Enjoy lower energy bills

During the day when the sun is at it’s brightest the solar panels will generate energy from your roof. This energy is first used to power anything in your home – heating your spa or pool, keeping your fridge cool, powering your washing machine, and so on. This is energy that you would otherwise be paying your power provider to use from the grid. Once any solar energy that has been generated has been used in your home, any additional energy will be exported to the grid. You will be paid what is called an export credit for this excess solar energy. This export credit will appear on your monthly power bill as a credit. With Ecotricity customers enjoy a high export credit of 21c/kWh.

Seasonality also plays a part. In the Spring and Summer when there are higher sunshine hours, your home will be generating more solar energy to use in the home, or to export to the grid. Your power bill will be much lower during these high sunshine periods. During the winter months, you will need to purchase more grid energy than in summer when your solar energy system is generating more energy, as there are usually lower sunshine hours during this period. It is important to think about the savings that you can make with solar over a12-month period rather than month by month.

Avoid increasing power prices

On average, power prices increase by 3% each year in New Zealand. On average, a solar energy system decreases your reliance on the grid by 25-50% as you are using the energy generated from your panels. Coupled with earning credits from exporting any excess solar to the grid, your overall power bill will be lower.

Get a good return on investment

The initial costs to install a solar energy system will solar installation costs will quickly pay itself back. An average sized solar system will pay itself back within 7-8 years of installation. This is because the savings that you make on your power bill, by switching to solar, are offset by the initial financial outlay to install the system. A solar energy system lasts for approximately 25 years, so after the initial payback period, you can expect about a 10% return on the investment.

The benefits of battery storage

When you are researching what solar system to install in your home, it is worth thinking about a battery. With a battery you are able to store the solar energy that is being generated during the day while you are at work, to use it during the evening when you get home and while power prices are most expensive. Some battery options also provide you with the ability to have back up power. This means you can keep some parts of your home powered during a power cut – for example powering your Wi-Fi router and the lights in your kitchen.

Enjoy a low maintenance system

Once a solar energy system is installed there is almost no ongoing maintenance. This is because solar panels are installed on an angle that allows them to self-clean from the rain. It is important to keep the area that solar panels are installed on as sunny as possible, to maximise the amount of energy that is being generated. Make sure to keep trees around them trimmed and do a quick check to make sure there aren’t lots of leaves sitting on them.

Environmental impact

Solar energy is a renewable source of energy. When you move to powering your home with solar energy, you will also need to choose a grid provider to purchase any excess energy, and to sell back your excess solar energy. By choosing Ecotricity as your grid provider, you are powering your home with 100% renewable energy and removing approximately 1 tones of carbon from the environment each year by not having to do a thing. We reckon that’s an awesome benefit.