Category: News & Reviews

We initially did have a system put in several years ago. It was a small system of 1.5 kilowatts, but it was a start for us. It cost about $3,000 for the system at that time. The new panels are probably twice the power of the old panels and only marginally 50% bigger, giving us a greater output from the same sized space we’ve got on the house. They’re twice the efficient and we’re getting more power out of the sun. We had the old panels sided to a less efficient part of the house -the roof and so we got the new panels on the more efficient part of the roof, which was fantastic. There was a combination of the old and the new and it’s working tremendously.

High efficiency solar panels

We decided to spend more on our panels this time because we wanted something that we could trust, something that was reliable and we decided that we just wanted quality solar panels. That, as well as the brand name which also gives the best performance. We wanted to have quality products.

Since we’ve had the new panels and a power wall installed, we’ve been 100% self-sufficient energy-wise. It’s all worked tremendously, it’s been seamless. If the power goes out in the street, we don’t even notice it at home. It just completely kicks in.

During site visits, E-Smart will always ask:

• How much the client is using in their home in terms of power usage.
• When they use it and how the house runs.
• What they say – this would affect how we design the system.
• Where the panels go.
• How many panels go in a particular direction.

We weigh all that up on a case by case assessment and it’s not just an out-of-the-box solution.

There would definitely be companies out there that have a slap-it on attitude. The salespeople that need to make their commission, sign on the dotted line and off you go. Then they pass it on to a subcontractor that might be their first day on the job and you’ve just signed your money over and you don’t really know what you’re going to get. That definitely still exists in the industry for sure.

High Quality Solar Power System

If the installer is not as experienced and the decision gets made on the day of installation and that some bit would go in a different location, it could dramatically affect how the system performs.

Lower quality panels that may not last the warranty period or may not be backed up by a company in 10 or 15 years, could end up worthless and in a landfill. The investment into high quality solar and the resulting longer warranties is definitely going to mean less of a headache going forward.

Some homeowners that we go and see have previously installed a system that are certainly not of the best quality and a few years down the track, it would not perform as we hope it would. We would revisit the site assessed, see what the homeowner is dealing with and put in a far superior and more efficient system. That being said, if the homeowner had gotten a high-quality system installed in the first place, they would have saved the investment on that initial system.

Choose the right solar system that would benefit you! We can help you with making that choice. Contact us today.

An E-Smart installation at Scenic World in the Blue Mountains on the East Skyway site for their Skyway cable car is off-grid, making it hard for them to get any supply off the grid to that site.

They had a very small system with only a handful of panels running little communications devices and they wanted something beefier so that they could sell ice creams and tickets at that end of the Skyway.

We created an off-grid system and they’re running with no additional workspace, no additional infrastructure, and all that additional hardware.

At the East Skyway end of the Scenic World, the energy is running a till that enables them to sell tickets as well as their snack stalls which with the existing system was just way beyond the realms of.

Commercial solar power system installation by E-Smart Solar

In regards to our commercial clients, the financial benefit is always at the forefront of people’s minds, but more and more we’re seeing the environmental benefits of interest as well, particularly with Scenic World.

That was one of their core reasons for getting high-quality solar panels. They could have just stuck a generator on their site and burnt fuel to do the job but that was just not in line with what they’re trying to achieve.

Go solar today and take part in saving the environment! Contact us for your off-grid solar solutions needs.

Within E-Smart’s local area, there are some limitations on how much solar can go onto a single phase.

We’d normally talk about 5 kilowatts of inverter on a single-phase site, and residentially as much as 30 kilowatts of Solar on a three-phase site. Thus, if you do have a single-phase, there may be a limit to how much power you can sell back to the grid.

Three-phase vs single-phase site

If you do have a three-phase site, you could be selling or you could put on a larger system, sell more back to the grid and the credit will be applied to your bill.

At the end of the day, the difference between single-phase and three-phase is that you can put a bigger system on.

When looking at a solar system and looking at what will be high demand appliances in a home storage battery or an electric car, getting the most out of the roof space you’ve got is always a good thing to think about. The additional load that the battery or car will bring is when you’re going to need to get as much as you can off the roof.

A more efficient solution is going to help you meet those new demands – so high-efficiency panels will mean you’re going to get the most out of your roof space.

Moving forward, electric cars are almost certainly going to be a part of everyone’s lives. That’s always in conjunction with home energy storage and that’s always a conversation we have with our homeowners and we do our best to size the system in anticipation of those things being part of the home.

That side of things is really a site-specific solution. It all just ties into the type of conversations we have with the homeowners.  Find out what’s the best solar system size for your needs – contact the E-Smart Solar team.

Solar panels have a wide range in purchase prices. Some 5 kW systems can be purchased for under $4000. On the higher end, these systems can cost upwards of $10,000. For those interested in purchasing solar panels, one of the first questions they normally ask is whether or not there is a huge difference in the efficiency and effectiveness of solar panels sitting on the lower and higher ends of the price range. The answer is yes, there is, and we would encourage you to understand the benefit of investing in a quality solar system.

