Solar Panels Melbourne

What is Solar?

Solar is made up of two main parts:

• Solar panels and an inverter.
• Racking, wiring and switches connect it all together.
• Sunshine/daylight on the panels creates free electricity.
• North direction is the optimum direction then west or east depending on your time of day usage.
• A typical residential home will add a 6.6kw system. If you want to future-proof your home for a battery and you have space, I suggest a 10.37kw.

How will it help me?

Adding a solar system to your home will:

• Give you free electricity during sunlight hours – more on sunny days and some on cloudy.

• Save you around 65% plus on your current electricity bill.

• Add value to your home.

• Help the environment.

Why switch to solar?

Switching to solar is a smart choice, for you and the planet. Adding panels to your home increases its value and will give you free electricity during the sunlight hours. With electricity prices rising rapidly, solar will help take the pain out of bill shock. 30% rise last year and word of 50% this year.

Can you afford not to? Reasons you should:

• Cost savings – installing solar panels will significantly reduce your monthly energy bills.
• Take charge of your power – solar helps reduce your reliance on the grid.
• Adds value to your home.
• Great for the environment and reduces your carbon footprint.

Who doesn’t want free electricity?

How much will I save?

A $300 quarterly/$100 monthly bill should see savings of around 65%.

Before Solar:

After Solar:

How do I get the best out of my Solar?

Use as much of your free electricity as you can during the day and use as little as you can at night. The more you use it, the better off you will be.

Who is Solar Energy Melbourne?

Hello, my name is Melissa Milligan, I am the owner of Solar Energy Melbourne. I am a small sales company with three thoroughly vetted quality installers. I am not trying to scale or please shareholders. I keep it small and concise. You, as my client, are my number one priority. I can come to your home or talk to over the phone/zoom.

The key things I am known for: Great customer service, quality solar equipment, prompt careful installation, and competitive pricing.

I will look at your roof, meter/switchboard and electricity billing to see what size system will suit you best. I try to do as much due diligence pre-sale, so there are no nasty surprises on the day.

I did extensive research to find three installers I am happy to work with. There are a lot of cheap solar offers out there, but beware, you get what you pay for. There are huge solar companies, who just need to reach targets. ‘Stack ‘em high and sell ‘em cheap’. Once rebates end, so will they. We may sell all the same equipment but corners are cut on all the parts you don’t see. Customer Service is really important to me.

Feed In Tarrif

All electricity retailers in Victoria with more than 5,000 customers must offer a minimum solar feed in tariff rate. There are two types available – single and time-varying. Retailers can choose to offer one or both.

What is the Feed In Tariff?

The ‘feed in tariff’ is when your electricity retailer pays you for your excess electricity produced by your solar. This is the ‘icing on the cake’. Use your free electricity yourself first. They are charging you around $0.32c a kWh and paying you around $0.052c. In summer, it’s a nice bonus.

I apply for this for you when you send me a copy of your latest electricity bill. I must stress this is awarded on a ‘first in, best dressed’ basis. The transformers in your street will only be able to cope with a certain amount of energy feeding back to the grid. The Australian electricity infrastructure was not designed to have energy feeding back into it. This means if your neighbours got in before you and the transformer is full you will not be granted a feed in. Transformers are being updated all the time. If you don’t get the feed in now you may be once the transformers have been updated.

If you aren’t granted a feed in tariff, don’t worry. Solar is about saving money not making money. The feed in is only worth $0.052c per kilowatt at the moment. You will still be making a considerable saving on your electricity bill without it.

Victoria’s Older & Higher Feed In Tariffs

Victorians who applied to install rooftop solar power systems from late 2009 to the end of 2011 could lock in a high feed-in tariff of 60 cents a kilowatt-hour until late 2024.

Households and businesses in Victoria that applied to install solar panels in 2012 received a transitional feed-in tariff of 25 cents; which ended on the 31st of December 2016.

From 1 January 2017, customers who came off the VIC Transitional and Standard Feed-in Tariff schemes have been able to access the same buyback rate offers available to other solar customers.

