Travis is energy self-sufficient with solar battery
Case study
Frustrated by the high energy costs of heating and cooling their fifties weatherboard home, Travis and Liz explored the possibility of solar. “We’ve got a fairly large roof space,” explains Travis.
Travis is very money conscious when it comes to saving energy. “I walk around the house at night flicking off the lights and checking things are turned off at the wall. We’ve replaced all our light globes with LEDs and buy energy efficient appliances.”
“We were researching solar, to work out whether it was going to be financially viable. We did get quotes on batteries, but it just wasn’t affordable, so we decided we would install solar panels first then wait and see if batteries would go down in price.”
Then in 2020, he saw a promotion about the NSW Government’s Empowering Homes solar battery loan offer. “My postcode was eligible, and I was straight onto it. The biggest factor for me is that the loan repayments are completely interest-free over the entire 8-year life of the loan.”
Travis opted to install a 13.5kWh battery and a 7.5kW solar system, which he describes as a “game-changer”. “We originally thought we’d have to run everything in the middle of the day but with our new battery we don’t even think about it. If we want to turn something on, we do.”
“Our first electricity bill after the installation was $173 in credit so we’re already ahead financially. We plan to use the electricity bill savings to pay off our home loan a bit faster.”
“The whole process was surprisingly easy. The advice and support provided by the Empowering Homes approved supplier was very helpful. They talked me through the steps in the lead up to and during the installation of the solar-battery system.”
“I’ve encouraged family and friends to look into the Empowering Homes offer themselves because it does make a lot of sense, if you use enough electricity.”
Want to reduce your electricity bills and be more energy self-sufficient? Find out if this offer is right for you.