Designing your perfect solar system
An expertly sized & designed solar system is key to maximise your solar savings. Too small, and you won’t meet your energy demands; too large, and you’ve overspent on capacity you don’t need. Just right takes into account your current and future needs.
This blog will help you understand the steps we go through to help you correctly size and design your solar system so that you get a solution that stands the test of time and generates the right amount of energy for your needs now and in the future.
What to expect during our solar sales consultation process
Solar system design and sizing takes specialist knowledge. Our team has access to technology, software, training, not to mention experience gained from 1000’s of installations to be able to design your perfect system. This blog is not a DIY guide, rather it is designed to help you understand what is involved in arriving at the right solution so that you know what to expect and the steps we go through during the sales process.
Get the right system design from the start
Investing in a solar and battery system is a great move towards energy self-sustainability and reducing monthly electricity bills. However, getting the right system size and design for your needs is key to maximising the benefits you get.
Here’s what you need to consider to get the sizing right:
1. Understanding your energy consumption
Historical data: We’ll begin by analyzing your past electricity bills and look at your daily and monthly consumption and current energy spend with your grid retailer. Our sales consultants have extensive experience to quickly get a picture of your current energy usage and mapping the right solution to your current and future needs.
Seasonal / geographic considerations: We use specialist sophisticated software that factors for many different variables that influence your final system design. This means you can be sure that no stone is left unturned with your system design.Future Needs: Our team has extensive training to be able to accurately predict how much energy you might need in the future, so you get the right size system. We will consult with you to understand any potential future changes that might influence the design of your system. For example: making the switch to an electric vehicle, switching to all electric appliances, or increasing family members.
Your final design: Our engineering team sits alongside our sales consultants. They are the technical specialists that will ensure your system is designed to yield the best results. They have the experience of 1000’s of system designs and installations, and use sophisticated design and modelling software tools to finalise your system design.
2. Adding a solar battery to store energy is key to maximising savings
More and more, panel only systems are the exception rather than the norm. This is because as people look to maximise their solar production and energy use, a battery is key to ensure that you are benefiting from your solar solution day and night.
Night and daytime power: Solar panels only produce power during the day. Energy retailers generally have a solar feed-in-tariff included in their plans. They will pay you a small amount of money for any power that your solar panels send back to the grid during the day. However, because there are so many solar panel systems installed in Australia, there is a glut of extra energy generated. This has meant that feed-in-tariff payments have been dropping significantly compared to what you were paid in the past.
The good news is that a solar battery lets you store the extra energy you don’t use first, before you send energy from your panels back to the grid. This means that you can get the best of both worlds. Energy stored in your battery for later use, as well as solar feed-in-tariff payments for any extra once your battery is full
Join the ShineHub VPP and earn a passive income from your battery: The good stuff doesn’t stop there. With a solar panel and battery system from ShineHub you can join the free ShineHub Virtual Power Plant*.
The VPP is a great addition to your system for three reasons.
Battery payback time is reducing: Up until recently one of the main objections to getting a solar battery was payback time. But with payback time reducing from what used to be 10 years, to now as low as 3 years in some states, a battery is even more of an asset. To read more about battery payback time and to calculate how quickly a battery can pay for itself read our battery payback blog and use our simple solar payback calculators. With grid energy prices that continue to increase, payback time is getting better and better.
Read our battery payback blog here.
3. Future grid prices and solar feed-in tariffs
With grid prices that continue to increase, ensuring that the majority of power you use comes from your solar panel and battery system is key. That’s also why it may be worth worth investing in a slightly larger system now to safeguard against future price increases. To read about the current state of the market and find out more about the impact of increasing energy prices, you can read our Energy Price increase blog here.
Read our energy price increase blog.
4. Budget and financing
While it’s essential to get a system that meets your energy needs, it’s also crucial to work within your budget. Fortunately, there are often rebates, incentives, and financing options available that can make solar and battery systems more affordable. We will cover these during the solar sales process to ensure that you get the optimal pricing and payment option related to your financial situation.
5. Warranty and quality
All our batteries come with a robust 10-year warranty that is not compromised by VPP participation. Some batteries from big brands like Tesla or LG Chem don’t have this security and the battery warranty reduces (the warranted number of discharge cycles reduces). To read more about different types of solar batteries and differences in warranties read our blog here.
Get a quote today to see how much you could save
Sizing a solar and battery system requires expert knowledge and careful balancing between your energy needs, future plans, budget, and the desire to maximize returns on your investment (how much you can save by reducing your reliance on expensive grid energy).
Our team of seasoned solar sales professionals and experienced engineering team will be on hand to make the process easy, giving you an expertly designed solar system that meets your needs now and in the future.
The information provided on this blog is for general informational purposes only. We make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the blog or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the blog for any purpose. Through this blog, you may be able to link to other websites that are not under our control. We have no control over the nature, content, and availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.
