently other people who my daughter had also helped to get solar from this company have gone out and bore the cost to have the system fixed themselves... I think there should be a govt enquiry into this but the govt doesn't want another scandal... this company is called FREE SOLAR... ha
Contact the ACCC asap on 1300 302 502 and act on your consumer rights, they will advise you what to do.
Your daughter has p[aid for a 1.5 system and can prove that she has a 1 kw system then she has rights that can be addressed.
_wombat_ said
07:13 AM Sep 17, 2011
bill12 PM sent
herbie said
10:09 PM Feb 25, 2013
Must agree with you regarding in what you said, re solar goverment rip off.In the end no one wins with the way the system has been set up. St the end of the day we still all pay the brunt of another goverment stuff up.
03_troopy said
02:53 AM Feb 26, 2013
bill12 wrote:
I will have to move to NSW.Actually, I am thinking of buying some land nr Tathra to spend the summer. Summers hear are hot and humid.Why do they pay you more for the power than us?Its them damn politicians, I bet.What really pisses me off is 4x gold is cheaper in NSW! BUGGA.
That's cos it's only good for rinsing the driveway off..
Delta18 said
04:16 AM Feb 26, 2013
I had a 1.5kw system fitted when we built this house in mid 2011 for $2500 with Govt rebate..
Haven't had to pay a bill since then and they now owe me 200 odd $.
Our bills in WA went form quarterly to 2 monthly (sixthly???) some time back but the accounting supply charge wasn't reduced but thats another story.
Our sixthly bill went from $150 - 180 to now being in credit. Gotta love that.
We are selling power for $0.484 and paying $0.226
Cheers Neil
Gerty Dancer said
10:30 AM Feb 26, 2013
bill12 wrote:
I will have to move to NSW.Actually, I am thinking of buying some land nr Tathra to spend the summer. Summers hear are hot and humid.Why do they pay you more for the power than us?Its them damn politicians, I bet.What really pisses me off is 4x gold is cheaper in NSW! BUGGA.
Dont do it for the solar buy-back rate Bill!!! We just moved to NSW, enquired about solar power, only to discover the buy-back rate for new installations is zero. thats right zero! . You generate power in the middle of the day, it goes into the grid, and they dont pay you for it. Then in the evening when you are cooking, heating, lights on, and using electricity you pay the going rate. I've checked with a couple of electricity supply/billing companies, would love to hear this isnt true. Why would you bother spending so much to put solar panels up when they take what you generate without even a thank you. How can this be? At the very least what you generate should be taken off your bill! The excuse is that it was too expensive, funded by the state gov't and they cant afford it.
The solar hot-water system works well though, saves money nicely.
-- Edited by Gerty Dancer on Tuesday 26th of February 2013 10:31:59 AM
Delta18 said
07:41 PM Feb 26, 2013
Gerty Dancer wrote:
bill12 wrote:
I will have to move to NSW.Actually, I am thinking of buying some land nr Tathra to spend the summer. Summers hear are hot and humid.Why do they pay you more for the power than us?Its them damn politicians, I bet.What really pisses me off is 4x gold is cheaper in NSW! BUGGA.
Dont do it for the solar buy-back rate Bill!!! We just moved to NSW, enquired about solar power, only to discover the buy-back rate for new installations is zero. thats right zero! . You generate power in the middle of the day, it goes into the grid, and they dont pay you for it. Then in the evening when you are cooking, heating, lights on, and using electricity you pay the going rate. I've checked with a couple of electricity supply/billing companies, would love to hear this isnt true. Why would you bother spending so much to put solar panels up when they take what you generate without even a thank you. How can this be? At the very least what you generate should be taken off your bill! The excuse is that it was too expensive, funded by the state gov't and they cant afford it.
The solar hot-water system works well though, saves money nicely.
-- Edited by Gerty Dancer on Tuesday 26th of February 2013 10:31:59 AM
I think you will find that when one is generating power the power not used in the house is going into the grid but the meter is in effect running backwards so you do really get full saving benefit from it, just no cash.
Gerty Dancer said
08:37 PM Feb 26, 2013
Didnt think of that, will do more research... thanks Neil and Lynne!
Just recieved my power bill for the last 3 months, and was a bit shocked!How do they expect me to apay the huge amount of 5 cents! I think I will send them a cheque.I have my own grid connect system, and sell power back to Ergon at 44c a kilowatt hour.The bill also includes my ambulance fee of $27 a quarter, which the panels also paid. I think I will frame the bill.
We had approval to put panels on the roof of our house in Canberra, but it is shaded most of the time by big street trees. No we cant get the trees removed or pruned so we still have big power bills, even worse because its so cold under those bl**dy trees!
Doug
Mate, given half the chance, I would go for a stand alone system, and would disconect from the grid.I would also live on rain water, but the council, and Ergon, won,t let me.9x 170w equals a lot of power, and I own the panels.How much are 1.2v Telecom batterys? By the way, Douglas, I would pay to see the coyote ring the roadrunners neck.........
