To Solar or Not to Solar...ah, the question!
2010-10-15 03:48:04
More and more of our clients are facing the question of whether installing not just solar hot water, but a solar power generation system is worthwhile way to spend part of the budget.
In general, it seems the decision is based purely on upfront cost at this point in time, with factors such as benefit to the environment, or longer term payoffs not featuring as important criteria.
The fact is that while solar systems for generating power seem like a hefty investment up front, the financial benefits alone within a relatively short period of time (i.e. 7-10 years) are clear - especially when you look at the current price of grid-supplied power and the future predictions of what those prices are likely to go to. In Queensland for example, there has in the past few years been regular and sizable increases. With an 11% rise in 2007, and another 5.68% in 2008, over 15% in 2009, and another 9.2% this year, its not hard to see how making your own electricity has to be a very sensible option.
Of course rebates and government incentives are helping many people make the leap into the world of grid-connected solar power where systems are alot more affordable than they used to be due to the lack of need to buy, install and maintain huge banks of batteries.
However, as always we cannot rely of our trusty governments to get it right all the time. The ABC are reporting this week that a Senate enquiry will be trying to get to the bottom of an issue with the federal governments rebate scheme that currently "limits the $8,000 rebate to households earning less than $100,000" - so hopefully such a ridiculous situation can be made practical - only time will tell...
So, the question still remains - install solar or not? We are certainly not the experts in helping you make this decision, however we recommend you spend a little time researching companies in your local area, or visit websites of such companies as The Rainbow Power Company who can help you figure out what the best system might be for your particular situation with lots of information, online charts, calculators and so on.
Economically, no matter what size system, whether you have a few years in the building to personally benefit from your investment, or even if you sell the property with system intact (which surely HAS to be a great feature of any house), we think solar power generation is a great idea - and then add the environmental benefits, its hard to see why more people dont have this at the top of their wish list when undertaking their project!
