Smaller electricity retailers are telling their customers to go elsewhere or face a doubling of prices. In the last month, tens of thousands of Australian households and businesses have received a letter from their electricity retailer literally “begging them” to go away. The CEO of one retailer – Electricityinabox – wrote to customers saying “only […]
Category: australian
Understanding the energy crisis in Australia
Australia is in the throes of an energy crisis. For a country rich in energy resources, it seems crazy. But last week the entire east coast was facing the threat of widespread blackouts and load shedding. Wholesale energy prices were soaring. Coal and gas generators were being accused of gamesmanship, holding out for higher prices. […]
LG Battery Recall – How do you know if your battery is safe?
LG has always been regarded as a good brand for batteries and solar panels in Australia. However, in the last month LG solar customers have been hit by an escalation of its Australian battery recall notice and the company’s decision to exit the global solar panel market. At Specialized Solar, we’ve never supplied and installed […]
Consumption monitoring. Why you should demand it with your solar.
You’re keen to get solar panels installed and excited about the prospect of getting your electricity bills down. But how will you know how much your system is saving you once it’s installed? Knowing that your solar panels are generating electricity is a good start. And knowing how much electricity they’re producing is nice too. […]
What is load shedding? And why might it cause blackouts?
If you’ve switched on the news this week, you’ve probably heard the term ‘load shedding’ in the context of the energy crisis that’s gripping the east coast of Australia. You may also have heard that if load shedding happens, there will be blackouts. And that these blackouts are likely in Queensland, NSW and possibly Victoria. […]
Electricity prices to rise up to 19.7 per cent from July 1
Households and businesses across Australia are bracing for a massive hike in energy prices. From July 1, the benchmark price for electricity will increase by up to 19.7 per cent adding hundreds of dollars to residential electricity bills – and thousands of dollars to business bills. Gas prices are also starting to skyrocket on the […]
Massive rebates for Victorians upgrading from an old electric hot water system to a heat pump
Victorian households can get up to $3,720 in rebates for upgrading an inefficient electric hot water system to an energy-efficient heat pump hot water system. Ditching your old electric hot water system and switching to a heat pump gets you more rebates than if you were switching from gas hot water to a heat pump. […]
Is it worth installing Solar on my commercial premises?
Many people are surprised when they learn that the business case for commercial solar is often better than for residential solar. Most homeowners can achieve a payback on their solar panel system of between three to five years. For businesses – particularly those that operate 9 to 5 – the payback can be as quick […]
SolarEdge vs Enphase: Which is best for homeowners in the AusNet, United Energy and Jemena areas?
A question we are often asked is: “Which is the best solar system: SolarEdge or Enphase?”. This is a tough question to answer as both SolarEdge and Enphase are amongst the best solar power systems on the market as they optimise solar production at individual panel level (something conventional solar systems aren’t capable of). But […]
Lucky Central Victorian Households Can Go Bigger with Solar
Do you live in the Melbourne western suburbs or central and western Victoria? Are you considering installing solar panels? If so, there’s something you need to know. It’s a little known rule set by Powercor, the company that owns the electricity poles and wires in your area. The rule is that there is no limit […]
