The verdict is in. The Solar PV feed-in tariff was certainly worth all of the pain that I went through to sign up for it. Since the 21st of January, when our new meter was installed we have utilised the following;
Imported from the national grid (100% GreenPower) = 1242.7 kWh @ 24.88c per kWh = $309.18 debit.
Exported to the national grid (my solar PV) = 488.3 kWh @ 66c per kWh = $322.28 credit.
Not taking into account the network connection fee of about $50 for the quarter, that is a grand total profit or credit of $13.09! As the meter has been read today, I should receive the bill in the next week. Fingers crossed that my calculations are the same as the electricity retailers.
Not bad for the hottest Summer on record, and the longest warm spell of days over 20C ever in Melbourne. The air-conditioner got a workout for a fair bit of the billing period due to Kim’s MS as we tried to keep her cool and reduce the fatigue. Not very energy efficient, but that is just the way it is.
I am going to monitor our electricity usage weekly for this quarter so that I can determine whether we will remain in the black. This billing period is usually our best season for energy efficiency, due to cooler weather, and with mainly sunny days, there is a good chance that we will export a fair bit of electricity during the day.
Solar PV is definitely worth the investment if you can afford it. Now that most states in Australia have some sort of feed-in tariff, the payback period for your investment will be even shorter.