Reducing Electricity Costs With Net Metered Solar Power

So how and what can you hope to save by installing solar power onto the roof of your home?

There has been and in some cases still is, a large misconception out there by some Aussie householders in various communities, that the only way to save is via the 6 to 8 cent rebate.

There are some homes in Sydney that we know of, where the size of the solar system is to great and thus the payback time far longer.

Well a net metered solar pv system can help you save off electricity costs by:

• Generating your own power and using it during the sunny hours of the day, in real-time. This reduces your electricity bill by the amount you would have normally have purchased for the same period.  For example a 2kW system will have produced around 8kW [Annual daily average]. This is worth $2.40 per day if you are on a 30 cent tariff. This equates to $840 per year or $210 off the quarterly electricity bill

• Sending any excess power not used during the daytime, back into the grid. Where you get a rebate of 6 or 8 cents per kW. Technically reducing a 30 cent tariff to 24 / 22 cents.

If it was the case of solar power not being profitable under the net metered system, then we would not see solar power systems still being installed in many streets around Australia.

It is only the solar power savvy householders whom really save off the electricity bill. These householders understanding 100% how the net metered solar power system works and making the move if it is suited, to install it into their home.

It may be the media has led some of you astray, by reporting that solar power in Australia is dead since the end of the gross metered system. But that is not the case as some homes can save dramatically off the electricity bill, with a net metered solar system.

It really comes down to the amount of power you are using on a daily basis during the sunny hours of the day. As this is the power your solar power system is going to be providing you with, saving you what you would normally being paying for.

Further more by directly offsetting electricity costs, you save more as the cost of the electricity rises! Now this surely has to be a great idea!

A 3kW solar system in Sydney could easily generate up to $7000 of free electricity from the sun when offsetting electricity at 30 cents per kWh.

So what are you waiting for? Why not call Aussie Home Energy for more help and at least check out what we have to offer on the subject of SOLAR POWER NET METERING.

This blog post brought to you by Aussie Home Energy, a major player in the HOME ELECTRICITY SAVING SERVICE industry in Australia.

How To Make Solar Power A Successful Investment

Making Solar PV Successful

No one would argue that by installing solar power on the roof of your home, you are going to save off electricity costs.

It's not always the gross or net 'feed in tariff', that's reducing the home's electricity costs though. How much you save and how quickly, all depends on the correct matching and sizing of the solar system to your needs. 

Especially important when you are connecting to the grid via a NET meter, which is common now across a lot of parts of Australia.

Any home or small business around Australia can now directly offset the electricity used during the 'sunny hours' of the day. This offsetting of electricity is separate to any form of gross or net feed gain. It simply relies on you knowing what you use under the roof and what is using the power when the sun is shining.

The simple system of electricity offsetting seems to have been forgotten, or was not fully understood by many Aussie householders we visit during our ELECTRICITY AUDITING SERVICES. It is not uncommon to hear a householder complaining their solar system is not making money, especially when they are ONLY looking at the power exported, for a small six or eight cent return. This of course is a miss-understanding by the householder and should have been fully understood during the time of sale, yet it is not. Shocking is the fact it has often in the past not been explained by the sales person either.

Currently in NSW offsetting home electricity costs during the 'sunny hours, can mean a possible $641 per year off the electricity bill by installing a small 1.5kW solar power system! With a 3kW system generating a possible staggering $7000 of electricity above the roof over five years, based on a 5% increase per year on a 30 cent tariff.

Now that is something that needs to be understood you would think by every householder looking to save big time on electricity costs. And how long is the expected life of the solar system? Well we can say on average around twenty-five years. So that is a lot of free electricity from the sun, is it not? And as electricity prices rise so do those electricity savings!

It's a fact also that by offsetting your home electricity during the daytime, you can even save more $$$ off the electricity bill, compared to the recent NSW Government's 20 cent gross feed system!

You just need to understand the maths and be using the power under the roof in those sunny hours of the day to maximise your solar investment. To learn more about making solar power into a successful investment visit our NET FIT METERING & BILLING.

Sep 2015 : See our addition to this post, where we discuss a great SOLAR PV MONITORING ANDROID APP suitable for all net metering environments.

This blog post brought to you by Aussie Home Energy, a major player in the HOME ELECTRICITY REDUCTION SERVICE industry in Australia.

How Solar Power Reduces Electricity Costs Fast?

Currently in most states in Australia, Solar Power is an easy solution to reducing home or business electricity costs.

With NET METERING installed, your solar power plant will supply you with the electricity you use under the roof, during the sunny hours of the day virtually for FREE!

YES, when you generate electricity with your solar pv system and use it in real-time, you reduce your normal electricity costs fast.

So What Can You Save?

Maximum savings possible in New South Wales from a 2 kW solar system offsetting daytime 'sunny hour' electricity usage charged at 30 cents per unit, can result in approximate energy savings of $850 per year.

