Aussie Couple Sick And Tired Of Hearing About Solar…Find Out The Truth Themselves
Joe White
Contributing Renewables Editor
5 min read · 11th August 2024
Everyone Has An Opinion On Solar. But 'Who' and "What' Do You Believe?
Walk around any suburb across Australia, it’s hard to ignore.
The familiar sight of solar panels going up on another neighbour’s roof.
And with the constant stream of solar ads on social media and door knockers prowling the suburbs saying anything to make a sale. For one Australian couple, it all got too much:
Meet Rebecca and Michael Wilson…
Or as their friends and family know them, Becca and Mick. They’re your typical hard-working Aussie couple.
Becca is a part-time receptionist who keeps the house in order. Mick has driven intercity buses for the last twenty years. They’ve always been financially stable, but three years ago, after COVID-19 hit, things changed.
Energy prices got out of control.
With supporting a daughter through The University Of Sydney. And two teenage boys at home burning through electricity charging their phones and their X-Boxes constantly on…They definitely felt a financial pinch.
So, like thousands of others in their position, they started looking for ways to save money on their energy bills.
Around this time, there was a lot of talk about solar and government schemes. But even with all the hype, they didn’t want to follow the crowd. And wanted to make sure it was a good investment and not money down the drain.
Becca told us:
You just couldn’t get a straight answer from anywhere…
Everyone had their own opinion…For every person who said it was the best thing since sliced bread…Next day, you’d hear a horror story about how some bodgy tradie had damaged some neighbour’s roof!”
Mick was also trying to get his head around it…
“I’d spend hours online trying to work out how much we could save, and how much we could get in free government incentives.
But really I wanted to know if this no-net-cost solar energy system was proper or just a scam.”
They’d even let a couple of door knockers into their house to try and get some answers.
Becca said this was a big mistake.
“Waste of bloody time! They didn’t know anything about solar or how it worked. They were just young kids looking for a quick buck.
Honestly, they would have sold their nan to get a sale.”
After months of back and forth and countless hours wasted online, they were both sick to the back teeth of solar.
So decided they’d have to find another way to bring down their $700-a-quarter energy bill.
A couple of months later, Becca chatted with a customer on her reception desk. They started talking about solar, and the woman told her she’d found a website that made getting answers easy.
In a couple of minutes, she’d found out what incentives she was eligible for…To the dollar.
Then she had a quick call with a solar expert to answer her other questions.
But when hearing her story, what shocked Becca the most…
The expert wasn’t some pushy salesman shoving solar down her throat. They just answered her questions honestly and gave her unbiased advice.
During their quick 15-minute conversation, she was advised that because of the size her energy bills and type of property, it wasn’t worth installing solar on her house after all.
Instead she should relax, knowing solar wasn’t right for her.
After their conversation, Becca learned the name of the website: Solar Incentives, which I’m happy to say was ourselves, Australia’s leading solar grant specialist.
Mick went on our website that night. After answering a few simple questions and leaving some contact details, Jon, one of our accredited solar experts, called him back straight away.
Who happily answered all the questions Mick had:
“How Much Can I Get in Free Government Incentives?”
“What is No Net Cost Solar?”
“What is the payback period?”
“Is Solar worth it for me?”
Once Mick and Becca were happy with the answers they were given, they moved to the next step.
Three years later, they couldn’t be happier with their decision.
Update July 2024: Up to 85% Savings On Their Bills Every Month & Their Solar System Paid Off
Sample Energy Bill Of How Much Money Can Be Saved
It turns out that because of the size of their monthly bill, roof type, and postcode, they qualified for the maximum solar incentive. With the savings they made, they’ve just paid off their solar panel and battery system.
Mick chuckled when he told us.
“We knew we had to do something about saving on our energy bills fast.
And as kicking our two boys out and living in the dark wasn’t an option, solar seemed like the way to go.”
But tiny energy bills for the next 20 – 25 years weren’t the only benefit of solar for the Wilson family.
With the money they haven’t handed over to the greedy power companies, they’ve saved up enough for a long-awaited trip to see family in the UK.
And they both admit there was no chance of that happening before getting their system put in.
But remember, just because it was the right decision for Becca & Mick, it might not be for everybody.
We caught up with Steve Hill, our CEO at Solar Incentives. He gave his thoughts to those sitting on the fence about solar.
“Truth is, solar isn’t for everybody, no matter what solar companies tell you.
From conversations with tens of thousands of Australians across the country, every homeowner’s situation is unique.
My advice…Find out about your government incentives, speak to an expert and then make an informed decision.
This way, you’ll know for sure whether you’re missing out on low energy bills, or that solar isn’t for you.
Then you can get on with your life…Ignore those panels on your neighbours’ roofs and know you made the right decision.”
What’s The Future of Solar Energy in Australia?
Whichever way you look at it. It’s bright.
Here at home, according to the Australian PV Institute, as of March 2024, there are over 3.76 million solar installations in Australia with a combined capacity of over 35.6 gigawatts.
On a global scale, Australia is a leader in renewable energy with the Australian Government is targeting 82% renewable energy in our electricity grids by 2030.
This means it’s not a question of ‘if’ homeowners will continue to switch to solar. It’s a question of ‘when’. But whether it’s ‘now’ depends on your current situation.
If you’d like to make your own decision on solar, find out your solar incentive amount by answering the question below.
This free, no-obligation service takes only 30 seconds to complete.
At the end of the day, at least you’ll know if you are missing out on thousands of dollars in savings, and stop wondering if you’re missing out every time you see a solar panel on your neighbour’s roof.
See how much you’re eligible for with the federal solar incentives scheme by clicking the button below.
