WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS, AND WHAT IS YOUR MOTIVATION?

There are lots of different reasons why you may be considering solar. Of the thousands of systems we’ve installed over the years, in every part of the New Zealand, it typically boils down to one or more of these four factors.

They are:

• You want to reduce your power bill and you are looking for a meaningful payback or ROI (Return on Investment). After X number of years you want to know that the system has paid for itself, so you can enjoy paying only a fraction for power compared to what you paid before going solar.
• You like the idea of power independence. You like how modern ‘hybrid’ solar systems (with battery storage) can provide emergency back up power – almost like a mini-off grid system. You want peace of mind in the event of short-term or even long-term power cut. You may even see global geo-political disruption as a risk factor and want to explore self-sufficiency.
• You may be retired or thinking about retirement, and you like the idea of reducing your living expenses and investing in solar while you still can. You understand that power prices will never come down, and you like the idea of having a small power bill. For you it’s not just about the fast financial payback.
• You are concerned about climate change, and want to do your small part to contribute to the health of the planet.

…or it may be a combination of these reasons. 

If financial ‘payback’ is your driving motivation, then it will take longer with battery storage compared to installing panels alone.

Solar panels alone (with no batteries – but the option to add them later), has the fastest financial payback because the price is lower. Typically you could save about 40-50% off the power component of your power bill when averaged over the year.

With hybrid battery storage, your savings *could* be as high as 80-90%, however your payback period will be longer.

Every household is different, but you can talk to one of our Solar Designers who can crunch the numbers with you over the phone and discuss your options (you’ll need a copy of your power bill handy).

If your motivation is purely financial, we may even recommend that you do nothing (if the numbers don’t stack up).

It costs nothing to find out if solar is right for you.

LONG TERM OR SHORT TERM HOME?

For some homeowners it can be difficult to say with certainly if they’ll be living in the same house in 5, 10 or even 15 years down the track. For others who are living in their ‘forever home’, it’s a lot simpler.

While this may not be the driving factor for you in your decision to install solar and battery storage, it should still be considered.

Making an investment in solar then selling up in 12 months time may not be an issue if Auckland property prices continue to rise, but the overall value of your solar investment will be lower compared to someone who lives in their home for 15 years.

With more than 15 years design life on modern, quality battery banks, and 25 year performance guarantees on most quality solar panels, the longer your system is used, the more value you’ll receive.

It’s common sense.

But even if your home is a ‘stepping stone’ property to another in the future, this shouldn’t exclude you from considering solar.

Again, it comes down to the importance you have on maximising payback vs independence and sustainability.

Very few people will do a ‘return on investment’ analysis when buying a car because we accept that a car is a liability, not an asset.

Although the financial benefits of solar will be important to most of us, every year there are more people starting to value the other advantages of solar over and above just the financial payback.

Because everyone is different, you can have a no obligation chat to one of our Solar Designers who can help you to decide if it’s right for you.

WHAT’S YOUR ‘POWER USE PROFILE’?

Your ‘power use profile’ are the patterns of daily life and power use in you home, from season to season. These patterns can influence how your solar system is designed. 

Some of these patterns include:

• In winter, who is at home using power during the day? Do you leave for work when it’s dark, and return home when it’s dark?
• What is the family/occupant makeup? The ages of any children and other lifestyle factors should be considered.
• How is your hot water, cooking and heating powered?
• Are there cost-effective ways to improve your home’s power efficiency right now, including reducing thermal loss in winter?
• Are there ways to ‘load shift’ and use appliances during the daytime when power is ‘free’, e.g, dishwasher and washing mashine?
• Is your power use likely to reduce, stay stable or increase in the future?

And more.

Investing in battery storage could make sense if a significant portion of daily power consumption is after dark. That’s because the excess portion of power generated by panels during the day can be diverted to the battery bank for night time use.

Understanding how these factors impact on *your* solar design, will make sense after a short phone meeting with one of our Solar Designers.