There aren’t many purchases you can make that are simultaneously practical, self-satisfying and destined to save you money.

How to make an investment that will save you money

So rather than using your tax return cash on a bill or other expense, why not use it to make an investment that will save you money by installing solar power instead?

A lot of us view tax return money as a bonus – money that we’d budgeted without, but which we’re certainly happy to have. In this case, using your return on a solar power system is a terrific way to get the most out of every dollar. Aside from the obvious power bill savings, solar panels can increase the value of your home – much more than say, a new couch or a holiday.

Whilst couches and holidays are important, the impact of a new solar power system will provide longer benefits than the holiday and work much harder than the couch in the long run.

On the other hand, as the cost of living continues to skyrocket – returned cash is a much needed help for many homeowners trying to get on top of their bills. Whilst using tax return money to pay utilities is useful, those who can stretch their budget to install solar power will reduce their future bills.

For example, a good quality 3kW solar power system typically starts from around $3500. Depending on where you live and the type of installation, a 3kW system can help you slash up to $1180 every year off your power bills. This means you’ll likely pay the system off within four years.

After that, your return on investment will continue to flourish, hopefully meaning you’ll free up some of your future tax returns for more fun stuff (like holidays and couches).

Curious? Make an enquiry!

Installing solar power may not be as expensive as you think – especially in light of fantastic savings and special deals available across both our solar panels and solar hot water products.

If you’re keen to make the most of your tax return, get an obligation-free quote today.

If you’ve noticed that your hot water system is leaking water, it’s a good idea to identify the cause as soon as possible. Often, hot water system leaks are caused by minor issues, though in some cases you’ll need to get a qualified plumber to repair or replace your unit.

Common Causes of Water Heater Leaks

Why do hot water systems leak? There are plenty of potential causes – the most common ones include:

• The age of your water heater
• Holes in the tank or pipes
• A loose drain valve
• Excess pressure in the tank

The best way to avoid hot water system leaks in the first place is to have your unit serviced as per manufacturer instructions.

How To Stop Water Leaking

Before calling a plumber you can follow these steps to identify the cause of your hot water system leak. Safety should always come first, so if you’re not experienced with gas/electrical appliances, or you need to climb onto a roof, get in touch with a professional.

• Inspect: The first and most obvious step is to inspect your system thoroughly, including the tank, pipe and valves. If you notice water on the pipework, it could be condensation (meaning that the hot water system isn’t actually leaking). Dry any parts of the unit that appear wet and then check back after a few hours to see if they’re still dry. If they are, it’s unlikely that your system is leaking.
• Switch off the electricity source: Turn off the electricity supply if you have an electric-boosted solar or electric storage hot water system. You’ll find the main circuit breaker in the switchboard or power box. Don’t forget this step as it’s crucial to your safety if you do discover a leak.
• Shut off the gas supply: There will be a yellow valve near the gas booster or the gas storage tank. For many older gas storage systems – the valve is on the copper pipe supply that connects to the front of the hot water tank. After doing this, monitor the leak to see whether it stops or improves.
• Check the valves: The water could simply be leaking from one of the valves. Try to lift the lever on the valve gently and then put it back gently. There could be some debris caught in the valve and this might clear the blockage.
• Isolate the cold water supply: Try this if the steps above have not been successful. You can do this bynection if you have a tank on the ground, and will generally have a blue handle. If your system is turning off the duo valve. This valve will be located on the lowest copper pipe conmounted on the roof – the valve could be located on the wall or next to the system on the roof. Do not access the roof if it’s not safe to do so, call a licenced plumber.
• Note the season: Sometimes roof mounted solar hot water systems will leak water from the overflow valve. This generally happens in summer when the tank is too hot and the valve activates to release the super-heated water from the tank. If you notice the water ‘dumping’ from the system in summer, you can install a thermosiphon arrestor valve to prevent this from occurring.
• Call Solargain: When it comes to hot water systems it’s always better to be safe than sorry. Solargain’s team of hot water experts are on hand to troubleshoot over the phone as well as provide qualified plumbers to your address. Our aim is to have you enjoying hot water (safely) in as little time as possible.

Contact Solargain online or call us on 1300 73 93 55.

When weighing up solar power systems for his home, it all came down to reliability, diverse features and the option of a back-up battery for local Helena Valley resident Peter M, who spent six months researching solar and an extra six months researching battery back-up systems for his home.

Peter chose a 5.2kW array with a Fronius Symo Hybrid inverter which offered the flexibility of adding a battery for when they became available.

He also added a smart meter which allowed him to monitor his power consumption to make an informed decision on battery size. It also continues to monitor his system in real-time.

Solar Web Real-Time Monitoring

“As a technical nerd, I did a lot of homework on which inverter and battery solution to buy. The Fronius 5kW Symo hybrid inverter was the winner. It offered a long warranty from a long lived company,

offline ability, upgradeable firmware, exportable data and graph-able statistics from at home or overseas via web on PC or phone,” Peter said.

Next, he had to find a high quality, local installer that he trusted, that knew the products inside out and could answer all of his technical questions.

