Solar Earnings

Last week, i showed you current prices of solar electricity panels. Today we'll look at how much they'll save you.

This graph shows yearly savings with a 1.5kW system here in Queensland. Across the bottom is how much electricity you have 'left over' - which depends on how much your house uses during the day.

Even if just 10% of the solar power is sent to the grid, you still save about $500 by making your own energy instead of paying for it. Houses that consume less energy can sell more energy into the grid, which pays at the bonus rate, earning up to about $1000 a year.

And Origin, are offering an even higher bonus rate (50c rather than 44c) so that adds about another 10%.

(Oh, and if you're wondering about the 'zones' on the graph, most of Queensland's population is in zone 3. Zones 2 and 1 are in the southwest corner of the state, where there's even more sunshine)