Energy Efficiency

Battery Benefits

Information SRC: qld.gov.au

Use more of the energy you generate

Batteries allow you to use more of the power your solar panels are producing. By installing a battery, you can store your solar-generated electricity from the middle of the day and use it later when you need it.

Reduce your power bills

Storing your excess solar-generated electricity can increase your energy savings. By connecting your solar panels to a home battery system, you may reduce the amount of electricity that you need to buy from the grid.

A battery’s high initial cost means that savings in energy bills may not be enough to recover installation and running costs within the system’s lifespan. See more details below on calculating the payback period.

Greater energy security

Grid-connected solar systems are typically designed to switch off during a power outage whether they have a battery or not. This is to protect those who are working on nearby electricity lines.

You can still have a working solar PV system during a power outage if you have batteries designed to provide a backup power supply. Some batteries come with built-in backup power capability, while others have the option to add that on for an additional cost.

Installations designed to provide backup supply can safely disconnect your house from the grid and continue to supply you with stored battery power. There are two types of blackout protection:

Whole-of-home backup batteries, which power everything in the house during a blackout but will drain quicker.
Essential load backup, which prioritises powering the essentials such as lighting and fridges and helps the supply last longer.

If you wish to design a solar battery system with backup, communicate this to your installer so they can design a system that suits your needs.

Solar Design for Peregian Beach Installation

If your home is impacted or damaged by storms, it is no longer safe to use your solar PV system or your solar battery system. Follow the shut-down procedures for each system, if it is safe to do so.

Environmental considerations

You may be considering a battery to help with climate change mitigation. A battery does not directly reduce the use of fossil fuels in the grid, but it does allow you to maximise the use of renewable energy that your solar system generates.

Solar and wind don’t always produce electricity when we need it, so it can be helpful to store any surplus renewable energy for use at other times.

Using stored solar energy from your solar system can help reduce your carbon footprint.

Calculating the payback period

The payback period is the amount of time it takes for the energy bill savings to equal the amount of money spent on the battery system. If the payback period occurs within the system’s anticipated lifespan, the system can be considered a positive investment.

Calculating the payback period involves a lot of factors including:

electricity consumption
location
energy and solar feed-in tariffs
warranty and life expectancy of your battery
the cost and performance of your system.

A very simplistic calculation is:

Upfront system cost ÷ projected annual savings in energy bills = estimated payback period in years

For a more accurate payback period calculation, you will need to include a range of additional factors such as the:

level of battery discharge over the course of the year, considering energy use patterns and solar generation
reduction of battery capacity over your battery’s lifespan
potential future changes in retail electricity prices
efficiency losses between solar, the battery and your appliances.

Several online calculators exist that can help you work out the payback period. Reputable suppliers can also assist in calculating the payback period for you.

More information

Learn More About Battery Solutions

If you’re interested in learning more about battery solutions or getting a quote, please contact our team. We service Noosa and surrounding suburbs.

Discuss a Battery Solution for Your Home or Business

Air-Conditioner Energy Optimisation

Air-Conditioning Solutions – Noosa & Surrounding Suburbs

Make an Air-Conditioning Enquiry

On the Sunshine Coast, Air-Conditioners are the most popular solution to keep living and working conditions bearable, especially during the summer heat. In this exciting article, we take a look at how to optimise AC usage to make sure we’re getting the most chill for the lowest cost and energy usage. If you’re interested in an air-conditioner solution for your home or business, don’t hesitate to contact our team – we’re experienced with all aspects of air-conditioning and service Noosa and surrounding suburbs on the Sunshine Coast.

Reducing Air-Conditioning Running Costs with Solar

Using solar power to run your air-conditioner is a long-term solution that can help to reduce costs in the long-term. Over time, a key benefits is being able to run your appliances during the day without paying for power from the grid. Meanwhile, if you already have solar, it’s important to maximise solar power usage for your AC (as opposed to power from the grid). An example might be cooling down your rooms before the evening comes – instead of waiting until it’s dark, when you will need to use power from the grid.

Using Optimal AC Modes

AC units have a wide variety of modes and on a hot day it can be tempting to hit ‘Siberia’. However, launching into the coldest and most powerful mode is not the most efficient way to use your air-conditioner. Economy modes optimise the way the air-conditioner works to get a great result without redlining power usage. For example, Daikin’s Econo Mode [SRC: Daikin ] prevents excessive cooling and only uses 70% of the appliance’s capacity. This achieves cooling without wasting electricity.