“After speaking to almost a dozen installers, Solargain won hands down. No question was too hard or skipped, experts were summoned when needed, no lies told, no hard sell,” said Peter.

Once his solar power system was installed, Peter started investigating battery packs. He was invited to attend a battery seminar by Jeremy of Solargain, where he was introduced to the Fronius LiFePO4 Battery System.

“After the seminar I spoke to Karl from Solargain who helped me do the math on why the Fronius system was great value for money in the long run. I went away and did the sums.

After taking into account the depth of discharge, cycles, cells and build quality I could see it was the one of the best value for money batteries on the market,” Peter said.

“The final clincher,” he added, “was the fact the Fronius batteries could output much higher peak current than the other batteries and are less likely to trip.”

Satisfied with his research, and after fitting a foam insulated wall, Peter had the specialist installers from Solargain add the Fronius battery to his existing system. The installation itself ran very smoothly and Peter was extremely happy with the service Solargain delivered.

“The pre and post support has been amazing and the team are to be highly commended. Experts through and through,” he said.

The friendly and experienced team from Solargain gave Peter the advice and support he needed from start to finish.

If you’d like help deciding whether a Fronius system would work in your home, or you are considering battery back up and want some information from our experts, simply contact us to speak with someone today or call 1300 73 93 55.

After installing your solar power system, it’s important to maintain it to ensure it keeps working safely and efficiently. Here are some tips on maintaining and cleaning solar panels.

The first and often only thing people think of to keep their system performing safely and efficiently is to get someone to come and clean their solar panels. Whilst cleaning your panels is sometimes required if excess dust, grit and droppings has accumulated on them, in most cases they clean themselves. What’s crucial to panel performance and safety is to check and maintain electrical components.

It’s recommended that you have your solar power system checked and maintained once a year. At Solargain, we’re available to conduct annual Solar Health Checks for anyone with solar power equipment – whether you originally installed with us or not. As part of this service; a qualified technician will visit your property and check the critical components of your solar inverter and solar panels.

Your equipment is tested to ensure it’s still performing normally and all equipment is thoroughly assessed for signs of wear or damage. In some cases, minor repairs can be made on the spot (such as replacing seals etc) and in all cases you’ll receive a report with inspection details and any suggestions by the Solargain Service Technician.

As part of the service, you can arrange for us to clean your solar panels as well – which is especially handy for people with panels that are hard to reach, if you live in an area prone to excess dust, grit and droppings, or if your solar panels are mounted on a low-pitch or flat roof.

Alternatively, if you wish to wash your solar panels yourself.

Cleaning Solar Panels

1. Remember, safety first. Some panels can be reached from the ground, but others require roof access. Don’t climb onto your roof unless you have the right safety equipment.

2. Refer to your product handbook for cleaning instructions. Depending on your panels, there might be specific cleaning recommendations.

3. Avoid cleaning your panels during the day as they can become extremely hot. Attend to your panels either in the morning or late afternoon, or pick a cooler, overcast day.

4. First try using your garden hose to get the job done (this is usually all that’s required). If a lot of dust and dirt has accumulated you can try soapy water as well as a squeegee with a long extension.

5. Don’t use metal objects or harsh abrasive products for removing caked on grit. If you scratch or cloud the glass on your solar panels, their performance can be negatively impacted.

A final consideration…

Unless you live in a highly pollutant/dusty area, or have panels mounted on a low-pitch or flat roof, the need to wash your solar panels is quite low. Most modern panels feature a hydrophobic coating that is resistant to debris. Unless you can see visible grit on the panels, water from rain will do most of the work to keep your panels clean.

For more information about booking a solar panel health check or to schedule yours, go to our maintenance page.

It’s a question we hear from potential customers all the time: how many solar panels do I need to install?

Whilst this may seem like the obvious question to ask, it’s actually one of the last answers you’ll get when figuring out the type of solar power system you should install.

What you’ll need to know first is how much energy your home is currently using.

To get the answer to this million-dollar question, you’ll need a copy of your last electricity bill. Look out for your daily average usage as this will be key to uncovering the number of solar panels you should install. Your bill will denote your electricity consumption in kWh (or ‘units’ on some bills). If there is no daily average figure, simply divide the monthly or annual average by 30 or 365 respectively to reveal the daily average figure.

What are your savings expectations?

Do you want to offset your electricity costs, neutralise them or aim to earn a credit from your power company every quarter?

Your savings expectations directly impact the number of panels you should install on your home, as well as other factors such as location and installation conditions. Since solar panels thrive on sunlight, locations with more ‘daylight hours’ (for example, Perth) will require less panels to achieve the same result than areas that receive less daylight hours, such as Hobart.

Other influential factors impacting on energy production include solar panel shading, orientation (the way they’re facing), changing seasons and weather conditions. Your solar power retailer may add a small buffer on top of your average daily production to offset these factors.

Finding the right system to meet your need

To work out what size system you should install (e.g. 3 kW, 5 kW, 7 kW etc.), you’ll need to crunch some numbers.

