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Why Solar Powered Electricity

Posted on August 5th 2013

Have a bright future in your new home, with solar power.

By Chromagen Solar & Energy Solutions http://www.chromagen.com.au/index.php/products/residential-products/solar-power

solars

The building of a new home is a very exciting time for people. This excitement is fuelled by the prospect of a new start in the comfort of your brand new home and with a bright future ahead.

When you are building a new home it is the perfect time to consider how you can live more efficiently; to be more environmentally-friendly and reduce your cost of living. It is a major investment in your family’s future, so why not make your financial future even more secure by investing in solar power too?

Soaring energy bills are ranked as one of the biggest concerns for Australian consumers, so it’s not surprising that new homeowners are searching for ways to save on their energy costs. The benefits of using the sun’s clean, free energy are clear. Solar power systems reduce your electricity consumption and therefore your carbon footprint, leading to a reduction in your electricity bills. The inclusion of a solar power system will undoubtedly improve the value and resale attractiveness of your new home, and if you install solar power when you build, you can start saving from the time you move in.

Interestingly, recent research has shown that Melbourne’s new and growing outer suburbs with new home estates have embraced solar power more enthusiastically than Melbourne’s affluent inner suburbs and are now those with the most solar power systems installed. “Of the systems installed in capital cities, those suburbs with the highest penetration were typically in the outer metropolitan mortgage belts” (Source: REC Agents Association Research Note# 3 Sept 2012).

Melbourne’s Western suburbs account for over 50% of Melbourne’s solar power systems and Hopper’s Crossing, Werribee, Cranbourne and Caroline Springs are leading the charge; in fact Hopper’s Crossing is one of Australia’s top 6 solar suburbs (see list below).

These facts might suggest that people first build their new home, then once faced with paying their mortgage and generally higher bills, start considering ways to reduce their cost of living. This process inevitably leads them to discover solar power.

If you have thought about solar power in the past and expect that you will need to reduce electricity costs in your new home, it makes sense to act now and add a solar power system to your new home contract. The benefits of installing at the time of construction are numerous:

 

  • You can negotiate solar power with the company you are trusting to build your new home.
  • Adding an extra few thousand dollars to your mortgage to install a 3 kW system for example, will have little impact on your fortnightly/monthly repayments over a 25yr period. However the investment is still positive as the savings you make will outweigh the extra repayments
  • Investing your money in a solar power system now, is a better investment than putting the money in the bank. If you had $5000 and put it in the bank today with an interest rate of 5%, you would accumulate savings of $3144 after 10 years, however, if you used the same money to buy a 3kW Solar Power system today, after 10 years you would accumulate over $11,800* in savings, plus it’s likely you will have increased the resale attractiveness of your home
  • Start minimising your electricity bills when you move in! If you delay the installation of solar panels, you may not get around to putting them on until much later, and so you forfeit the savings that you could’ve already made. A delay of 12 months could cost you over $1100* in savings
  • Installing the solar power panels during construction allows the electrical wiring to be fully concealed, improving the aesthetics of the install. Your builder can also design the most suitable placement of your solar power panels with respect to other roof mounted systems such as solar water heating collectors and air conditioning units
  • If you can afford solar power, the best time to purchase is always “Now”. This is because Federal Government rebates schemes could change at any time, and if you don’t take advantage of today’s subsidies, you may be disappointed if you have to pay more later

So, ensure you have a bright future in your new home and live efficiently by installing solar power during construction. Talk to your builder about the system options that will suit your typical electricity consumption and provide the best value, and return on your investment.

 

Melbourne Suburbs with the most solar systems:

  1. Hoppers Crossing = 3628
  2. Werribee = 3200
  3. Cranbourne = 2941
  4. Caroline Springs = 2401
  5. Fountain Gate, Narre Warren = 2083
  6. Craigieburn = 1993
  7. Waurn Ponds = 1941
  8. Berwick = 1633
  9. Sydenham = 1616

10. Frankston = 1606

 

*Based on Zone 4, current electricity price of $0.28 & 5% price increase p/y. No Feed-in Tariff has been included. Values may vary based on a different electricity prices or STC Zone calculation

Copyright © 2013 Chromagen

http://www.chromagen.com.au/index.php/products/residential-products/solar-power

Related news articles:
Outer suburbs turn on to solar power
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/outer-suburbs-turn-on-to-solar-power-20110508-1eebm.html#ixzz2ZuqOsiJC

Out on the fringe solar comes of age
http://www.theage.com.au/environment/out-on-the-fringe-solar-comes-of-age-20120727-22zo3.html#ixzz2ZusdHVKw

Solar panel take up warms to a million
http://www.smh.com.au/business/carbon-economy/solar-panel-takeup-warms-to-a-million-20121010-27d7b.html

 

 

 

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