Keeping The High Feed In Tariff

Those in Victoria with a high feed-in tariff are allowed to replace solar inverters and panels provided they do not increase the capacity of either by doing so. If the home is renovated or demolished, the high FiT can be kept, provided the capacity of the inverter and panels, whether it is the old system or a new one, does not increase.

You cannot take the high VIC solar feed-in tariff with you when you move. It stays with the house when sold and transfers to the new owner.

Federal Incentive

Everyone gets the Federal incentive. This is called a STC (Small Scale Technology Certificate). The amount of incentive is based on the size of your system. The larger you go the more they give you.

Victorian State Rebate

The Victoria State Rebate is means tested.

Your home cannot be worth more than $3million and your income cannot be more than $210k per year (for whomever is named on the Council Rates Notice).

You cannot have taken part in the Victorian Solar Homes Programme previously, unless you claimed the STC’s before November 1st 2013, in which case you may now also apply for this rebate.

If you are not eligible for either the incentive or the rebate you can still add solar to your home.

What you need to provide to apply for a Victoria State Rebate:

Notice of assessment from the ATO – the document you lodged. This will be in your MyGov account; or

Certified Stat Dec if self funded; or

Pension Card/Health Card/Veteran Affairs Card

ID – two forms

Driver’s Licence

Medicare Card

Passport

Equipment

I can source a large range of panels and inverters – please call me if you would like information on different brands not listed below. Please call me if you want a quote with panels or inverters not listed. I can get anything you want if it’s sold in Australia.

Panels

• Jinko 440w N Type – 25 year parts warranty and 30 year performance warranty
• Jinko 475w N Type – 25 year parts warranty and 30 year performance warranty
• LONGi Solar Hi-MO 6 Scientist – 25 year parts warranty and 25 year performance warranty

Inverters

• SAJ – 13 year replacement warranty – China
• Goodwe – 10 year replacement warranty – China
• Sungrow – 10 year replacement warranty – China
• Fronius – 5 year replacement/5 year parts warranty – Austria

Design and Workmanship Warranty

• 10 years

Maintenance

• The rain generally keeps the panels clean, but if you notice any lichen or bird droppings you will need to get them removed.

What is the right size solar for me?

My advice is that you add as much as you can:

• 6.6kw was the standard size previously. Now that electricity costs more, you are advised to future proof your home for these rises.
• You may wish to add a battery later on. You will need enough excess energy to run the home and charge a battery.
• Go large now and you won’t have to pay for another installation later on.

What is the right size solar for me?

My advice is that you add as much as you can:

6.6kw was the standard size previously. Now that electricity costs more, you are advised to future proof your home for these rises.

You may wish to add a battery later on. You will need enough excess energy to run the home and charge a battery.

Go large now and you won’t have to pay for another installation later on.

REBATES/INCENTIVES

Both the Federal and Victoria State Government want you to add solar to your home, to get you off gas.

Federal Incentive – STC/RECs

Everyone gets the Federal incentive. This is based on the size of the system you purchase. The bigger your system, the more money you will receive. A 6.6kw system will give you approximately $2052 towards the cost. The incentive is called a REC (Renewable Energy Certificate) or STC (Small Scale Technology Certificate). The value of these is roughly $35 per Certificate. The CEC Registered installers will have incorporated this value already when you see your upfront cost.

Solar Victoria State Rebate

Do you qualify for the current Solar Victoria Rebate?

At the moment this rebate is valued at $2800.

You are given:

$1400 off the RRP; and

$1400 as an interest free loan (

You will be asked during the Solar Victoria Rebate process, If you wish to take advantage of the interest free loan. If yes, you will be asked to add your BSB and Account Number to repay the $1400 over four years – this is a direct debit of $29.17.

Two factors will determine if you will receive it:

Your home cannot be worth more than $3 million. This is shown on your Council Rates Notice;

The income for the people named on the Council Rates Notice cannot be more than $210,000 per year.