Each kW of solar you install will produce around 4 - 4.5 kWh per day (depending on the aforementioned factors). To ascertain the size of the system you need, just divide your daily consumption by this amount.

E.g.: 14.3 kWh (daily average) / 4.5 kWh = 3.1 (3 kW system)

Your solar retailer can help you calculate these figures as well as tell you the average daily kWh production of your proposed system.

Choosing the right solar panels

There are plenty of solar panels on the market to choose from, but only a handful of them will provide a long, efficient (and painless) experience. If you’re trying to decide between premium and cheap solar panels – don’t miss this blog covering the topic.

We recommend installing solar panels that fall into the top two tiers of quality from manufacturers that have Australian support for customers.

How many solar panels do you need for your home?

Once you’ve decided which solar panel model you’re going to install, you can divide the total kW required by the output of each panel.
This will reveal how many panels you need to install on your home.

Remember that not all panels are the same size – in terms of physical size as well as output. In the case of solar panels in the output range of 250 W - 265 W (which are quite common), you would need 12 panels for a 3 kW system.

E.g.: 3 kW / 250 W x 1000 = 12

Don’t forget

Solar panels will produce electricity whilst the sun is up and what you don’t use, you sell back to your retailer. Your retailer will only give you between 5c and 10c for each kWh (or unit) you send back to them. Factor this into your calculations, because if the majority of your consumption is at night, you’re not going to get the financial benefits you desire, despite producing enough energy to cover your usage.

To increase your savings, you need to use the power you produce and reduce the amount you export.

Clever design can help with this. For example, installing panels on the western aspect to increase afternoon production, suiting families that run an air conditioner or cooking appliances later in the day. Other tricks include load shifting – which is a fancy way of saying ‘using more electricity during the day’ (as opposed to night). This could include pool cleaners, washing machines or dishwashers whilst output from solar PV is at its highest.

For more information about solar panels, our team of experts are here to help!

You’ve probably heard by now that the 2016 Federal Election is set to take place on Saturday June 2. And if you hadn’t heard, no doubt you will be bombarded with campaign messages from the major parties soon enough.

As always, both the Labor and Liberal parties will do their best to convince the country why their plan for Australia is best – and of course, why their opponents’ is not. Who you decide to vote for (assuming you’re choosing between the two big parties) will come down to a mix of personal preference and prejudice. 
But since you’re reading this blog, we’re going to bet that the environment, climate change and investment in renewable energy rank highly on your priority list. 
So here’s a quick summary of what the Australian Labor Party and Liberal Party of Australia have to say about these important topics.

Labor

Perhaps the biggest environmental headline from the ALP is this: 50% Renewable Energy by 2030. 
Labor details its plan for an overhaul of Australia’s renewable energy scene. As part of their pitch, they uncover how Australia’s potential for renewable energy generation is 500 times greater than current power generation capacity – not to mention the huge progress countries like China, America and many European nations have made in recent times. 
Labor claims that ‘the Liberal Government has done everything in its power to try and destroy Australia’s share in one of the world’s fastest growing industries with devastating consequences for our country.’ 
So what does Labor propose to do?

• Millions more solar panel installations on homes and businesses over the next 15 years
• Improvements in battery technology and uptake (for lower power bills)
• Greater investment in renewable energy to increase jobs and reduce pollution
• Continued support and encouragement of state governments in their renewable energy targets

Other ‘positive policies’ the Labor party has formed around the topic of environment include:

• Net Zero Pollution by 2050
• Carbon Capture On The Land
• Cleaner Power Generation
• Increased Energy Efficiency

The driver behind these policies is Labor’s position on global warming being a real threat to Australia (and the world), and the urgent requirement that steps are made to reverse it.

From the ALP website: 

“If we do not act, Australia will continue to experience an increase in extreme weather events, more severe droughts and rising sea levels. All of which will come at an incredibly high cost to our economy, our environment and our way of life.”

Liberal

Comparatively, the Liberal position on climate change and the policies it will engage to combat it seem far more brief than Labor’s. 
As part of their progress to date the Liberal party acknowledges Australia’s signing of the Paris Climate Change Agreement and mentions that ‘under the Renewable Energy Target, more than 23% of Australia’s electricity will come from renewable energy by 2020.’ Of course, there is no mention that the Abbott Government worked hard to reduce this target (not to mention completely abolish it!).

Moving forward, the Liberal party claim to have set an ambitious target to reduce pollution by up to 28% by 2030, based on 2005 levels. According to the Liberal party, that’s the equivalent of ‘reducing emissions per capita by up to 52% – the second largest reduction of any G20 economy.’ 
The Liberal party has also pledged to invest $2.5b to encourage businesses to reduce their emissions through their Emissions Reduction Fund.

The Crunch

Whilst the points mentioned here are only the tip of the iceberg that is the 2016 Australian Federal Election, from an environmental perspective at least, it appears that Labor has the edge. They seem to have a far more drastic plan for upping renewable energy consumption and investment in Australia. 
Check out the Labor and Liberal party websites to read more about their respective environmental plans and policies.