Is it worth getting solar battery systems yet?
The cost benefit of batteries
This is a difficult question to answer. The best ‘bang for your buck’ is a regular grid connect system which significantly reduces your electricity bill and is the least cost option.
To determine the cost benefit of a system to your situation we calculate the ‘pay back period’. This means that we look at your billing history and predict how much money the solar will reduce your bills by. Once we know what you will save each year we work out how long those savings will take to pay for the solar system installed.
With grid connect systems we generally find pay back periods of between 1.5 and 3 years. When we do the same calculator for a battery system the pay back period is more likely to be closer to five years. This has come down over the last few years and it is now cost effective to add batteries although the bang for your buck is not quite as attractive as a grid connect only option.
There are other advantages of batteries such as limited electrical supply during a power outage. One of the most common mistakes made by salespeople is to suggest that having batteries will allow full power during a grid outage. This is rarely the case with most battery systems only capable of limited power supply during a grid outage. You may be able to have your lights on and fridges or TV running but it is not likely you will be able to run a large aircon or hot water system or any other large electrical appliance such as ovens and large pumps.
We suggest having a generator on standby as well.
Solar Battery System Rebates for Qld
If you want to go completely off grid which means you are using batteries to store your power, the you would need approximately 15000 kw battery storage which start around $20,000. Both these basic estimates do not include the rebates available.
The current solar rebate how closed but we hope the government will announce a new rebate soon. The previou rebate was based on how many panels you have and we presume any future rbates would be similiar. You were allowed to add panels over and above the inverter capacity (up to 33% more). This means that if you have a 5kW inverter, the rebate covers most of the cost of adding an additional 1.6kW to bring it up to 6.6kW total. To find out the current rebates for QLD you can visit the government website here
To apply for the battery rebate, you needed to meet the criteria and apply and be approved before you buy the system or engage an installer as you need to use an installer form the approved list to be eligible for the rebate. Yes we are on the list.
We will keep you posted and advise if and when they release another rebate.
