A Werribee local is urging others to think twice about installing solar panels, claiming that isn’t the bang-for-your-buck solution many might think it is.
Don Jervis, 83, agreed to join Solar Victoria’s scheme of paying off a loan to install solar panels, and contribute to the state-wide energy grid.
He said he was told doing so would reduce his energy bills, but he believes the juice hasn’t been worth the squeeze.
“I took 157 kilowatt hours from the grid and I put 639 back into the grid and got 3.3 cents back, which only was $21.
“I paid back virtually more than $100 and only got back $21.”
“That was bad enough until I received a communication from the supply company a week or two ago saying that my rate of 3.3 cents was reduced to 1.5 cents.”
Mr Jervis said he would encourage people interested in solar to invest in private batteries instead.
“It has obviously got to the stage where households have put so much into the grid, that they don’t need it anymore.
“I would say don’t do it, it’s a con.”
A Solar Victoria spokesperson said customers can visit the Victorian Energy Compare website to shop for the best deal.
“A Victorian household can save up to $1000 a year on their energy bills by soaking up their solar generation during the day,” the spokesperson said.
“It’s important that solar customers consider both the feed-in tariff (FIT) and the retail electricity tariff components when choosing a plan – some plans that offer higher feed-in tariff rates may have less competitive prices for the electricity that is consumed from the grid.”