Solar Panel Study in Australia

There hasn’t been a lot of research on the differences between lower and higher-end solar panels. This is mainly because the solar boom didn’t start until the turn of the century. In Australia, the solar boom hit in 2007. This means solar panel researchers now have about a decade’s worth of Australian data to analyze to see whether the higher-end panels performed better than the cheaper ones.

Recent studies conducted using the data confirm that you get what you pay for when it comes to solar panels. When you pay a bit more, this results in the system having a more robust inverter. This translates into higher levels of efficiency, meaning a higher output. During the life of the system, the higher quality parts making up the more expensive panels produce a higher return on investment.

It was also found that not only did the cheaper systems produce less efficiency, but their inverters didn’t last nearly as long as the inverters on the more expensive systems. Inverters on cheaper systems lasted an average of five years while higher-end inverters lasted anywhere from 10 to 13 years. This is a clear indication that the more expensive systems are made using higher quality parts than the cheaper systems, and the use of higher quality parts results in a longer-lasting system that provides a greater return on investment.

It’s also been found that higher-quality parts make solar panel systems safer than ones with cheaper parts. Furthermore, many of the cheaper systems don’t come with warranties or don’t meet certain criteria to qualify for some rebate programs.

How to Choose Solar Panel System

When shopping for a solar panel system, it is important to compare systems. You want a system that comes with high-quality parts, a warranty, customer service options, and more. It’s also important to purchase one from a company with good reviews and that has been working in the industry for many years.

There is no one-size-fits-all system package that works for every customer. Your system has to be customized to meet your needs. This will largely impact the total overall cost of the system and its installation time. When you go with a system that has quality parts, you can definitely achieve a good return on your investment.

If you are interested in installing solar on your Blue Mountains, Penrith or Emu Plains home, contact E-Smart Solar for a quote.

How can you know whether the solar system that delivers power to your home is functioning properly? A solar system is a significant investment and it’s in your best interest to be aware of how well it is doing its job. The more efficient your solar system works, the lower the total cost of ownership.

Homeowners in Australia who have a solar power system already and those who are preparing to have one installed may not realize that a typical solar system does not usually come with a monitor. We encourage you to get monitoring for your new or existing system. Read on for details about solar system monitoring and how this can help your own solar setup.

What is Monitoring?

Monitoring involves keeping track of how much power your solar system is generating and how much electricity you and your family are using.

The monitor connects to the solar power system, recording how much energy you are generating, which means you will see higher numbers on clear, sunny days and lower production numbers when it’s cloudy. Be aware that monitoring works through a solar inverter. Put simply, a solar inverter takes the direct current that’s output from the solar panel and converts it into the alternating current that’s used to power your home’s appliances.

It also is recording just how much electricity is being used by all the appliances in your home, from things that are always plugged in like a refrigerator or clock, to intermittently used devices such as a microwave oven. By gathering the raw data of power generation and power consumption, you’ll have an excellent view of how well the system is working for your family.

Benefits of Solar Monitoring

There are a number of benefits to solar monitoring and becoming more familiar with them can help you determine that it’s good to protect your investment with a monitoring system:

• Data Collection: A monitor provides you with all the data you need to track the efficiency and output of your system.
• Get Information at a Glance: real-time feedback about your system is easy to check whenever you are curious about solar system performance.
• Failure Warning: monitoring will allow you to get alerts in faults or shut downs in your system. You’ll be notified if the performance of the panels, battery or inverter fails. Staying on top of problems when they first arise instead of after they have grown more pronounced can save you in maintenance and repair bills.

Record Your Energy Consumption for Billing

When you sit down to go over your budget and bills, wouldn’t it be nice to have some precise statistics on how much energy your family is actually using each month? A monitoring system for your solar power system will help you see where and why your bill has gone up or down.

Perhaps you have been leaving lights on when leaving rooms or are running appliances more often than needed (such as turning on the dishwasher when it’s only partially full of soiled dishes).

By staying on top of your energy consumption patterns, you can easily identify trends (discovering overconsumption that is unintentional, for example, or to see if you are meeting goals to reduce usage). What’s more, if there should be an issue with your utility about how much power you took from the grid, your monitor will help you record potential billing errors.

Record Energy Consumption for Optimisation

If you do not examine your energy usage, it will be difficult to optimise your solar power system. This is why so many homeowners opt to install monitoring with their solar right from the start. The equipment will show you at what times you consume the most electricity. You’ll also learn when your system tends to draw energy from the solar panels versus from your battery. Sometimes a home’s solar power panels are not matched very well with the battery storage system. A monitor can definitely help you identify trends to see if you need to update the system in any way.

Since the system is constantly keeping track of usage, it’s simple to set it up to give you warnings whenever battery use is high. The more data you collect and crunch, the more efficiently you can use power going forward.

Keeping an Eye on Solar

If you have any questions about solar system monitoring or would like to consult with an expert on monitoring for your setup, please get in touch with E-Smart Solar today.