We’ve waited long enough for the Australian Government to act decisively – it’s time to push the issue of national gross feed in tariffs; particularly after the recent Council Of Australian Governments (COAG) meeting where principles tabled were far removed from how a feed in tariff system should operate.

We’ve already let politicians such as Penny Wong, Kevin Rudd, Peter Garrett, Greg Hunt and Christine Milne know about the petition.

The more signatures and thoughtful comments on the petition, the greatly the likelihood policy makers in Australia will take our collective call seriously and Prime Minister Kevin Rudd will choose a solar future for our nation over filthy coal!

Click here to sign the gross solar feed in tariff petition

Standard plate glass can still be found on some cheaper brands of monocrystalline and polycrystalline panels made by small, unknown companies and on most brands of amorphous (thin film) solar panels, they can try and make it stronger by using thicker plate glass, but it is still nowhere near as strong as tempered glass. Also with plate glass it can cloud over time, which would greatly reduce the solar panels power output.

So in conclusion you do get what you pay for. When buying solar panels it should be clearly stated on the product specifications the type of glass used, if it is not, it is highly likely to be plate glass. Quality solar panels are made from tempered glass and designed to withstand hail, don’t be deceived with unknown brand solar panels at prices to good to be true, as the saying goes if it seems too good to be true it probably is!

2. Ensure your dryer isn’t overloaded. Air needs to circulate easily between the clothes in order for drying to be most effective.

3. Open a window when using the dryer. A closed up laundry gets very humid and that humid air just gets sucked into the dryer; decreasing its effectiveness.

4. Heavier items should be dried separately to light weight clothes.

5. Many modern clothes dryers have a cool-down cycle which allows the clothes to complete drying with the remaining heat in the dryer

6. Ensure you use the fastest spin cycle possible in your washing machine – the wetter the clothes, the longer they’ll take to dry.

7. If your dryer is used a great deal, try and co-ordinate the timing so that loads quickly follow each other to take advantage of residual heat.

In the January 2001 issue of Home Power magazine, there is a very detailed study about solar panel energy payback time.  This study, by Karl Knapp, PhD, and Teresa Jester, finds payback time for a standard module to be about 3.3 years, and 1.8 years on a thin-film panel.  The study factors in energy costs for ALL parts of the panel and manufacturing process.

Hopefully this research puts to rest this myth once and for all!

What you need to do is minimise the amount of power you use when your solar panels are generating power, so the renewable power you produce is going straight back into the grid, not being used up inside your home. To achieve this, use your power hungry appliances before mid morning or from late afternoon onwards, not during the middle of the day when your solar power output is at it’s highest. By putting this into practice you can be making 30c a kWh when you use power, not just saving yourself 14c a kWh, a much better strategy.

Germany is the world leader in the uptake of solar power and the amount of solar power they can actually harness with a solar panel is just over half of what we enjoy here. The reason they are the world leaders, even when they are not in the blessed position of being “the sunburnt country” as we are, is that the German government for years has had the foresight in seeing that renewable power is worth investing in. What they offer is for every kW of solar power produced the Government pays a premium price for, making the substantial investment in solar panels and solar technology not only a great choice from the clean power perspective but also from the financial investment side – the solar power system can be paid off within a few years!

Here in Australia the states are slowly catching on to the idea of feed in tariffs, for example Queensland has introduced a net metering feed in tariff. What this tariff means is that Energex puts a meter on your meter board which only reads the solar power you produce and are not using, so ONLY the power you actually feed back into the electricity grid will you receive the premium rate of 44c per kWh for, or up to 52c per kWh if your with AGL.

The Energy providers in Queensland still offer a gross metering option to customers producing solar power, but you are only paid your standard kWh rate for all this power – 17 to 19c a kWh. A pointless option really if you are in Queensland but great if you are in NSW, as they have just released a gross feed in tariff of 60c per kWh – this in layman’s terms means that you would be paid 60c per kWh for every bit of the solar power you produce, effectively saving you thousands!

Hopefully soon on the Gold Coast North of the NSW border our government will see the true benefits in following NSW and Germany’s approach in paying a premium rate for ALL renewable power produced through gross feed-in tariffs.

• Check your ceiling and walls have insulation – install or repair as required.

• Seal around door jambs and windows to reduce air leaks and draughts

• Incorporate passive solar design in your home. Capture the energy from the winter sun and avoid capturing the suns energy in summer.  Use cross-flow ventilation on summer nights to let trapped hot air out.

• Can you use a fan instead of the air conditioner? Fans are far more economical.

• If using the air conditioner for cooling, set the thermostat for 25 degrees or higher. Every degree higher will save you up to another 10% in cooling costs

• When heating set the thermostat to 20 degrees or lower, every degree lower can save another 5-10% in heating costs

• Wear clothing that is most appropriate for temperature

• Buy energy star appliances such as washing machines, dish washers, ovens, fridges etc. The more stars the more efficient.

• Wait till a full load is to be put on before using appliances such as washing machines and dish washers.

• Use the clothes line to dry clothes whenever possible. Avoid using the drier when possible.

• Remove phantom loads, or standby power use by appliances. Things like televisions, computers, stereos, microwaves and fax machines all use energy when they are not operating, you can remove this drain on your power by simply switching them off at the wall. The Australian Greenhouse Office says you can save 10% on your power consumption by this alone!

• Install a solar hot water system

• Install AAA rated shower heads to lower the amount of water you use, and the hot water that needs heating.

• Lower the thermostat on your hot water system to around 50 degrees to optimise efficiency.

• Spend less time in the shower.

• Use cold water to wash your clothes.

• Insulate the hot water pipes throughout your home.