Solar Panels Newcastle

If you live in Newcastle, you've no doubt noticed the uptick in solar panels across suburban areas - and may have decided it's time to look into the benefits of solar power for yourself.

If you're ready to take the first step, check your eligibility for our 'No Bill' solar guarantee below. If you still need convincing, read on.

Are Solar Panels Worthwhile in Newcastle?

Solar panels make increasing sense for saving money on power bills, or eclipsing them outright. Financial motivation has been cited as the number one reason Australian homeowners opt to buy solar panels according to CSIRO Energise Insight, 2019. The ultimate worth of solar panels will depend on your living situation, but here are a few reasons they can prove a powerful investment in 2023:

1. With a solar installation, you begin paying off a tangible asset with your energy costs, rather than paying forever into the void of electricity companies. This results in solar systems paying for themselves over time through electricity savings, and then beginning to save homeowners money every year thereafter. It's akin to mortgaging your home instead of renting it.

2. Renewable energy savings are helping Australians become independent to the rising costs of electricity bills, dictated by corporations, foreign affairs and other factors beyond their control.

3. Solar systems confer value to the property they're set up on, increasing their value on resale. After several requests, realestate.com.au has even added a section to their website's search filters titled "Climate Control and Energy", wherein users can narrow search results down to homes that have solar panels, high energy efficiency and even solar hot water!

Is Newcastle's Climate Good For Solar Panels?

Newcastle enjoys a warm subtropical climate, as does most of Australia's east coast. It boasts an estimated 84 clear-sky, sunny days a year, and long daylight hours that make it well-suited to maximising solar output. In fact, Newcastle solar owners can anticipate an average of between 10 to 14 hours of sun each day.

The humid climate of Newcastle also creates strong demand for air conditioning across the year - so enjoyment of guilt-free, clean power to keep them running is something we often hear from Newcastle buyers.

How Many Newcastle Homes Have Solar Panels?

As of 2019, it was estimated that approximately 1 in 5 houses in the Hunter region were utilising some kind of solar power systems, be it just solar panels or a fully sustainable system including solar batteries.

Domestic roof-top solar installations are likely being spurred by rising energy costs, growing knowledge of renewable energy savings, and government incentives such as STCs and in some cases solar rebates helping motivate people to take the leap to clean energy.

Overall, solar panel in Australia is one of the highest uptake in the world. According to Clean Energy Regulator, 1 in 3 suitable Australian homes now have rooftop solar panels - which is record-breaking! This is at least in part thanks to generous government subsidies aimed at nudging households to get solar installed.

What Solar Rebates or Subsidies Are Available in Newcastle and the Hunter Region?

Newcastle homeowners are eligible for the federal government Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme. This subsidy exists to reward homeowners for making the transition to renewable energy solutions and helping to drastically reduce their carbon footprint.

The scheme can shave thousands of dollars off solar installations. Your exact savings will differ depending on the specifications of your installation.

This scheme forms part of the Australian Renewable Energy Target.

What are the Benefits of Getting Solar Installations?

1. Your solar PV system is likely to pay itself for itself over time, and will then save money on electricity bills year after year.

2. You'll be protected from the chaos of energy markets, including price rises, corporate decisions and international affairs. Many Australians rotate power companies to try to get away from exploitative rates, though this isn't sustainable.

3. You'll get to feel good about your impact on climate change, as you slash your entire household's biggest source of CO2 - burning fossil fuels like gas and coal to produce electricity. You'll be getting clean energy from the sun, so that you can enjoy leaving the air conditioning running and forgetting the lights on worry-free.

4. You're helping make Australia independently sustainable - as fossil fuels are finite resources, prone to international turbulence.

5. Quality solar panels will last you 25 years or more - meaning you're making an investment with long-term dividends.

6. New South Wales is eligible for the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme - meaning the government will support your investment financially.

If you've got the roof space and you own your home, there are significant savings to be had through solar.

Should I Get a Solar Battery Too?

There's a strong case for getting solar batteries if you can afford them. Here are just a few of the benefits:

1. Independence From Power Companies

Solar batteries make the most sense for people who wish to gain independence from power companies. Without solar battery storage, the vast majority of the solar power you produce will not go towards self consumption, it will be sold back to the grid. This is because your solar panels and inverter can only produce energy, they can't store it. They will ordinarily manage excess energy racked up during the day by selling it back to the grid for a nominal financial benefit (known as a feed-in tariff). This repayment rate is far too low to be comparable to the cost of drawing power off the grid later on when you need it again.

2. Day and Night Coverage

The issue remains that solar panels without a means of storage cease to generate electricity when the sun goes down. That means during early mornings or later at night, solar panel owners without a solar battery are forced to buy their electricity off the grid again.

