Aussie dad saving $200 on every electricity bill after clearing common hurdle: ‘Saving good money'
Nathan Triffitt and his wife Danielle installed solar panels and a battery on their Thirlmere home a few years ago and have seen their electricity bill drop significantly. The dairy detergent maker told Yahoo Finance the couple decided to make the investment to help lower their bills and give themselves a backup option should they lose power.
'I wanted to keep the lights on for my family in blackouts and to lower the prices of our energy bill,' Triffitt said.
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'Some months are different, obviously winter has less sunlight, but on average it is $200 per bill that we're saving. So we're saving some good money.'
The family of four has two 6.6kW solar systems, which cost them $5,000 and $6,000 with state government rebates.
They also have a 10kW solar battery worth $10,000, which they won as part of a competition.
'The battery kicks in when the sun goes down. On a day we don't have to use our air con, we can get through the whole night on our battery alone. That's a really big saving,' Triffitt said.While many Aussie families are keen to install solar panels and batteries to lower their bills, upfront costs remain a big barrier.
Rebate schemes are offered by some states, while others offer interest-free or low-interest loans but eligibility criteria apply.
Brighte CEO Katherine McConnell said upfront costs had become an even bigger barrier for families due to spiralling cost-of-living pressures.
"What we're seeing is a perfect storm," she said.
"Australians clearly understand the long-term benefits of home energy upgrades and want to act, but rising cost-of-living pressures are making the initial investment even more challenging.
'This presents a critical opportunity for innovative financing solutions and government rebates to help bridge this gap."
Brighte offers personal loans for people seeking to make sustainable upgrades to their home, including installing solar panels and batteries, and connects customers with tradies.
The loans come with a 0 per cent interest payment plan, however, there is a $2.30 per week account-keeping fee, a $75 establishment fee and late payment fees.
Triffitt got a loan through the company and said he'd like the government to offer more rebates for solar panels and batteries.
'There should be rebates for batteries and for bigger-sized batteries. Our battery is 10kW and I think they need to cover a few more hours of battery time and ease the pressure off the grid,' he said.
Triffitt said his solar and battery savings were helpful given the cost of his mortgage repayments, energy bills and rates had all gone up.
'That $200 off our bill can go towards something else like the kids and what they need and want, and put food on our table and all those other things that we need in life,' he said.
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