In June 2009, the Government discontinued the Solar Homes and Communities Plan (SHCP), which provided up to $8,000 to householders who install solar power. The program that has replaced it is called Solar Credits. In a nutshell, this scheme calculates how much carbon pollution is saved by your system in its lifetime, and rewards the system owner with Renewable Energy Credits (RECs). When you buy one of our packages, you will sign your RECs to Nu Energy, which allows us to offer your system at a vastly reduced price.

The Solar Credits scheme has a set of eligibility criteria. Generally speaking, if you have already claimed a rebate for a solar power system at an address, you won't be eligible for Solar Credits for another system at that same address.
 

No. Your financial situation forms no part of the eligibility criteria for Solar Credits.

Yes, your energy retailer will pay you feed in tariffs (FITs), depending on your state of residence. You can confirm the level of FIT you can expect with the regulatory authority in your state.

In most cases, the installation of your solar system will take just one day. For solar systems larger than 3 kW, additional days may be required.

Nu Energy will supply and install your solar PV system. Nu Energy is an experienced installer that has been operating since 1985.

To ensure we maintain the highest standards, only BCSE accredited installation personnel are employed, in line with the Government’s rebate approval conditions. Whenever subcontractors are used in installations, they are also BCSE accredited.
 

Nu Energy has selected a solar panel rated at 250 Watts to feature in our solar PV systems. These are manufactured in China by QSE, who are rapidly becoming a major presence in the Australian solar landscape. These modules are certified to all the required International and Australian standards, and have been accepted by the Clean Energy Council for use in Australia. 

Nu Energy will only supply solar panels that meet very high quality benchmarks. Panels so designed and manufactured to such high standards will provide several decades of clean, free, renewable electricity. As a guarantee to you, Nu Energy provides a performance warranty that puts a cap on the allowable drop in performance over time. For more information please see the warranty section of the Nu Energy Solar Power Agreement.

Every solar PV system that Nu Energy supplies comes with a carefully selected and well balanced pairing of solar panels and inverter. An inverter works to convert your solar electricity into mains electricity. On average, a solar inverter is expected to last around 15 years or more. As a general principle, if your inverter is installed in a location where it is somewhat protected from big changes in temperature and direct harsh weather, you should expect it to last even longer.

The pairing of solar panels with an inverter should be carefully considered. Every system that Nu Energy sells has been designed by our engineers to offer optimum efficiency. There has been a trend in recent years to install a very large inverter with just a small amount of solar panels in the hope of adding more over time. Nu Energy prefers to supply and install balanced systems where the inverter size is appropriate for the number of panels. If, after having your first system installed, you decide you would like more solar, you can add a second system complete with more panels and a new inverter.

Nu Energy can assist you in examining your electricity usage and recommending an appropriate size to meet your requirements. The vast majority of households will see a significant benefit from installing just a 1.5kW solar PV system, with even larger benefits coming from bigger systems. Electricity bills come in all shapes and sizes, so contact Nu Energy with a power bill handy to find out how much our solar electricity systems can save you.

Solar electricity, like all evolving technologies, will continue to get better and cheaper. Solar panels that are available today have their roots in research and design that has been building for decades. As the cost of solar technology comes down, there will be less incentive needed from the Government in order for it to be within reach of ordinary Australians. This is actually built into the current Solar Credits scheme, by providing lots of incentive right now to install solar, but slightly less next year and so on. This reduction in incentive should keep pace with the drop in cost of solar technology, meaning your real out-of-pocket cost won't change very much.

Nu Energy welcomes any breakthroughs that can help lower the cost of renewable energy to Australians, but in our 25 year history, these breakthroughs have always been 'just around the corner'!

Solar panels are normally installed on pitched roofs because they collect more sunlight and produce more energy than if they were laid flat. If your roof is flat, or very low in pitch, we can supply and install a 'pitching frame' that will elevate the panels to catch more sun. These frames cost a little extra, which is justified through bigger savings from your solar power system.