What's worse is that these hours are often when people are either leaving for work or school, or returning home from them. Most will be disappointed to learn that they aren't even home when their solar system is doing its best work - capturing the intensity of the sun at around midday.

3. Low Feed-in Tariffs and Off-Peak Hours

Feed in tariffs will be worse when you're most often selling your solar power (likely around midday during off-peak hours), and the rate for drawing electricity off the grid when you return from work will be higher as it coincides with the more expensive peak hours - upsetting the balance of offsetting your energy usage even further.

The most efficiency you can get from your system is to use what it generates for self consumption - and that depends on having a solar battery. Homes with battery storage save an additional 71.91% more on their power bill each year.

4. All Year, All Season Coverage

A solar install with a battery will mean you can evenly distribute your accrued solar throughout fluctuations in weather, helping you account for overcast days and spread out the benefits gained during hours with the most sunlight across the hours where you have the least.

How Much Do Solar Panels Cost?

Getting a solar power system installed in Newcastle can range in cost from $4000 to $30,000, before subsidies are applied. This wide range may be confusing, but it is often decided by a few key factors:

1. Whether you want a partial solar system that saves some money on bills or whether you want the complete elimination of your power bill

2. The quality and often longevity of the solar technology you install

3. The quality of the workmanship of the solar installers who manage your installation

4. Warranties and aftercare service provisions, such as maintenance or repair work

The final cost will depend on what you set out to achieve from a solar panel system. While all solar systems will include at bare minimum solar panels and an inverter, you may choose to leverage a more holistic system complete with battery storage. You may even opt for an AI-driven smart system (like the one provided by Reposit).

Which Option Is Right For Me?

You should select the product that best matches your financial capacity. You could build for a short-term return on a low-cost system, or strive for the greater payoff on a larger, longer-term investment.

Whichever option you partake in, you should always remain mindful of potential hidden costs of any solar installation. Be wary of very low-cost, low-quality solar PV systems which can break and require replacing in 5 years time or before they pay themselves off, or low quality installs which can shorten the service life of your solar panels or otherwise impair your system's efficiency. It is well worth engaging solar companies whose expertise you trust when navigating your next solar installation.

Below is a short list to get you started on what to look for in reputable solar installers.

What You Should Look For in Solar Installers:

Credibility

Are they well-known and well-respected in the industry? Anyone making waves in the solar panel space should be able to point you to some trustworthy sources.

What about Reposit?

Reposit has:

• Won the number 1 engineers in Australia award

• Featured on Sunrise news

• Interviewed by Google

• Backed by the Clean energy council, Victoria government, and Canberra government, as well as multiple universities

Time In Business

Be wary of solar panel installers with a short history - as there isn't sufficient credibility that they will be able to maintain their warranties or other service agreements with you. This is particularly important because of the easily exploited nature of government grants.

What about Reposit?

Reposit has been at the very forefront of solar power in Australia - serving Australians for well over a decade. In fact, Reposit was the very first company in Australia to invent the smart controller for solar systems - which introduced automation to energy trading that is ensuring people who install our solar systems are guaranteed $0 electricity bills.

If you'd like to hear more, get started with an eligibility check below.

Confidence in Product

Ask the company about their warranties on not just the products, but the workmanship - so that if anything breaks, you aren't paying for call-out and labour fees to fix it which can quickly spiral.

They should also be able to offer reliable maintenance and aftercare, as well as have an onshore Australian support team to assist you if anything goes wrong. This is a staple of any expensive technology investment.

What about Reposit?

Reposit ensures at least a 10 year warranty on all our products, including workmanship, and a 25 year warranty on solar panels.

Our No Bill program also ensures that anyone who gets a solar installation through Reposit gets all maintenance taken care of for at least the next 7 years (longer if you choose to re-enrol!).

Expertise

Make certain that the company you're enquiring with has demonstrable experts.

What about Reposit?

Reposit puts engineers at the forefront of everything we do, right from your very first site inspection with us. In fact, our product was built by a rocket scientist.

Ready To Get started with Solar?

If you're ready to look into a solar system, and especially if you like the idea of a smart solar system that fits right into your lifestyle with automation, we'd be happy to assist you. You can take the quick eligibility check below to find out if you qualify for Reposit's $0 electricity bill guarantee solar installation in less than 30 seconds. If you'd like to learn more about No Bill, head over here.

Who Can We Service?

Reposit can service the entirety of Newcastle, including:

• The Greater Newcastle region

• Hunter region

• Lake Macquarie

• And surrounds

Reposit also services many other parts of Australia. View more at:

• Solar panels Sydney

• Solar panels Melbourne

• Solar panels Canberra