H G advice
168 | AUSTRALIAN HOUSE & GARDEN
The green house
POWER SHIFTS
The end of solar feed-in tariffs will have a big impact on
households with photovoltaic panels, writes Sarah Pickette.I
f you have solar panels on your roof you’d be wise to add ‘use more
appliances in the daytime’ to your list of New Year’s resolutions.
From January 1 more than 275,000 households with solar power
across NSW, victoria and South australia will receive lower payments
for electricity they export back to the grid. That means anyone who uses
solar is best advised to use it rather than sell it, says damien Moyse,
energy policy manager for the alternative Technology association.
“it will hurt the most in NSW, where some customers have been
receiving up to 60c/kWh for the power they sell back to the grid.
With the tariffs removed, they could be paid between 4c/kWh and
8c/kWh or nothing, depending on which retailer they’re with.”
What this means in dollar terms is an extra $1000-$3000 in
household power costs annually, he says. That’s why Moyse
recommends anyone using solar gets in the habit of setting their
dishwasher, washing machine, electric hot-water service (hot water
typically accounts for 50-75 per cent of a home’s energy draw)
and even heating and cooling to operate while the sun is out.
if you live in NSW and you have an existing photovoltaic system you
have probably already determined whether you need to replace yourmeter (those with newer systems may already be set up for net
metering, as will be required from this year). But, if you’ve not done
anything about it yet, it’s time to do some homework, says Reece
Turner, consumer campaigner for advocacy group Solar citizens.
“Shop around for the best feed-in tariff, because from January there
will be no mandatory feed-in tariff in NSW. Retailers can choose
whether or not to offer a feed-in tariff at all.”
The end of feed-in tariffs should not deter anyone thinking of
installing a new household photovoltaic system. “There has never
been a better time to go solar, and by that i’m including the years when
there were good rebates on offer,” says Turner. “The reason for this is
photovoltaics are more affordable than ever – if you installed a system
in 2010 or 2011 it would have cost about eight times what it does now.”
Taking the lower feed-in tariffs into account, a solar set-up installed
today would still pay for itself in four to seven years, depending on
your location, says Moyse. #
Read more about the end of solar feed-in tariffs at http://www.ata.org.au.THREE GREEN
HOUSEHOLD HELPERSIngenious clean An Australian innovation,
Resparkle concentrated cleaning products come
in pod form. You add water and reuse the bottle
over and over. Reusable spray bottles, $7, and
refills, $5; http://www.resparkle.com.au.Cut food waste Greenleaf Bags are made from
hemp and extend the fridge life of your vegies by
days. They work extremely well – we know
because we’ve tested them. $25/each;
http://www.greenleafbag.com.Dry in style Tackle your dishes with gorgeous
Everyday Exotica teatowels from You Are Brave.
Made from linen, hand-printed with non-toxic
dyes. $28/each; http://www.youarebrave.com.au.‘ THE END OF FEED-IN TARIFFS SHOULD NOT DETER
ANYONE THINKING OF INSTALLING A NEW HOUSEHOLD
PHOTOVOLTAIC SYSTEM.’ REECE TURNER, SOLAR CITIZENS