Should I go solar?

Purchasing a solar power system is a significant investment. Whether it pays off depends on a number of factors - including your location and when and how much electricity you use.

If you are thinking of purchasing a solar power system, you should read widely about the available systems, understand their environmental and technical requirements and become familiar with the technical language.

Some basic questions to consider include:

  • Will I save on electricity bills if I install a solar power system?
  • If I do make any savings, how long will it take for these to pay off the price of purchasing a system? 
  • Will I be able to connect my solar power system to the local electricity network?
  • Will I be able to make any money selling any excess electricity my system generates back to the local network?
  • If I can sometimes sell electricity back to the network, will I lose any gains I make when I need to buy power from the network? 
  • Will I be eligible for any government schemes – including rebates or set ‘feed-in tariff’ pricing - that will make the purchase or operation of a solar power system more affordable?
  • Would any of the government schemes I would be relying on be likely to be discontinued before I can pay off the cost of a system?

For information, see the website maintained by the federal Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency.

Before making a purchase

Before purchasing a solar power system, take time to carefully check the contract terms and conditions and seek clarification of any unclear terms.

Make sure you understand whether you will be receiving an upfront discount on the price of your solar power system or if you will have to wait for the processing of a government rebate or the sale of a tradeable credit before your refund is transferred on to you via your system’s installer or a third party agent.

Check with the consumer protection agency in your state or territory if there is a limit on the size of the deposit you can be asked to pay upfront. Ask also if other building laws or regulations in your state or territory apply to solar power system installations.

For information, see the Living Greener website maintained by the federal Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency.