How To Get The Most From Your Grid-connected Solar Power System

By Author: Roger Elley
Total Articles: 4762
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Ok, so you've just had your new grid-connected solar panels connected by your friendly accredited solar power installer.

Now, think back to the initial meeting you had with the sales consultant around the kitchen table. Do you recall discussing your previous energy use in the home, and what habits you could alter if you decided to get solar? If you answered yes, then you probably organised your solar quote through mysolarprice.com.au, as we only engage solar companies that we know will educate the consumer about their typical power use and give them a great understanding of what power output the system is capable of. Some 'fly-by-night' solar panel companies who have just arrived on the scene have misled the public regarding the performance capacity of their grid connected systems. This has led to some mistrust and confusion in the Solar arena. Mysolarprice.com.au is aware of these companies, and will not deal with the solar installers found to be giving misleading information or involved in any dishonest sales tactics.

Have you forgotten the power saving tips the solar consultant gave you? If so, don't worry, ...
... as we provide here the TOP 15 tips for reducing your power consumption to get the most out of your tariff feed, whether that be Net Tariff feed or Gross Tariff feed. Some homes with larger systems from 2kw (2 kilowatts) or more may not have to change their behaviour at all and will still be in positive territory, that is, able to get a surplus or credit for their power. This depends on the home, roof type, shade, number of people in the home, appliance usage, and most importantly their behaviour in the home or in other words how they interact with their home. Some people work during the day and turn their standby power off, whilst doing their washing and household chores at night time. Whereas other people have an air-conditioned home office and use a massive amount of power during the day and which does little at night. Why does this matter you may ask? If you are in a state like Queensland that has a "Net Tariff Feed" this is extremely important. A Net tariff feed basically means you get the balance of the power you send to the grid from the amount of power youhave used during the day but not at night, because solar panels don'd generate power at night time. Therefore, if you are using a lot of power during the day when your solar power system is working the hardest, you are competing or cancelling it out with the amount of power you are feeding back to the grid, or "Net" Feed. If however, you are away during the day and turn off all your appliances at the wall to eliminate inactive and active standby but only leave the essential items on like the fridge, you will be streets ahead of the rest and get more of a "net" balance which can only mean one thing: more $$$$$$ in your pocket!

These top 15 energy saving tips range from modifying the building material of the home, to being more energy efficient, to minor behavioural modifications like turning off the lights when you leave the room. This list is in the order of the simplest minor behaviour modifications to bigger structural changes to the building material.

TOP FIFTEEN POWER-SAVING IDEAS

1.Turn the lights off when you vacate a room. This is very important if you have energy-guzzling old-fashioned incandescent lights or worse, halogen lights. I have seen people leave on 4 x tastic 500w heat lamps on in the bathroom all day. That's an incredible 2KW or 2000 watts of power being consumed for no reason.

2.Allow natural light into the internal space. This will reduce the requirements for lights during the day.

3.Replace your incandescent light bulbs and halogens with CFL’s (Compact Fluorescent Lamps) or LED’s. They use only about a quarter or less power than the standard 75watt incandescent or 60watt halogen, and can last much longer than the standard incandescents or halogens.

4.Use Sensor CFL spotlights for outdoors, instead of the old energy-inefficient spotlights of old.

5.Turn off all standby power. This is probably the best tip I can give you for reducing your daily electricity consumption. A typical home usually operates at around 10-15% standby power, so if you have a quarterly bill of $400 that means $40-$60 of that account is standby power -which does nothing! It may not sound like much but that's approx. $120-$240 a year just for not turning appliances off at the wall. A good way to monitor your standby is to purchase a proper standby power board.

6.Choose energy-efficient appliances. This doesn't have to mean throwing out your 5-year-old fridge because it only has 2 stars, and spending $2,500 on one that is 4 star. It means if you are presented with an option of buying a new appliance, then make sure it has the highest star rating available. So if you have the money and the choice is over a 2 star 50 inch plasma TV or a 5 star 50 inch Led TV you should get the LED.

7.Turn off any second or third fridges not in use. I have found in my energy audits that many people have a spare chest freezer or 20-year-old rusting fridge with splitting seals in a hot basement. This will account for a large chunk of the electricity bill. Sometimes I've opened the door and there's nothing even in there, so the fridge is running -and working overtime- for no reason.

8.Turn off your computer screens and speakers when not in use. This is so easy, however most people I come across forget to do this. If you have a Sub-Woofer with a separate power supply be sure to turn that off also when not in use.

9.Draft Sealing in Winter. If you use electric heating in winter, be sure to stop any drafts, otherwise you are merely wasting money.

10.Use ceiling fans or pedestal fans instead of air-conditioning. Air-conditioning can be one of the most expensive appliances to run in summer. If are going to use air-conditioning in summer, make sure that the room is properly sealed, the windows are covered and you have insulation in the ceiling.

11.Air-Conditioning Tips for Summer.

- Buy the correct sized air-conditioner for your room -not house, unless it's ducted. If buying ducted make sure it can be zoned.
- Buy an energy efficient inverter air-conditioner with a high star rating for both cooling and heating.
- Set the thermostat between 18-21 degrees. Every degree celsius higher that you set the a/c increases your consumption by 10%
- Re-circulate cool air from the inside rather than using hot air from outside. If the compressor is outside be sure its not sitting exposed in the western sun.
- Ensure the windows have both internal and external shading.

12.Air-Conditioning Tips for Winter.

- Set the thermostat to 23-26 degrees
- Wear warm clothes to insulate your body so you need less mechanical heating
- Insulate your house as with Air-Conditioning in Summer Tips.
- Because hot air rises, a ceiling fan can be turned to the lowest setting -in reverse- as this actually pushes the warm air down towards the house's occupants
- Avoid electric radiator heaters and electric fan heaters as they are massively expensive.
You are better to use reverse cycle air conditioning because it's much cheaper (most people don't know this).

13.Insulation. Reflective foil type insulation is better in sub-tropical climates such as Brisbane has, but thicker, bulky insulation such as wool/fibreglass or polyester is better suited to more temperate climates such as Toowoomba.

14.Windows. There are plenty of things you can do to insulate your windows to stop the heat entering the home during summer, and keep it in in winter. In summer it's important to keep direct solar radiation off the east and west windows by vertical screening, and keep it off north facing windows with big eaves or horizontal shading. This is so you can let the sun in in winter when it's lower in the sky. These are principles known as solar passive design.

15.Hot Water. If you have an electric hot water system and it is on the wrong tariff this can be the bulk of your bill. Generally, your hot water should be on an off-peak tariff depending on your location and retail provider. The hot water bill is normally a quarter of your electricity bill if the system is electric. If it is a relatively new heat pump it will be much less. The most efficient water heating device is Solar Hot Water, with a natural gas boost.

These are just a few of the generic energy-saving tips I have come across when doing household energy audits which I find many people need help with. If you can reduce the daily consumption it's going to make it a lot easier to:
1. Keep your bills down, and
2. Make it easier for the Solar Panels to work and provide you with a bonus or credit on your next bill.

One other thing I have yet to mention is panel care. Your panels should be kept free of dirt and grime, because even dust on the panels can significantly reduce the panel's performance by up to 30% or more. I will look at the process of solar panel maintenance in my next article.

If you require any further energy saving tips or solar power saving tips, then Mysolarprice.com.au can help. We provide all the solar panel infomation necessary to make an informed solar purchasing decision.
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