Australian Solar Systems Interest Index: April 2022

The latest SolarQuotes auSSII report reveals a greater proportion of Australians wanting to fill their roofs with solar panels to make the most of their valuable rooftop real estate.

Solar System Sizing

Based on system size options of 3-5 kW, 5-10 kW, 10-15 kW, 15-20 kW, 20+ kW and “Fill Roof” selected on the SolarQuotes quote form, 77% chose 5 – 10kW capacity in March, while just 2.5% selected 3-5kW. We saw a significant increase in the proportion choosing the “Fill Roof” option at just under 14%, up on February’s ~12%.

Not sure what system size is right for you? Read SolarQuotes founder Finn’s advice on how much solar power you’ll need.

Purchasing Intent – Timeframe

An intention to buy a solar power system immediately crept back up in March to 23% compared to 22% in the previous month. 31% indicated a purchase within 28 days and around 46% within three months.

As we mentioned in our recently published March 2022 Australian Solar Price Report, the best time to install panels is usually right now as the longer a household is without PV, the longer it will suffer power bills higher than they would otherwise be.

Price Vs. Quality

Rising costs for just about everything haven’t put Australians off seeking top-notch PV, with 13% indicating a desire for a “top quality” (most expensive) system  – same as in February. And as in February, 80% were wanting a good balance of cost and quality and 7% a decent budget system.

Current price ranges for various system capacities can be found on SQ’s solar panel cost page.

Australian Solar Price Index

On a related note, you can find out what Australians are paying on average for systems using the SolarQuotes Australian Solar Price Index, which is updated in real time. Towards the end of April, we’ll publish a special report here on the blog summarising average system prices and costs per watt in March based on the tool.

Interest In Panel Level Optimisation (PLO) Options

Panel Level Optimisation (PLO)  – aka MLPE (Module Level Power Electronics) – options include microinverters and optimisers. While increasing the cost of a system by around 20%, among their benefits are increased flexibility in system design, panel level monitoring and advanced safety features.

Again in March, 19% of quote requests indicated interest in PLO/MLPE devices.

Advanced Solar System Monitoring

In March, close to 37% of requests included a desire for more information on consumption monitoring. This is an optional feature that will add a few hundred dollars to a installation, but will  help extract maximum value from a solar power system.

Battery Ready Solar Systems

Same old, same old – interest in battery-ready systems was around 5.5%; within the usual 5% – 6% range.

Tip: Just about every solar power system is “battery ready” to some degree; using what’s known as DC-coupling.

Solar + Battery Installation

Approximately 18% of Australians using the SQ service showed interest in having a home battery installed at the same time their solar panels – the same proportion as in December, January and February.

A home battery is a significant investment – and with dozens of brands now available in Australia, it can be a confusing choice. We asked top Australian installers to vote on the best solar batteries in 2022 – see the results. Also check out Finn’s “101” guides on understanding, buying and owning a home battery system, and SQ’s solar battery reviews.

Primary Battery Application

7% of Australians interested in a battery installation in March were wanting it mainly backup purposes (6% in February), around 34% primarily for minimising mains grid electricity consumption (38% in February), and just shy of 60% for both purposes (57% in February).

Electricity Bills Pre-Panels

Where power bill costs were indicated pre-solar installation, 47% were paying within the range of $500 and $1,000 – which has been pretty consistent for more than a year. There was an uptick in the proportion of those paying more than $1,000 a quarter; from a little under 11% in February, to just over 13% in March. Perhaps what was considered average was influenced by summer air conditioning costs.

About The April 2022 auSSII Report

This report is based on details submitted by thousands of Australians who used the SolarQuotes service during March 2022 to receive up to 3 quotes each from trusted, thoroughly pre-vetted installation professionals participating in the SQ network.

Supporting Great Solar – And Great Installers

For well over a decade, SolarQuotes has been delivering quality leads to quality installers. Find out more about what makes SQ’s solar sales leads stand out from the rest.

Reproducing  auSSII Content

You’re welcome to reproduce information from ausSSII reports – just be sure to attribute SolarQuotes as the source.

Original Source: https://www.solarquotes.com.au/blog/aussii-solar-march22-mb2418/