Solar panels for Hills District homes

Why solar still makes sense in Sydney

Sydney gets plenty of sun, and every kilowatt-hour your panels produce that you use yourself is one you don't buy from your retailer. For a typical Hills District home running air conditioning, a pool pump and a busy kitchen, that adds up quickly.

Feed-in tariffs have fallen, so solar now pays best when you use the power yourself. A good system is designed around that, with panels placed for when you use power and big loads like hot water and pool pumps moved into the middle of the day.

What a good solar quote should cover

When we go through your quote with you, these are the things we make sure it covers:

• Sizing from your bills. The system should be sized to how much power you use and when, not just to the biggest number that fits on the roof.
• Roof direction. North-facing panels give the most power over a day. East and west-facing panels spread production into the morning and late afternoon, which often suits families better.
• Shading. Trees are part of life in the Hills. Where shade is a problem, panel-level electronics such as optimisers or microinverters can make a real difference.
• Switchboard. Older switchboards sometimes need an upgrade before solar can be connected. A good quote says so up front, not on the day.
• Room to grow. If a battery or an electric car is on your list for later, the inverter and layout should make adding it easy.
• Warranties. Panel product and performance warranties, the inverter warranty and the installer's workmanship warranty, all in writing.

What's in a solar system

Panels

Most systems today use monocrystalline panels. Brand, warranty length and the manufacturer's presence in Australia matter more than small differences in efficiency.

Inverter

The inverter turns the panels' DC power into the AC power your home uses. A string inverter suits most unshaded roofs. Microinverters or optimisers help with shade or panels facing several directions. A hybrid inverter is ready for a battery now or later.

Monitoring

An app that shows what your system produces and what your home uses lets you see the savings and spot a fault early.

The solar rebate (STCs)

Rooftop solar systems up to 100 kW earn small-scale technology certificates (STCs) under the federal Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme, as long as the installer is SAA accredited and the equipment is approved. The value usually comes off your price up front. The number of certificates falls each January as the scheme heads to its end in 2030. Read more about solar and battery rebates.