Australian Solar Prices: October 2022 Update

Just one Australian state dropped below a dollar a watt on average for fully installed solar systems during September 2022 – and it wasn’t WA.

According to SolarQuotes’ Australian Solar Price Index, the only state to see fully installed prices (after solar rebates and subsidies) below this threshold was South Australia; which dropped significantly from $1.13 per watt in August to 98c in September. Average installed prices in Western Australia, usually the cheapest, have been heading up for four consecutive months.

The costs per watt in the table above for September 2022 are based on 324 solar installer review submissions received by SolarQuotes to October 27 where pricing of systems was included. These numbers may change as new reviews are received. Note the averages cover everything from crap to craftsperson solar, and from very cheap (as in cheap and nasty) to grossly overpriced (and sometimes also nasty) systems.

To see general pricing ranges for good quality systems, check out SQ’s solar panel costs page.

Cost Per Watt – National Averages

The following graph indicates average cost-per-watt across all system sizes nationally going back to October 2020. Pricing remains elevated compared to a year ago ($1.07 vs. 94c), and that situation has been in play for close to 12 months now.

6.6kW Solar System Prices – September 2022

For fully installed 6.6kW systems specifically – a popular capacity choice – average pricing for all quality types and after subsidies dropped from $6,456 in August to $6,299 in September.

Pricing on 6.6kW solar systems can vary greatly between the states. For example, in September the range was from an average $5,900 in Western Australia to $6,800 in New South Wales. If we had any useful data for NT and TAS, it would have likely shown significantly higher again.

Looking Ahead: Solar Rebate Reduction, Power Price Rises

Solar installers should be kept pretty busy in the final months of this year and beyond given the scheduled solar rebate reduction in January and news this week of  even more significant electricity price rises for many Australians, which created another rush on quotes. Whether this increased demand will translate to higher system pricing remains to be seen.

For Australians who are able to get solar panels installed before the proverbial really hits the fan on power prices, there’s an added bonus to look forward to. Not only will these households and business reduce their dependence on expensive mains grid power; but as wholesale electricity costs go up, feed-in tariff rates *should* follow at some point in the states impacted.

But regardless of where electricity prices are heading, it will still remain the case that the most value from a solar power system will be realised through a focus on solar energy self-consumption.

Original Source: https://www.solarquotes.com.au/blog/solar-prices-oct22-mb2693/