Now more and more families have installed solar panels. This new gadget is a long-term investment, and it must be profitable in the long run. However, since the initial investment will be relatively large, it must be considered clearly. I don't know much about the price of the solar panels themselves, but according to some household summary, the installation costs range from thousands to tens of thousands due to power and brand prices, and then the average break even point is five to ten years. In other words, it will take at least five years to fully recover the cost.
Second, from the initial contact with the installation of solar panels to finally see the solar credit on the billing process is very time-consuming, no matter how the solar installation companies brag, one step can not be saved, usually one to two months, It was a very smooth situation. The details are as follows:
1. Determine the installation company and install the installation company to install the solar panel and the solar inverter.
2. About a week or so, the installation company will send another person to the on-site test to determine that there is no problem to complete the installation of the solar energy, some of which are very important, including the EWR (Electrical Work Request), the CES (Certificate of Electrical Safety) and the PV Form or the Network Agreement, respectively. The full name is the Solar Generator Connection Form. The three tables must be sent by your installer to your billing company. It is important to note that your billing company can only call and contact you for the next steps if you have received these documents before you can contact you for the next steps. It's very common for installers to have the wrong retails, or it's time to forget it.
3.After receiving your files, the billing company will call you and ask you what kind of feed in tariff, you want, because every time the solar energy is attractive, the billing company (in fact, on behalf of goverment) will pay a certain amount of money to buy it back, because every time the solar energy is attractive, the billing company will pay a certain amount of money to buy it back. Now there are two types of tariff, that are two kinds of buy-back prices. One is called TFIT (Transitional Feed in Tariff), which is actually a downgrade version of the previous Premium Feed in Tariff. If you choose the TFIT, there will be a 25c return for every kilowatt of electricity generated by the TFIT, and the other is called Standard Feed in Tariff,. Just a different name for the previous General Feed in Tariff,. The rebate price for this SFIT is not fixed, it is a return at 1:1, that is, if your current electricity price is 20c per kilowatt-hour, then the rebate price is also 20c. It sounds like TFIT is better, but it doesn't. Different situations have different choices, and I'll explain it later.
4. Next, the billing company will usually mail you two different plan applications after they call you, sometimes without even calling and sending them directly to you. The next thing to do is to decide which Tariff, you want. Sign the information on the corresponding application form and send it back to the billing company, which will formally submit your application in the system, called Raise Solar Service Order Request, after the billing company receives the form. In fact, the detailed information about your solar installation is submitted to your corresponding power supplier.
5. After the power supplier receives the bill from the company's Request, they will send someone to your house to replace the existing meter with a solar meter, or if you already have a smart metre, you usually just need a re-program, but sometimes it will be a bit weaker. Some families already have smart metre, but because of the model problem, they still have to change the meter, resulting in extra expenses. In short, the purpose of the meter is to read out the electricity produced by your solar panel on the inverter, because as mentioned earlier, Only the meters belong to the power company, which means that when they read the meters later, they can get the electricity consumption and production of your home from the meters.
6, similarly, the power supplier will send a inspector a week or so after upgrading the meter to determine the safety and other factors, this step will be completed to turn on the invertor, the next charge list will be an additional solar gerneration credit $.
* there was only this statement before the confirmation of the two days, but it is now certain that all Solar Customer, if the system is below 5kW, can only choose TFIT, as a fixed 25c rebate, and only after 5kW can apply for Standard,. Return the profits at 1:1.
That is to say, as long as the solar panels are installed, the rebate plan has been ordered.
The requirements for the impact of the existing tariff on each Ditributor are different, as follows: the Powercor/Citipower area, whether it is now flat rate (full-day electricity parity or not, will be changed to Time of USE Tariff, when it becomes TFIT (the system is smaller than 5kW) That is, the peak and valley electricity (so for those who originally used to be affordable electricity, the electricity bill in the daytime became relatively expensive, and the electricity charge in the Citipower was not high originally, so it was not obvious, but the peak rate of most users in the Powercor area was even more than 26c. However, the TFIT rebate is only 25c, so we have to think about it before we make a decision. If it is SFIT (large system above 5kW), it can retain the existing rate, if the existing parity power is not mandatory, it will not be forced to become peak and valley electricity.
SP Ausnet areas no matter TFIT or SFIT, will be mandatory to become peak/off peak rate, means that SP Ausnet users as long as installed with solar energy, usually electricity will become peak and valley electricity, regardless
The Jamena/United region is unique, and there are three scenarios.
First, the current use of affordable electric (flat rate), gas hot water, when applying for a solar rebate plan with the retailer requirements, can be retained, regardless of TFIT/SFIT, can be
Second, even-price electric hot water (or floor heating, etc.), in any case, besides normal electricity, there is another line that is left to the dedicated circuit), in which case it will be converted to peak and valley electricity. And ask your installation company to install a single time switch for functions such as electric hot water.
Third, now is the peak and valley electricity, then the electricity charge remains the same, however, if there is electric hot water and so on still need to install a separate time switch cost.
Don't think that you have to pay only for the initial installation of solar panels. The last step (the electricity supplier upgrading the meter) will also be charged, sometimes hundreds of times, and many installation companies will not mention it. But the mind must have a number, don't see on the bill at that time do not know what it is, for this cost, each power supply area is not exactly the same, as follows (listed is the power supply provider directly charge to the retailer, Some retailer will add a small part of the admin fee): Powercor/Citipower area: personally considered the most poignant power supplier. If the existing meter is already smart metre and the model can also be up, do not need to replace again, only need re-program, so that only a small cost, 80 or so; If there is no smart metre, to be replaced with the corresponding solar smart metre, cost of about 250, but the last case is the most painful situation, personally do not understand why they should do so, if there is now smart metre, But if the model is not right, it can't be used in solar energy, and if you need to change the meter, you will be charged about 250 or so replacement fees and about $440 of Service Truck Visit Fee, which means that in this case it will be nearly 700, if you just upgrade the meter. Their explanation is that the situation requires extra work, to send extra trucks, so it charges more.
SP Ausnet area intuitionistic, two kinds of cases, do not change the meter only need re-program, charge about 50, change the meter 160 or so.
The Jamena/United area is still cumbersome, charging by time. Jemena's first hour 220, more than the other, United's first "half hour," about 120, more than the other.
So the cost of the entire solar system is the profit and loss of the solar panel's installation fee, the meter upgrade fee, tariff, which has been changed. Study clear and draw conclusions, brothers, the situation is complex, do not follow suit, remember.