How NSW residents can save on solar batteries and power
Solar battery incentives coming into effect this week could save NSW families thousands on the devices and their electricity.
Tempe resident Darby Carr installed solar panels and a battery in his inner-city home and saw his electricity bill reduce immediately.
Carr and his partner saved up to buy the 7.2-kilowatt solar panels and 11-kilowatt battery, which on average costs $11,500.
“We’ve been loving it ever since, it’s been the best thing we ever did,” he said.
“The average winter bill would have been around $450 and $500, that is now between $40 and $85 or $90.”
The cost of a solar battery can range from anywhere between $11,400 to $15,500 for roughly around 13kWh.
Other residents could experience the same cut on electricity bills, with the state government offering a rebate program for solar battery installations.
From Friday, residents can get discounts on a battery installation if they already have solar panels installed, or they can get a combined discount on solar panels and a battery installation.
The state government is offering the incentive to accredited suppliers, which will then be passed on to homeowners when they go with a local solar installer.
The discounts range from $770 to $1150 for a 6.5kWh battery and $1600 to $2400 for a 13.5 kWh battery.
It only applies to batteries with storage of two to 28 kilowatts.
The hope is that residents install a solar battery at a discounted rate to take pressure off the power grid.
Minister for Energy Penny Sharpe said the program is open to anyone looking to switch to solar.
“Shop around and get a quote but it’s open to anyone who is looking to install a battery.”
Even with the discounts, solar batteries are still expensive to install. But experts say as more solar batteries come on the market residents are seeing a return on their investment much sooner.
“We’ve got the arrival on the market of a whole heap of quality but much cheaper batteries, so really the rebate is the icing on the cake,” Gavin Gilchrist from Inner West Community Energy said.
“Somewhere between 10 and 15 kilowatt hours will be more than enough.”