Awareness of Modern Features

If you’re looking to purchase an air-conditioner, it’s important to come at it from an energy-efficiency point of view. Pay attention to your prospective machine’s features. For example, some Daikin split systems come with ‘Intelligent Eye’, which monitors whether a room is being used, and adjusts the AC delivery to suit usage.

Awareness of Ratings

For new air-conditioners, pay attention to energy rating labels. These give an indication of both energy efficiency and energy consumption, helping you to appreciate how a specific appliance compares to its peers.

Daikin Split Systems – a Popular Solution

Use the Right Air-Conditioner

While there are many different types of air-conditioners, some are more energy-efficient than others, depending on the type of premises you are cooling. For cooling bedrooms and larger rooms, small, portable air-conditioning solutions are generally the least energy efficient appliances. Split systems are the recommended solution in most cases, since they are more energy efficient, and can achieve and sustain comparable cooling without requiring as much power. However, they do cost more upfront and they’re not portable.

Optimising Usage

An important step towards optimising your air-conditioning is to only cool the required rooms, and for these rooms to be sealed from the outside. If you’re cooling the entire house, and all of the doors and windows are open, you might as well just throw your wallet out the window – which won’t be a problem, since the window is already open. Using air-conditioners minimally and within sealed rooms is effective an effective way to cool the home that won’t require the AC to use its full power.

In Conclusion

Like any appliance, air-conditioners can and should be optimised. With AC, this process starts right at the beginning – selecting an appropriate system for your home – and then operating the system in an efficient manner. If you’d like to know more about AC on the Sunshine Coast, contact our team – we are here to assist.

Learn More About AC Solutions

If you’re interested in learning more about air-conditioner solutions or getting a quote, please contact our team. We service Noosa and surrounding suburbs.

Make an Air-Conditioning Enquiry

Avoid this Obvious Solar Mistake

Solar power provides homeowners with a fabulous source of electrical energy. Nowhere is this truer than on the Sunshine Coast, where we enjoy beautiful sunny conditions for most of the year along with a fantastic natural environment.

This article discusses optimising your solar solution – in particular, ensuring your high-use appliances are using solar energy and not power from the grid. If you’re making this mistake, don’t worry – you’re not alone. Let’s check it out.

Not Maximising Your Usage of Solar Production

One of the primary goals of solar installations is to ensure that you are making the most of your solar power. For solar systems (with no battery), that means using power as much as possible during the day – when the sun is shining.

We install a range of solar battery solutions, including Enphase

To maximise the benefit of your solar system, it is important to adjust your energy consumption where possible to ensure that you are using the energy you produce, rather than purchasing from your energy retailer.

Examples:

Run swimming pools between the house of 10am-3pm
Use household appliances (dishwashers, washing machines, clothes dryers if you must) during the day where possible

One of the largest users of power in the home is the hot water system – electric hot water systems account for approximately a quarter of your electricity bill. [SRC: energyrating.gov.au ]

To make the most of your solar, it’s essential to make sure your hot water system is heating during the day, and using solar power. If it’s heating at night, it will not be using your solar energy (unless you have a battery) and will be drawing power from the grid, causing unnecessary costs.

Part of our service is to optimise electrical configurations.. while this might sound obvious to you, but we have seen quite a few homes where this problem is happening. If you’re going to the effort of collecting solar energy, it only makes sense to maximise it!

The Solution – Install a Timer

The solution is to install a timer on your hot water system that will ensure it only operates during peak solar collection times (during the middle of the day). Having a solar system in place is a significant step, but it’s only one part of the solution. The other part is optimising your home to make the most of solar power.

Get Assistance

If you don’t know when your hot water system is heating or need help organising a timer for your hot water system, or would like further information about optimising your home or business, please contact our team.

Learn More About Solar Solutions

If you’re interested in learning more about solar solutions or getting a quote, please contact our team. We service Noosa and surrounding suburbs.

Discuss a Solar Solution for Your Home or Business

Reasons for Electrification

In this article, we examine the main reasons behind Electrification – a movement to change the way we collect and use energy. Electrification is driven by a variety of reasons. Today, we take a look at environmental concerns, energy independence, energy efficiency, technological innovation, economical benefits, and health benefits. Let’s check it out!

