Ken has ordered a house battery
Posted: Sun Mar 29, 2020 6:26 pm
Thought this might be of interest to someone.
A while ago I attended a session given by the local energy minister on home batteries.
The govt is encouraging them because they charge up during the day when there's plenty of sun, and supply juice at night when there isn't. That helps the grid supply, evening out peaks and reducing the need for more infrastructure.
Even better, if the battery is part of a VPP (virtual power plant) where juice can be fed back to the grid in time of need.
In SA, there is currently a subsidy of up to $5000 on a home battery, $6000 for pensioners. (Depends on battery size.) This reduces by $1800 on the 14th April. The mob I signed up with, Shinehub, give an extra $2000 subsidy for being on their VPP.
So my deal is: $2,869 buys me a 10.3kwh battery (supplies up to 9.3kwh) on 3 phase, with mains-fail switchover. If they draw juice out of the battery, they pay me a rate of 45c/kwh. A WiFi Internet connection to my modem puts the battery info on the net, with an app on the phone to keep an eye on it.
Supposedly gets installed in June. I think I'll pay a bit more because I don't have any room in my meter box for extra circuitry, so will probably need another small box on the wall. The battery can stand outside, but should be shielded from the sun.
Three phase was an extra $300. Mains fail backup an extra $500, which I figure is worth it since my home phone / Internet modem aren't battery backed, and I have cameras and weather station (and maybe more) needing constant Internet connection.
I reckon that's pretty good. I expect to almost draw no electricity from my provider, except in very cloudy months.
Gear warranty is 5 years, battery is warranted to maintain 80% for 10 years.
While I was pondering all this, I did another check of rates. My provider, Simply Energy, (happy with them) has a plan on the net which gives 15c/kwh feedin tariff. I was getting 10c. So I did an online chat with 'Elizabeth' asking why the difference. She told me to do an online signup for that plan, and I'd get it. So I did. Great, I've increased my feedin tariff by 50%. I should be making money hand over fist now! (I have 4.8kw of solar panels.)
My plan also includes decent discount for RAA membership and being a pensioner. But they won't count for much when I'm not using any of their juice!
So 1. See if this battery deal interests you. 2. Check your electricity plan to see whether it can be bettered. We all know that like insurance, they take advantage of you if you don't keep an eye on them.
Caveats:
I've only signed up to the deal. I can't say whether Shinehub are a good mob, but best I can find on the net, they seem OK. (A friend went to a presentation they did in Adelaide some time back.)
The batteries are made in China, assembled in Adelaide. (May mean they pull off the cardboard packing here, dunno.)
Your mileage in other states will vary.
A while ago I attended a session given by the local energy minister on home batteries.
The govt is encouraging them because they charge up during the day when there's plenty of sun, and supply juice at night when there isn't. That helps the grid supply, evening out peaks and reducing the need for more infrastructure.
Even better, if the battery is part of a VPP (virtual power plant) where juice can be fed back to the grid in time of need.
In SA, there is currently a subsidy of up to $5000 on a home battery, $6000 for pensioners. (Depends on battery size.) This reduces by $1800 on the 14th April. The mob I signed up with, Shinehub, give an extra $2000 subsidy for being on their VPP.
So my deal is: $2,869 buys me a 10.3kwh battery (supplies up to 9.3kwh) on 3 phase, with mains-fail switchover. If they draw juice out of the battery, they pay me a rate of 45c/kwh. A WiFi Internet connection to my modem puts the battery info on the net, with an app on the phone to keep an eye on it.
Supposedly gets installed in June. I think I'll pay a bit more because I don't have any room in my meter box for extra circuitry, so will probably need another small box on the wall. The battery can stand outside, but should be shielded from the sun.
Three phase was an extra $300. Mains fail backup an extra $500, which I figure is worth it since my home phone / Internet modem aren't battery backed, and I have cameras and weather station (and maybe more) needing constant Internet connection.
I reckon that's pretty good. I expect to almost draw no electricity from my provider, except in very cloudy months.
Gear warranty is 5 years, battery is warranted to maintain 80% for 10 years.
While I was pondering all this, I did another check of rates. My provider, Simply Energy, (happy with them) has a plan on the net which gives 15c/kwh feedin tariff. I was getting 10c. So I did an online chat with 'Elizabeth' asking why the difference. She told me to do an online signup for that plan, and I'd get it. So I did. Great, I've increased my feedin tariff by 50%. I should be making money hand over fist now! (I have 4.8kw of solar panels.)
My plan also includes decent discount for RAA membership and being a pensioner. But they won't count for much when I'm not using any of their juice!
So 1. See if this battery deal interests you. 2. Check your electricity plan to see whether it can be bettered. We all know that like insurance, they take advantage of you if you don't keep an eye on them.
Caveats:
I've only signed up to the deal. I can't say whether Shinehub are a good mob, but best I can find on the net, they seem OK. (A friend went to a presentation they did in Adelaide some time back.)
The batteries are made in China, assembled in Adelaide. (May mean they pull off the cardboard packing here, dunno.)
Your mileage in other states will vary.