Frequently Asked Questions

FAQ including debunking myths

For further information that may not be covered here, have a look at our seperate FAQ page

Unfortunately there is no general rule when it comes to contribution to electricity bills. Every customer has a unique electricity bill, home appliances and consumption habits. It is important to work with your Sustainability Consultant to design a system that insulates your electricity bill from future increases and discuss how you can get the most out of your solar system. Future Sustainability utilise an advanced Solar Calculator to work out what works best for your individual home, electricity consumption and electricity bills.

It is not possible to receive Solar Credits when expanding a system that received the $8000 rebate. However, RECs/STC's on the expansion may be claimed
People can receive both Feed-in Tariff and the Solar Credits

The amount of greenhouse gas savings varies by state (and by system performance). However, for most states the answer is about 1.4 tonnes per year, which is equivalent to 36 tonnes over 25 years. To help customers visualise this amount of saved pollution, that's 28,000 black balloons per year (where each black balloon represents 50g of CO2).

Some potential customers dismiss solar power because they believe that it takes more energy to manufacture a solar panel than it will ever generate in its life.
They are correct about 1970s technology, but since then things have changed substantially.
It now takes 2-4 years (or less) to pay back the energy required to create a PV system.
More information from reputable sources is available at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and at our friends Wikipedia

If customers don't purchase GreenPower as well as installing a PV system, then selling their RECs means that they are selling to electricity retailers the right to claim renewable energy was used to power their homes, a right the retailers may on-sell to GreenPower customers. Essentially the customer has free power from their roof, but with the same greenhouse-intensity as the electricity grid.

The following large REC/STC brokers may be of interest to customers; other newer and smaller traders also exist:
- Greenbank Environmental
- Green Energy Trading

It is recommended to orientate the solar system to the north with a 20 degree to 30 degree pitch to achieve optimal performance. Variation in orientation and pitch will impact system output and this is where Future Sustainability's advanced Solar Calculator for Australian conditions is beneficial to understand what your solar power system will achieve
Raised framing is generally a worthwhile investment on flat roofs in states with feed-in tariffs (so long as the panels can be inclined to the north). Although the amount of sunlight that falls on the panels only increases by about 10%, the panels have better ventilation and are thus cooler and output more.
Side-pitch framing kits are available that orient and incline panels to the north from an east-or-west facing roof. These kits are more complex to install and don't look as pleasing as flush-mounted panels, so are generally not installed.

Panels certified for use in Australia must pass some form of 'hail test'. This means they should withstand most hailstorms, but it is recommended for householders to add their panels to their home insurance policy.

PV systems are almost maintenance free. It is recommended to clean the panels anually to remove the dirt, dust, and droppings that may reduce their output, but there's little else to do beyond some visual checks.

As explained in this document, the system shuts down during a blackout, in order to protect people working on the power lines. Battery back-up systems are available, but their expense typically isn't justified.