What is Electrification?

Electrification is the process of using clean, renewable electricity to power electrical appliances, machines and transportation. Electrification is a move away from fossil fuelled power sources. Read more about Electrification here.

Environmental Reasons

Australia has a goal to reach Net Zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. [SRC: dcceew.gov.au] The goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions comes from the relationship between greenhouse gases and global warming. [SRC: bom.gov.au]

Electrification Solutions: Local, National, Global

As greenhouse gases increase in the atmosphere, they have the effect of trapping heat which causes the earth to warm up. About 90 per cent of the world’s carbon emissions comes from the burning of fossil fuels – mainly for electricity, heat and transport. [SRC: csiro.au]

In the context of the environment, Electrification aims to replace fossil-fuelled energy with energy sourced from clean, renewable energy, towards the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and the contribution that they make to global warming. This process is described at rewiringaustralia.org.

Energy Independence

Another important goal of Electrification is energy independence – becoming less reliant on the variables that bring electricity to your door: electrical providers, the global energy situation and energy price changes. As long as the sun is shining, with rooftop solar in place, a home can generate and (with a battery) store energy independently of changes that might otherwise affect power supply or pricing.

Energy Efficiency

Optimising energy use is another objective of Electrification. Towards this goal, Electrification involves processes of measuring and monitoring energy usage in order to determine the best way forward. Armed with this evidence, consumers can make small but significant improvements in the amount of energy they use and the associated costs for their energy. By minimising energy use and maximising outcomes, greater efficiency can be attained which on a large scale improves the overall energy usage footprint.

Technological Innovation

Energy collection and usage technology is undergoing a rapid evolution. While solar has been around for decades, new solar innovations are producing different and better ways of capturing and integrating solar energy into homes and businesses. Most importantly, prices are always improving, especially on technology such as batteries which are essential for an independent energy solution.

Economical Reasons

Energy is critical for all Australian households, and in the long term, there is always a strong imperative to utilise processes which make sense financially. Electrification involves initial investment and a changed approach, towards the goal of achieving better outcomes financially over the longer term.

Health Reasons

The health reasons for the Electrification switch are mainly in relation to atmospheric changes. There is the primary reason to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and global warming. There is also the matter of air quality. For example, with EVs replacing internal combustion engines on the roads, vehicle emissions will be reduced. Furthermore, by taking gas out of homes for cooking, health and emissions risks are reduced. [SRC: abc.net.au]

Why it Matters What We Do at Home

In our day-to-day lives, the non-renewable energy sources we use produce a large amount (42%) of Australian greenhouse gases. [SRC: Rewiring Australia ] These types of machines include: petrol cars, gas heaters, gas hot water and gas stoves, and fossil-fuel power plants supplying network electricity. The type of energy we use, and the machines we use, affect our carbon footprint. Converting these fossil-fuelled machines to electrical versions, and powering them from renewable energy sources is the primary goal of Electrification.

Learn more about how to make Electrification happen on this page.

More Information

Moving into the Future

The shift to a net-zero emissions future will require a large technological shift in Australia. We are here to support this shift with energy solutions for homes and businesses in and around Noosa on the Sunshine Coast. Contact our team to discuss an Electrification solution for your home or business today.

Discuss Electrification

Energy Management Solutions

To make sure your home or business is Energy Efficient, it is essential to have the capability of monitoring your energy usage. Whereas in the not-too-distant past we needed to rely on quarterly reports from energy providers, there is now a wide range of technology available to help consumers understand how they are using energy and how that usage can be optimised. This can be done in real time, enabling adjustments through the day to optimise outcomes.

How to Monitor Energy at Home

Energy usage can be monitored by the installation of monitoring technology between your incoming power source and your appliances. This is especially important for solar installations, since generating your own energy only makes sense if you are optimising the usage of the energy you are collecting.

*Note – all of our solar solutions come with an energy monitoring app so you can track and manage your energy. Learn more about our solar solutions here.

To give you an idea, here are some screenshots that come from our Enphase solar installation at Noosa Electric Co HQ at Noosaville:

Diagram #1

Diagram #1 Notes: This was an overcast day. This day began with the necessity to draw power from the grid [a] before the solar collection picked up [b]. Working with solar power means an increased awareness of weather and solar collection to optimise your power configuration in real-time. Towards the end of the day, solar collection reduced again and a combination of grid and solar power was utilised.

