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Forum Index : Solar : Comparing Grid Feed Systems
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| chookie Newbie  Joined: 16/03/2009 Location: AustraliaPosts: 18 |
Wondering if anyone can help making the decision of which offer to accept? We were very lucky to get in on the last day of the $8K rebate and have just got thru our approval. We live near Taree, NSW. Since this process took so long i have had the opportunity to search for options that may have been cheaper (if the rebate didn't eventuate and we had to pay for it all ourselves) Not sure if i should mention companies - Quote 1 From a large company in Dural(no site visit) Inverter is 2 KW OrionSPG 360 2KO Panels 6 x Solar ET M572170 (1020 watts) plus alum. mounting frame Cost $4004 minus the REC's Quote 2 From a small more local Bamboo & Solar Shop who did come out and have a look Inverter is 3KW Conergy WR3300 Panels 6 x 170watt panels (think they are conergy as well) apparently no mounting frame is required? Cost $2427 minus the REC's Any comment on any aspect of, or if you have any experience with an alternative company, will be gratefully accepted. Huge investment, big decision so i really want to get it right. Thanks in advance Smile - be happy - life is too short |
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KarlJ Guru  Joined: 19/05/2008 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1178 |
OK Investment huge with the 8K rebate- I dont think so. I just took a Job with Sunconnect- Perth based but I'll ring the boss and see if he can do yours Short 1.05KW system Orion 2.2KW transformerless inverter sungrid panels (aus company +tolerance panels -the best I have seen as far as construction) Tiled roof extra $100 (cost of the mounts) double storey add $400 (cost of scaffold/cherry picker) out of your $8K you'll get $400 change 
send me an email karlajensen at optusnet.com.au obviously change the "at" for @ This system is obviously upgradeable to 2.2KW when you have some spare coin for more panels -currently $1200 a throw + install and min string of 3. regards Karl Luck favours the well prepared |
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Tim_the_bloke Senior Member  Joined: 15/11/2009 Location: AustraliaPosts: 105 |
I am considering going with this mob: http://www.nuenergy.com.au/solar-power/special-offers.html Does anyone have feedback about Nuenergy? Is it safe to give them $2500 upfront? The deal seems almost too good to be true. |
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| chookie Newbie Joined: 16/03/2009 Location: AustraliaPosts: 18 |
I have just checked out the website and yes that seems cheap for a 1.5Kw system. I would check out the quality of the panels and the inverter tho. i think i read somewhere that they are chinese and not the best, but please do not quote me on that. I'm no expert just a consumer on a sharp learning curve! Smile - be happy - life is too short |
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| chookie Newbie Joined: 16/03/2009 Location: AustraliaPosts: 18 |
What i don't understand is.... i was lucky enough to get approval for the $8K rebate. How does this devalue my RECS? i received quote today that offered me an amount for my RECS, which on doing some quick calculations turned out to be $10.68 each. When I pointed out that RECs were trading at over $30 each at the moment it was told that there was a fee for selling them on my behalf?? Are there 2 tiers of pricing systems, one for the old rebate customers and another for newer ones. What i had hoped was to utilise the money to buy a bigger system. Smile - be happy - life is too short |
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| KarlJ Guru Joined: 19/05/2008 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1178 |
mmmmmm I cant go anywhere near that price, for 1.5KW through me you're looking at $8900 after the 5x recs. All I can say is good luck with that and although the saying is always true, you get what you pay for, it doesnt exactly look like a fly by night show so flip the coin and go for it. $500 extra is good piece of mind that they will install at all, pay the deposit only perhaps Luck favours the well prepared |
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| KarlJ Guru Joined: 19/05/2008 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1178 |
even at $30 your RECS are only worth $600 odd bucks. under the new scheme you will get 5x that masking $3K which is still peanuts given 6months ago they were $50-60. I meant to post this the other night but if it were me and I've given my dad the same advise for his 2KW system under the old rebate and that is KEEP THEM!!!! wait until the emissions trading scheme gets up in 18months time and their value will have increased four fold.. ZONE 3 MElbourne they are worth 1.382x 1(KW) x 15 (years) x$30 =$623 in Sydney they are worth another $100odd but I dont have the exact calculation (1.xxx) for SYD. Luck favours the well prepared |
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Bolty Regular Member  Joined: 03/04/2008 Location: AustraliaPosts: 81 |
My son went for the Nuenergy 1Kw system under the old rebate scheme and paid the $2500 deposit. He was initially concerned that this may have been dodgy! His system is now installed and operational. The service from the installers was excellent, especially seeing that he had a very difficult installation due to a 45 degree roof pitch above a double storey house. His components are top quality and the system works well. He has now received his $2500 refund, although this did take about 2 months. I have recently signed up with them for a 1.5Kw system which will cost me $3000. |
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| KarlJ Guru Joined: 19/05/2008 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1178 |
