For some reason images are not reflecting when posting from inleo so I will be using Peakd for the time being.
Today I have a team on the roof still preparing for the rubberized paint that will be the final water proofing, but that cannot happen before the solar panel brackets are installed. This is why it has to happen in stages and why I wanted to have the roof prepared before the solar arrived.
My friend who is a German and have known for nearly 15 years now sent over his go to solar person in order to get the ball rolling on what type of set up we need. Looking at the house and he pitch he recommended a 12KwH system which I immediately rejected.
I said this house has to be off the grid and no going back to the grid for top ups because what it the point then. My generator is a 6.7kw and it cannot suffice all our needs so my head tells me 3 x that type of power so we settled on a 20Kw/h solar package.
If a battery needs topping up then we will use the generator to perform that task and avoid using the grid. I do not trust the government on what is to come for those dipping in and out of the grid because there will be penalties imposed. Those tariffs will be much higher and I expect those to be costly every time you have to use the grid. Maybe even double the network tariffs plus a service fee for using the grid.
When I drive around more and more houses are turning to solar, but from what I see the solar that is installed is not taking them fully off the grid and they have not gone all in. I would rather take no chances and have excess electricity than to be having to change my lifestyle around how much power is generated by the sun each day.
The worrying fact is he revenue that the grid earns monthly is going to be far less due to all the solar installations taking place and that means the tariffs will rise. Every year the prices rise by a good 15-20% and that is purely to maintain their revenue nd the higher the tariffs the more people abandon the grid so it is going to be a never ending price increase. Those left on the grid will be paying the difference lost and those on solar having to top up will be penalized with excessive fees because this is how the country thinks and that will never change.
I am still in the dark on exactly how much this is all going to cost and have a figure in mind being around the $10K-$12K mark. The solar kit is being bought at trade prices and will have my own team installing on site and now possibly adding my friends solar expert as an advisor to the bill. I told him straight this morning that I would be using my own team for the installation, but may require him for the 2 or 3 days of installation. This is important so having more knowledge on site should be worth he added expense. This has to be officially signed off by a government employee and this has to be done correctly.
The time frame has blown out a bit due to the delays travelling overseas so I expect this to be completed within the next month to six weeks. Once this is done I can relax and then start upgrading the rest of the house because we need a whole new kitchen now that we are going to a gas stove. All of this is going to add value to the property and expect will double or triple in value by the time I am finished the entire modernization process.