Australian Solar Systems Interest Index: May 2022

Discover what Australian buyers were wanting when seeking quotes for solar power systems during April 2022 in the latest auSSII report.

Solar System Capacity Selection

When presented with choices of 3-5 kW, 5-10 kW, 10-15 kW, 15-20 kW, 20+ kW capacities and “Fill Roof” options on the SolarQuotes quote form and a selection was made, 79% opted for 5-10kW capacity – up from 77% in March. The “Fill Roof” option wasn’t as popular in April – just over 11% compared to 14% in March and 12% in February.

If you’re looking for advice on system sizing, check out what SQ Founder Finn has to say on how much solar power you’ll need.

Timeframe For Purchasing

22% of Australians using the SolarQuotes service in April indicated an intention of purchasing a system immediately (March: 23%, February: 22%). A further 32% said they intended buying a system within the next four weeks; which was a similar result to March.

Now could be a particularly good time to get cranking on a system installation, with wholesale electricity prices increasing in some states and electricity bills likely soon to follow.

Quality And Price Considerations

Around 12% of Australians were seeking top quality systems in April (March: 13%), 81% a good balance of price and quality and 7% a decent budget system.

Pick up some tips on choosing solar panels and selecting an inverter, along with charts of SQ-approved brands for each.

Australian Solar Price Index

If you’re curious about what Australians have been paying on average for systems over the last couple of years, check out the SolarQuotes Australian Solar Price Index, which is updated in real time. We’ll publish a special report here on the blog on average system prices and costs per watt in April towards the end of this month.

Panel Level Optimisation (PLO)

MLPE (Module Level Power Electronics), also referred to as Panel Level Optimisation (PLO) devices such as  microinverters and optimisers provide increased system design flexibility, panel level monitoring and advanced safety features. These options will also add around 20 – 30% on to the price of a system.

While we flag microinverter and optimisers add to system costs, there is still significant interest in these devices. In April, 18% indicated an interest in PLO (19% in March and February).

Advanced Consumption Monitoring

Advanced solar monitoring is also a very useful optional extra; among other benefits providing solar energy consumption information that can help a system owner extract maximum value from their investment.

In April, close to 35% of quote requests expressed interest in advanced monitoring, down from 37% in March.

Battery Ready Solar

As has been the case for a very long time, interest in battery-ready systems was within the 5% – 6% range again in April. The question is on the form to signal to prospective installers future intentions. While just about all solar power systems are “battery ready” using what’s known as DC-coupling, the question can help installers with creating the optimal system design.

Concurrent Solar And Battery Install

There was a bit of an uptick in interest in April for having a home battery installed at the same time as solar panels – up from 18% over the previous 4 months to nearly 20% last month.

Thinking about a solar battery but not sure where to start?  Read Finn’s very comprehensive (but easy to understand)  “101” guides on understanding, buying and owning a home battery, and SQ’s solar battery reviews.

Primary Use For Battery

7% of Australians interested in a battery installation were going to primarily use it for backup purposes (same as March), while around 37% mainly for minimising mains grid electricity use (March: 34%). 56% wanted energy storage for both purposes (60% in March).

Power Bills Pre-Panels

48% of Australians using the SQ service in April who shared what they were paying for electricity indicated quarterly bills in the range of $500 to $1,000, up just a little on March’s 47%. But there was a significant drop in the proportion paying more than $1,000 per quarter – from just over 13% in March to a little more than 9% in April. Perhaps decreased use of air conditioners as we said goodbye to summer influenced this.

About The May 2022 auSSII Report

This report is based on details submitted by thousands of Australians who used the SolarQuotes service during April 2022 to receive up to 3 quotes each from trusted, thoroughly pre-vetted installation professionals. We put installers through the wringer so you don’t have to.

Supporting Installers Who Care

It’s SolarQuotes’ mission to help Australians buy quality solar systems and batteries from installation companies that care about their work and customers. Find out more about what makes SQ’s solar sales leads stand out from the rest.

Reproducing  auSSII Reports

If you wish to reproduce information from these reports, please be sure attribute SolarQuotes as the source.

Original Source: https://www.solarquotes.com.au/blog/aussii-solar-may22-mb2459/