Solar Panels

 image courtesy of www.techvert.com

 In early June, 18 solar panels were installed on the roof of our house (a 3 kilowatt system).

Over the past few days I have noticed with much excitement that we are generating more electricity than we are using every day, and it's still late winter.  We currently have the old-fashioned type of meter with a dial that spins backwards when we produce more than we use - a fantastic sight!

In September, ETSA (our state's electricity infrastructure provider), will (finally, after more than 3 months) install a smart meter that will mean that we are paid extra for any electricity that we return to the grid.

From now on, in spring and autumn when the days are relatively long and almost always sunny, I am pretty sure we will have no electricity bills, and may even make a profit.  The same is true for summer, although I expect that during heatwaves the air conditioner will probably use up most of the solar power produced.

In the long term, with electricity prices rising exponentially, I believe the solar panels will prove to have been a very wise investment, especially as we were able to benefit from Government rebates that reduced the cost considerably.  The benefit for the environment will be significant too, of course, in a brown-coal dependent state like South Australia.

Since having solar panels installed, I have become much more aware of which appliances use a lot of power, and am trying to restrict their use.  I am much more conscious, for example, of only using the oven when several things are cooking, and not just to heat one item.

Do you have solar panels?  How have your electricity bills been affected?