Solar Electricity
Curb Your Power
We are currently customers of Powershop, and have decided to get involved with an interesting program they are running. The idea is that they will tell us by SMS when they are expecting very high demand. If we can reduce…
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The Value of West Facing Solar Panels
Its almost 2 years since I installed a solar power system on my current house. The installation is 8 x 250 watt panels facing North and these 5 x 250 watt panels facing West. Over the time they have been…
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Busting some Myths about Solar
I have been hearing a few discussions about Solar power where people are repeating myths. . . . . So here are four commonly heard myths and the truth. MYTH You must have a battery with a solar system TRUTH…
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Will Your Roof Take Solar Panels?
Plenty of people are thinking about solar panels as they can save a lot of money. But is your roof strong enough? In the old days a house roof had a good factor of safety so they could take the…
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Don’t Get Fooled by the Inverter Rating
I have seen quite a few solar power advertisements that try to fool you! They say something like: 5kw Inverter 16 x 260 watt Panels Free Installation You might think you are getting a 5kW System The Truth What…
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Solar For Free?
But Is It Worth It? I recently came across a scheme by AGL called the ‘Solar Smart Plan’ The Plan You sign a 7 year contract. AGL install panels on your roof for free. You are able to buy…
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Solar Power Revisited – We Are Carbon Positive
At the start of this year I decided to install solar panels on my roof. I posted about how I arrived at the decision HERE Now I have around 6 months data, and the Feed In Rate (FIR) has increased…
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Which Way Is North?
Don’t rely on a compass! Or a mobile phone either! There are different Norths True North Grid North Magnetic North The difference can be more than 10 degrees which can affect your view and the solar performance of your house…
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Solar Citizens
Do you want to be a Solar Citizen? Do you know who the Solar Citizens are? Well I only found out about them a couple of weeks ago. Basically they are a nationwide group of people that support a…
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Three Reasons Why Natural Gas Isn’t Better Than Electricity
With all the publicity about rising gas prices the gas networks must be feeling the heat. (AAAARGH what a shocking ‘Dad’ Joke) Why else would I find an article on my Facebook feed entitled ‘Three Reasons Why Natural Gas Is Better Than Electricity’…
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