-- Edited by bill12 on Thursday 15th of September 2011 05:42:55 PM
My landlord just got the panels put on the roof a couple of weeks ago. Looking forward to no power bills, hopefully.
A tree next door is partly shading it too, but he's on good terms with them, so they may let him cut the top off when he returns from holidays.
I don't know why you wouldn't be able to have a stand-alone system Bill. Surely they can't force you to have their electricity ?
I'll have to look up my old Grass Roots Mags when I have time. [A bit busy for the next 4 or 5 days.] I remember a guy who had his whole house on Solar way back then, and he was only using Car Batteries for storage.
Apparantly it's pretty simple to make your own Solar Panels as well. Got the instructions for that somewhere too.
Jackie French, who writes for Earth Garden Mag, and has written numerous books for "Greenies", has been on total Solar for years. Long before Government subsidies etc. If I remember rightly, it was in the early '90's that they went total Solar.
I have always argued that it does not have to be outrageously expensive, and I still believe that to be the case.
Cheers,
Sheba.
-- Edited by Sheba on Thursday 15th of September 2011 09:58:58 PM
If the electric mob is using private roof space for their power generation they should be paying to lease space their using.
The problem is every dollar you save, costs those without solar or the capability to install solar, eg renters, twice as much.
It's a shocking system since privatisation.
Good for you getting the benefits It's good to hear a good news story for a change.
We have a 1.5kw, We are paid 66c for each Kw it produces, and then get to buy it back for only 17.5c per Kw. NSW.
Daryl
Former govt stupidity I guess. At the time anyone that had solar or had signed a contract prior to somewhere around Oct last year would receive the greater buy back amount, after that date it is only 40 cents per KW.The current Govt was going to cut it back to 40 cents for people prior to Oct but people were getting angry so they done an about face (as govts do). We also had a number of options to buy back power. One was a choice of three different rates over a 24 hour period. Peak time would cost us about 38 cents per KW. After some rough calculations we decided to stay at the flat rate of 17.5 cents per Kw for anytime of the day. Seems a good deal: Buy it back for about a 1/4 of the price you sold it for.
Bloody confusing
-- Edited by DandS on Friday 16th of September 2011 08:59:10 PM
Where as My daughter and her husband are having quite a different experience that you need to be aware of... they have what they thought (&they did ) pay for a 1.5 system which now turns out to be a 1kw system... that only generates $11 worth of power a quater.... the installers have all the answers ..ha... so my kids got an independant guy out to assess it.. who pointed out it was a 1kw system.. the wiring is too light so doesn't carry the current back to the grid efficiently and the system is set up wrong... she keeps getting the run around wherever she goes no one wants to know... apparently other people who my daughter had also helped to get solar from this company have gone out and bore the cost to have the system fixed themselves... I think there should be a govt enquiry into this but the govt doesn't want another scandal... this company is called FREE SOLAR... ha
Are you aware that if you are a pensioner, centrelink want to know how much you get from electric company as it counts against your income
Contact the ACCC asap on 1300 302 502 and act on your consumer rights, they will advise you what to do.
Your daughter has p[aid for a 1.5 system and can prove that she has a 1 kw system then she has rights that can be addressed.
bill12 PM sent
Must agree with you regarding in what you said, re solar goverment rip off.In the end no one wins with the way the system has been set up. St the end of the day we still all pay the brunt of another goverment stuff up.
That's cos it's only good for rinsing the driveway off..
I had a 1.5kw system fitted when we built this house in mid 2011 for $2500 with Govt rebate..
Haven't had to pay a bill since then and they now owe me 200 odd $.
Our bills in WA went form quarterly to 2 monthly (sixthly???) some time back but the accounting supply charge wasn't reduced but thats another story.
Our sixthly bill went from $150 - 180 to now being in credit. Gotta love that.
We are selling power for $0.484 and paying $0.226
Cheers Neil
Dont do it for the solar buy-back rate Bill!!! We just moved to NSW, enquired about solar power, only to discover the buy-back rate for new installations is zero. thats right zero!
. You generate power in the middle of the day, it goes into the grid, and they dont pay you for it. Then in the evening when you are cooking, heating, lights on, and using electricity you pay the going rate. I've checked with a couple of electricity supply/billing companies, would love to hear this isnt true. Why would you bother spending so much to put solar panels up when they take what you generate without even a thank you. How can this be? At the very least what you generate should be taken off your bill! The excuse is that it was too expensive, funded by the state gov't and they cant afford it. 
The solar hot-water system works well though, saves money nicely.
-- Edited by Gerty Dancer on Tuesday 26th of February 2013 10:31:59 AM
I think you will find that when one is generating power the power not used in the house is going into the grid but the meter is in effect running backwards so you do really get full saving benefit from it, just no cash.