Yes, it’s true, solar panels only generate power during the daytime. Meaning that naturally, households that spend a lot of time at home during the day can take full advantage of their solar energy usage and maximize their savings. If that’s not you, you may be thinking, “Is it worth getting solar if I’m not home during the day?”. The short answer is – it could be. Here are a few reasons why solar isn’t completely out of interest, even if you’re out of the house during the day.
You Run Your Appliances With a Timer
Make the most of your solar system while you’re not at home by using as much of your electricity as possible during peak sun hours. For example:
- Make use of the delay start option on any of your appliances, such as setting your dishwasher and washing machine to run around midday.
- Be smart with your charging. Charge up your devices during the day and use their batteries during the late afternoon/night time.
You Have a Swimming Pool
The average swimming pool consumes 3,000 kWh of electricity per year. At 28 cents per kilowatt hour, it costs $840 to run it yearly. As pool pumps consume a large amount of electricity, solar is the best option to run your pool pump for free. Simply set the timer to run during the day.
You Save on High Energy Consuming Appliances
Some of our “all day, every day” appliances can be silently burning a hole in our pockets. For example, a refrigerator is the second largest energy user in the average home. On average, running a 600-litre fridge costs approximately $400 annually… and that’s only one of your appliances. Most of us forget that all of our other standby appliances also use electricity, representing approximately $100 of your annual electricity costs. Going solar will reduce those costs, even if you’re not home during the day.
You Install Energy Storage
To make the most of your solar system, the best option is, without a doubt, to couple your solar installation with batteries. An energy storage battery harnesses any unused power that is generated by your solar panels and saves it for later use. So when you’re not home during the day, your battery will be charging and you’ll have access to all of its stored energy when you return.
According to the Climate Council, adding a 4kWh battery to a 5kW solar system would double the amount of self-generated solar energy consumed from 30% to 60%! Read the full report here.
Read our article about battery sizing here.
You Take Advantage of the Feed-In Tariff
Yes, in order to maximize your savings, it’s best to consume the electricity you’re producing rather than send it back to the grid. However, the feed-in tariff helps make solar power worth it even if no one is home during the day.
As an example, let’s take a household with a 5kW Solar PV system. Assuming there is no export limit and a feed-in tariff at 9.9 cents…
- For each kilowatt of solar electricity consumed, they saved 28 cents. Assuming they use the totality of their solar electricity, this household saves $2,044 per year.
- If this family doesn’t use any of the electricity their solar system produces and sends everything back to the grid, they save $722.70 per year thanks to the feed-in tariff.
You Choose The Right Orientation For Your Solar Array
The orientation of your panel array can also help you generate electricity when you need it the most. Western-facing solar panels produce more electricity in the afternoon and reach their maximum production during off-peak sun hours. This is a fantastic solution for households with high electricity consumption later in the day.
On the other hand, Eastern-facing panels will produce more electricity in the morning and meet the needs of households with higher consumption during the earlier hours of the day.
Don’t forget that the Victorian Government is making solar more affordable than ever with a 50 per cent solar rebate! Register here.
If we’ve answered the age old question “Is it worth getting solar if I’m not home during the day?”, and you’re considering getting a Solar PV system installed in your home, call Energis on 1300 782 217 or send us an email at sales@energis.com.au to determine precisely whether or not it would match your usage. One of our solar consultants will talk you through the best option for you and give you a FREE quote.