NUenergy vs SUNCONNECT you decide..... Nu Energy one of the largest providers in Australia. They are cheaper, for several reasons actually. A quick summary: •They sell without site inspections prior and without using F2F reps – so they do cut out the sales / site inspections costs •They do blanket market - as a legacy of this they have previously sold hundreds of customers around Australia they weren’t able to then install as they didn’t have installers where they sold in some regional areas – •The quality of their components is not high comparatively – as we tell customers, we can get panels just as cheap as theirs, but we refuse to – if a customer honestly expects us to get the cheapest components on the planet and then back a warranty / output guarantee on those components for 25 years, that just doesn’t add up •Our warranty is the highest in Australia – 10 year physical warranty (as opposed to the standard 5 year) – that extra 5 years of coverage is worth literally thousands of dollars •Output – this is a big point – ‘positive tolerance’ from flash testing means our 175W panels usually test at around 180W – 185W, our competitors (such as Nu Energy) have up to -9% flash testing which on a 190W rated panel would equate to an actual output as low as around 173W – so over 1.5kW system this means ours puts out about 1575W as opposed to Nu Energy which can output as low as 1365W – this loss of output over a 30 year system life equates to thousands of dollars again – which is worth more than the price difference •When the general public hear about a 1.5kW system, they don’t know about actual output variance due to tolerance ratings, as per the point above, so they are misled by lack of knowledge •Inverter – Nu Energy’s standard inverter is 1.7kW, ours is 2.2kW – ours is more upgradable obviously •If you average out their margins per customer, and then try to calculate how they are going to genuinely support all of those thousands of customers with (a) customer service b) fault and warranty support, for 5 or 10 years to come, there is no way they are factoring in any real support for that kind of timeframe, we are •The full value of the system is reimbursed by: savings, federal gov’t, state gov’t feed-in-tariff. So, bottom line, as long as the customer can cover the short term chip in per week (our weekly plans also make a big difference in the price war), why wouldn’t they get the best quality components, rather than taking a punt on the cheapest gear. The better the components and the more upgradable, the more capital value they add on their house, and in the long run the gov’t has foot the bill any way •We are middle of the road price-wise, but have literally the highest quality components in Australia – if someone else comes out with better, we will simply switch to that •Also, bear in mind that Nu Energy is speculating on RECS prices at the moment. RECS traders are now starting to talk about fixing RECS prices for companies like us / our competitors (futures trading) – if that happens in the short term, we will be able to narrow the pricing gap. •We will never be the cheapest on the market, and we don’t want to be. Our output, warranty of components, warranty / install support, will always be higher and thus the extra value of our systems Karl Luck favours the well prepared |
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| KarlJ Guru Joined: 19/05/2008 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1178 |
FYI can do a 1KW system for those on the old rebate for $900 (with a 2.2KW inverter) but the best deal with Sunconnect is $3K for a 1.575KW system 2.2KW inverter under the old rebate for $3K. This is 9 x 175W all pos tolerance panels (this means that they will be at least 175W and upto 185W. Sydney / Melbourne price and obviously you sign over the rebate and the RECS to SUNCONNECT. do your maths carefully, may be worth surrendering your deposit of ~$500-1000 with your original mob to get a better deal Give me a call on 0401 627 446. Karl Luck favours the well prepared |
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Downwind Guru Joined: 09/09/2009 Location: AustraliaPosts: 2333 |
The first question i would ask is what type of cells is used in the panels on offer. This makes a big difference over time, as all cells have a reduction in output with age, but some much, much faster than others. Second question is how are the cells interconnected "within" each panel? This is important if the panels are subject to part shading due to mounting constraints. (ie: neigbours tree, other buildings or even cloud cover etc.) Its the little things that matter. Pete. Sometimes it just works |
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| KarlJ Guru Joined: 19/05/2008 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1178 |
we use only mono crystalline cells. I believe they are hand soldered together and shade tolerance is basically nil, need poly cells or unisolar panels to deal with shade in any realistic manner but Uni's are 3 times the size so mounting them becomes dear. Panels have isolating diodes but not the individual cells as far as I know, all comes down to cost I guess. we are using ERA and SUNGRID panels and the tech guys who have been to all the factories reckon they are the best they have seen but in all my research I reckon the best were the Suntech panels but really only time will tell, hence go for the best warranty you can find, normally 25 years 80-85% output. Luck favours the well prepared |
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| KarlJ Guru Joined: 19/05/2008 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1178 |
I am no longer affiliated with SUNCONNECT. I am happy to provide independent green energy consultations. I ask for a small 5% commission for my advise outside the forum. Given the experience and research gone into each and every one of my clients I think this is reasonable. My intent an ethical consultation business where I can recommend the best possible solutions at the best prices in the market today, for those persons who are unable to spend the time doing the research themselves. Regards Karl 0401627446 Luck favours the well prepared |
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| chookie Newbie Joined: 16/03/2009 Location: AustraliaPosts: 18 |
thanks for the offer experience in the field would be a real advantage! can i ask what state you are in? and 5% of what? Smile - be happy - life is too short |
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