Diagram #2

Diagram #2 Notes: This day also began with overcast weather. However, grid power was rapidly overtaken by solar power. The uneven shape of this graph indicates solar power was coming and going through the day, due to overcast conditions. However, sufficient solar power was collected through most of the day to power our office and export some back to the grid as well.

Diagram #3

Diagram #3 Notes: This day began with rain. After the weather cleared, the rest of the day is in a perfect “football” shape, indicating great solar collection and export to the grid. You can see where our EV was charged later in the day, an event totally covered by solar power. It’s important to ensure this type of major event is covered by solar power.

Diagram #4

Diagram #4 Notes: This is a perfect day of solar energy collection. We did need to use grid energy at the beginning of the day, but that’s because we started work before the sun came up. After this period we enjoyed great solar collection with EV charging being undertaken through most of the day.

Diagram #5

Diagram #4 Notes: This is a perfect day of solar collection. This was a Sunday, so we weren’t using any energy today (apart from the bare minimum to keep things ticking along). Most of this energy was exported back to the grid.

In Conclusion

Solar energy is a fabulous way to collect energy independently, especially on the Sunshine Coast where we have an abundance of sunlight all year round. Making the most of solar energy requires a solar solution and energy management and optimisation. For assistance with your solar solution, please contact our team – we are here to assist.

Learn More About Energy Management Solutions

If you’re interested in learning more about energy management solutions or getting a quote, please contact our team. We service Noosa and surrounding suburbs.

Discuss a Battery Solution for Your Home or Business

EV Charging Solutions

One of the biggest changes in our lifetime is happening now with the addition of Electric Vehicles (EVs) to the market, providing a competitive alternative to Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles for the first time. With this shift comes the ability of individuals to charge their own car, and like all things with technology, there is more than one way to get it done. In this article we take a look at the technological options and concepts to be aware of when assessing a home charger for your electric vehicle.

The Efficiency of EVs Vs ICEs

Electric vehicles operate energetically more efficiently than their internal combustion counterparts. “EVs convert over 77 per cent of the electrical energy from the grid to power at the wheels. Conventional gasoline vehicles only convert about 12 per cent – 30 per cent of the energy stored in gasoline to power at the wheels,” [SRC: https://www.energycouncil.com.au/analysis/evs-are-they-really-more-efficient/]

In addition to this greater efficiency, they don’t create emissions while being driven, and need substantially less maintenance than ICEs. However, the real benefits of EVs are achieved when they are powered by solar on the roof (rather than power from the grid). Power supplied by renewable energy enables vehicle operation without reliance on a fossil-fuelled power source.

EV Charging Options

Meeting the Demand of an EV

The introduction of an electrical vehicle into your household will increase the demand for electricity in your home. That’s why a solar solution should be mapped to your energy objectives – a process we include in our free solar consultation and quote. In addition to getting set up the right way, our solutions also include modular options that can be extended in the future should your energy needs change. Certainly, a solar installation with an electric vehicle represents the ability to supercharge your return on investment for a solar installation.

Smart and Dumb Charging

EV charging at home can be done with a ‘smart’ or a ‘dumb’ charger. Both get the job done, but they do it in different ways. Here’s the breakdown! A dumb charger is just a charger, nothing more. You plug your EV into the charger, and it charges the EV using the available power. It’s simple and effective. However, if you have solar power, one of the main goals is to maximise the use of your solar power. This is where a smart charger can help. Some chargers have the ability to measure your solar production, and your homes overall energy consumption, enabling charging purely off your excess solar energy generation. That almost equates to free charging of your car using entirely renewable energy.

Optimising EV Charging

If you’re interested in optimising your EV charging, Energex has compiled a list of helpful hints and tips which can you read about here.

The Shift to Smarter Homes

A home with an optimised solar solution is made up of many interrelated parts. Some of the components are more obvious than others. If you’re hoping to charge your electric vehicle using renewable energy, you need a solar configuration that is up to the task, and a smart EV charger to optimise your charging capability.

EV Charging Solutions

Talk to Noosa Electric Co for an EV charging solution for your home or business, in Noosa & surrounding suburbs. This includes charging options from the grid or from your own solar power, and different charging modes to make the most of renewable energy.

Discuss an EV Charging Solution