Now that is a possible $210 off each quarterly electricity bill!

By offsetting the electricity costs directly, you will further save more each year as the costs rise. This fact helping you to pay off your Solar Power System quicker!

When power generated by your Solar PV System is not used in real-time, it is fed back into the grid to further help reduce the cost of purchased electricity.

And if you really want to get your head around the power used, imported and exported then it would be a smart idea to install an electricity consumption and solar power monitoring solution. Where you have 24/7 realtime feedback with ongoing analysis, of both your electricity usage and solar pv system's output. 

Visit our ONLINE ELECTRICITY MONITORING page, where we make the task of getting your data online, very easy.

This blog post and podcast brought to you by Aussie Home Energy, a major player in the HOME ELECTRICITY REDUCTION SERVICE industry in Australia.

Solar Power NET Meter Easy Explanation

Do you know the answer to either of these two questions, on Solar Power NET Metering?

Question 1. Will all of the generated power from your Solar Power system be itemised on the electricity bill?

Question 2. What will the generated power consist of financially, during the quarterly electricity bill?

If you are unsure or do not know the answers to either of these two questions, then you may be suprised to know a lot of households with solar installed, do not either.

For a full easy to understand explanation or a simple explanation on Solar Power NET Metering, visit our GUIDES page where you can download our SOLAR POWER NET METER EASY EXPLANATION. 

Visit our webpage UNDERSTANDING SOLAR POWER NET METERING AND BILLING for a detailed version.

Sep 2015 : See our addition to this post, where we discuss a great SOLAR PV MONITORING ANDROID APP suitable for all net metering environments.


This blog post and podcast brought to you by Aussie Home Energy, a major player in the HOME ELECTRICITY REDUCTION SERVICE industry in Australia.

Solar Power Net Meter Export Electricity

Recent research shows us that most home's installing Solar Power connected to the electricity grid via NET metering, are going to send a small percentage of the generated power back to the electricity grid, at sometime.

This can often occur when generated power from the solar system, is greater than the power used under the roof. This excess power is exported back to the electricity grid, and any financial return for this exported power, will be based on any current NET  feed in tariff offered, by the electricity retailer. Currently in New South Wales this can range from six to eight cents per exported kilowatt.

A question often asked during our SOLAR POWER ASSESSMENTS is “How much of the generated power will we export back to the electricity grid?”

Research by IPART & the University of New South Wales, shows the average exported power from a 2 kW solar system or smaller is around 32% to 50%. On average, households have been found to consume around two thirds of their generated solar power.

It is important to note that the amount of imported and exported electricity, will be  different for all homes, due to different energy usage characteristics and the size of any installed solar system.

Some homes manage to use all of the generated power from their Solar PV system. Any financial returns will be based on the reduced imported electricity and exported electricity within any NET feed in tariff.

For a detailed explanation, of the financial returns available, with variable electricity offsetting and exported electricity, visit our GUIDE TO NET METERING, hosted on our main website.

You can leave your comments on this subject on our SOLAR NET METERING blog page.

To see electricity used, imported, generated and exported in your home, we offer you various ONLINE ELECTRICITY MONITORING options. Where you can see the data 24/7 from anywhere and analyse at any time. We also make the task of getting your data online, very easy. 

This blog post and podcast brought to you by Aussie Home Energy, a major player in the HOME ELECTRICITY REDUCTION SERVICE industry in Australia.

How To Eliminate The Electricity Bill

This a question many householders ask, during a SOLAR POWER ASSESSMENT.

Firstly it is important to note, technically only your electricity usage measured in kilowatts, during the sunny hours of the day can be offset and reduced.

Secondly any other monies raised from exported electricity, will go towards balancing out any electricity used outside of the sunny hours of the day and connection charges.

Whether you can eliminate your electricity bill completely will depend on your electricity usage and exported electricity. This is dependent on having a large amount of solar generated power in relation to used power.

When connecting a large SOLAR POWER SYSTEM, for example 5kW or over, to a household with low electricity usage under the roof during the sunny hours of the day, there is great potential to eliminate electricity costs. There can be enough revenue from the exported electricity to balance out other electricity costs and service charges.

Other factors that need to be taken into account are that, the larger the solar power system, the greater the cost and the greater use of rooftop real estate. The payback period for the larger systems, may in some cases be longer, due to Government pricing rebates being maximised, to the smaller solar power systems.

So if you are looking to eliminate your electricity bill completely, you first of all need to understand your electricity usage and the amount of any feed in tariff offered by your electricity retailer. It is this feed in tariff that will generate you revenue for your exported electricity.

What is really important is that you understand the maths of the exercise.

This blog post and podcast brought to you by Aussie Home Energy, a major player in the HOME ELECTRICITY REDUCTION SERVICE industry in Australia.