No. When the power goes out, it is likely that the power company will send out workers to start fixing the power lines. If your solar system continued to operate and send power into the electricity grid, this could pose a serious risk to the workers. For this reason, your solar electricity system has to switch itself off during a blackout. It will automatically switch itself back on when the power returns.

A North facing roof will have the greatest sun exposure throughout the year, and is ideal for a solar energy system. A roof facing North-West or North-East will still actually result in almost as much energy per year as one facing due North. The actual difference is about 5 - 10% depending on your latitude.

If you are not sure of the orientation or size of your roof, please call Nu Energy so we may look it up on satellite maps and give you an estimate.

Inverters come in a range of shapes and sizes. A typical example measures around 40cm wide, 30cm high, and 20cm deep. The inverter is normally placed in the vicinity of your switchboard and meter box. There is a degree of flexibility as to where exactly the inverter is installed, so please speak to your installer to select your preferred location. There is no extra charge for installing the inverter in your chosen location unless it involves an unusually long run of cable.

Nu Energy offers fantastic, long-term warranties on all aspects of our systems:

A. 12 month system-wide installation warranty
B. 25 year solar module performance warranty
C. 5 to 10 year inverter manufacturer’s warranty.

There are two main types of solar energy systems and it is useful to explain the key difference. Solar energy systems that turn sunlight into electricity are referred to as solar PhotoVoltaic, or just PV for short. The other main type uses the suns radiation to heat water or other liquids, and these are know as solar thermal or solar hot water (SHW).

Your solar electricity system works right alongside your normal mains electricity supply. When your house requires more electricity than your solar system is producing, the shortfall is provided by the power grid. Since your solar electricity is free, you only pay for the small amount of electricity you draw from the power grid.

With any size of solar system, there will be times when your household does not require very much electricity and you will have a surplus being generated. In this scenario, the surplus electricity is fed back into the mains power grid and you are given a credit on your bill. This is a fantastic arrangement, as it saves you having to buy batteries to store your excess power. The mains grid becomes your battery, and you don't pay any extra for the service.

The easiest way to understand Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) is to think of them as being like share certificates. They are electronic, tradeable commodities, each equal to 1 Megawatt hour of renewable energy generation that may be traded for financial return. And, just like a share certificate, the value of a REC can move up and down.

The operation of RECs is coordinated by the Office of the Renewable Energy Regulator and governed by the Renewable Energy (Electricity) Act 2000 and the Renewable Energy (Electricity) Regulations 2001.

When you have a solar power system installed by Nu Energy, your system will attract a certain number of RECs. However, only a person who is registered with the Renewable Energy Regulator can actually receive RECs. That means you have two options:

• You can apply to be registered yourself
• Or you can assign those RECs to Nu Energy as we’re already registered with ORER so are able to receive them from you.

The majority of Australian households have a mechanical electricity meter that counts how many units of electricity have been used. When you switch to solar, it is very likely that at some stage you will have surplus energy that can feed back into the grid. The traditional mechanical meter is not calibrated to run backwards in this way, and results could be unpredictable. To solve this problem, a bi-directional meter is usually installed. These sorts of meters can run in both directions with a high degree of accuracy.

Nu Energy can provide you with general information about metering schemes around Australia. For specific information on how switching to solar will affect your metering arrangement, we recommend you speak directly with your electricity retailer. You might ask a simple questions such as 'I am considering having solar installed, what are the implications?' Generally speaking, there will be a cost to you to have the meter upgraded or reprogrammed.
 

Many Australian councils consider a solar electricity system to be exempt from planning approval if it is installed at the same angle as the roof. That is to say, if the solar panels are parallel to the roof surface and don't increase the overall height of the building. To our knowledge, there are no consistent national guidelines on the installation of solar panels.

Generally speaking, if your solar electricity system needs to be installed on a 'pitching frame' that will elevate the panels above the roof, we recommend you speak with your Local Council.
 

In this situation we recommend you speak to the relevant planning or heritage authority in your area to discuss any implications. Nu Energy is happy to assist in providing what basic information we can, such as the size and appearance of our solar PV systems.