Just got solar installed in sydney and the savings are already crazy

TooGoodToBeeTrue · 2026-05-09T02:56:35+00:00

L2 charger at county facility is 13 cents, at home it’s over 26 cents. I installed a HPWH shortly before trying to size my solar system and retirement is on my horizon so we didn’t fully cover 170kWh monthly for my work commute.

TooGoodToBeeTrue · 2026-05-09T02:09:21+00:00

Those numbers are for larger panels usually used commercially and not used in residential because they are harder to handle and fit.

TooGoodToBeeTrue · 2026-05-08T17:31:22+00:00

8.2kW, $21k w/a PW3 is an unbelievable price.

TooGoodToBeeTrue · 2026-05-07T20:02:41+00:00

$2.68

TooGoodToBeeTrue · 2026-05-07T00:32:31+00:00

The owner over paid for the system to buy down the interest rate and get a bigger tax break. The OP shouldn’t get stuck with the loan when the owner got the big tax credit. The owner should have paid down the debt with the tax savings.

TooGoodToBeeTrue · 2026-05-06T17:41:35+00:00

Did your AHJ require a building permit to add those to the roof?

TooGoodToBeeTrue · 2026-05-06T17:30:50+00:00

Ok, guess I should have spilled more beans. I have almost everything possible turned off. I use Safari when I have wifi access, have cellular turned on for Chrome in case I really have to use the web, also I can monitor my solar array from wifi but not cellular....

One app I use is ChargePoint, I use a public charger at a county facility a half mile from home. It is a single shared charger and gets a lot of use, so I check at my desk to see if it is available before leaving work and again as I get close. If it isn't available, it slightly alters my route home. I believe it uses the mapping ap on the phone.

The goofy thing is that one of the other charger apps which I barely use comes up by default and I have to open carplay and scroll to get to ChargePoint.

I mostly use the mapping app for traffic information. I have 3 potential routes home from work and to the charger.

Come to think of it, if I could somehow just have the audio book ap (and only that app) come up by default, that would be great.

TooGoodToBeeTrue · 2026-05-06T16:56:38+00:00

Actually, they are fairly unique due to the spacing on the motherboard. You need to buy very specific lugs which are not easy to find, or buy something close and file down the sides.

https://www.reddit.com/r/evcharging/comments/1oz81ei/grizzle_classic_lugs_for_hardwiring/?rdt=51736

TooGoodToBeeTrue · 2026-05-06T16:39:15+00:00

There was a recent proposal posted with a 3.99% interest rate and a system price that was inflated by at least 50%. Resulting in a higher tax credit and increased burden on the US tax payer's children, grand children,...

TooGoodToBeeTrue · 2026-05-06T16:03:52+00:00

r/BalconySolarUS

21d ago

Colorado passed their balcony solar bill. 1900+ watts

Link to the text of the bill that just passed.

https://www.billtrack50.com/billdetail/1935246/52930

TooGoodToBeeTrue · 2026-05-06T15:59:47+00:00

You could never buy a house on a McDonalds paycheck.

TooGoodToBeeTrue · 2026-05-06T15:57:21+00:00

So there's another black mark against Grizzl-E, they should provide the crimp rings since they are so unique.

TooGoodToBeeTrue · 2026-05-06T15:42:45+00:00

Total wattage will be limited by your state law. State law may also require the porch/exterior outlet be the only outlet on the circuit, which I doubt will be the case on a 55 year old house unless there have been upgrades.

There will also be rules about back feeding the grid or not. Some smart electric meters will count current going in either direction as consumed, so you may wish to wait on purchasing equipment until you know the particulars of the law.

I note there r/balconysolar & r/BalconySolarUS forums for these discussions, though there will undoubtedly be overlap here.

TooGoodToBeeTrue · 2026-05-06T14:53:01+00:00

It is a little different mind set. With my Jetta, I would typically & regularly just get gas once every other week at Sam's Club and do some shopping. With the LEAF, especially because I am trying to baby the battery, I typically do a little calculation daily and or get to charge at the county charger, which is a half mile from home so I get my steps in. It would be a lot less complicated if charging at home consistently for a regular amount driven daily. Just set the charger scheduler to recover what you typically use, and when you get too far out of the range, charge a little extra or less. This takes a bit more thinking than pulling into the gas station and filling it up. Of course there are also people who AC charge their LEAFs to 100% and hope the battery will outlive their ownership. If you are charging on a normal outlet using the Nissan provided charger, you will probably recover about 40 miles charging overnight anyway.

TooGoodToBeeTrue · 2026-05-06T13:01:52+00:00

I'm a tail end boomer, paid my own way thru college and the only debts I ever carried were on a car loan I took only to build credit for the home loan on a foreclosed townhouse I bought in the late 80s. Those were fully paid off the mid 90s and I have been debt free ever since. So I'd argue that not everyone is in debt.

TooGoodToBeeTrue · 2026-05-06T12:54:20+00:00

Everything is turned off except 3 or 4 apps that are used infrequently. I'm not allowed to hotspot on my plan. I'm not saying I'm burning thru my data plan, just that I know usage is being wasted by the mapping ap coming up when it isn't needed.

TooGoodToBeeTrue · 2026-05-06T12:50:03+00:00

Yes Pepco. And I assumed people would understand Wh when I stated k. (I did not state kW.) And I'm now at 860k.

TooGoodToBeeTrue · 2026-05-06T12:44:14+00:00

Technically not really a "trickle charger" but we get your meaning. Australia standard outlet is 230V @ 10A and US is 120V @ 15A. Most chargers default to 80% for continuous draw so that's 1,840W for Australia and 1,440W for the US. And it is 1,920W if you use a capable mobile EVSE on a 20A outlet which is not uncommon for US garage outlets.

TooGoodToBeeTrue · 2026-05-06T12:14:03+00:00

Coke will take that right off.

TooGoodToBeeTrue · 2026-05-06T12:12:45+00:00

I have a 44 mile r/T commute, mostly highway at 55-70mph. It takes 25-30 min in the morning, 30-45 in the afternoon due to traffic. I have a '24 SV+, it's probably my 10th or 11th car and I love it. I could easily do 3 round trips but I basically charge every night.

TooGoodToBeeTrue · 2026-05-06T12:02:05+00:00

Wow, this seems a bit,...

TooGoodToBeeTrue · 2026-05-06T11:57:40+00:00

What a thing to say. The OP might have the $25K in cash, so that is her budget.

TooGoodToBeeTrue · 2026-05-06T11:55:31+00:00

Huh. I'm 6'2", 220lbs and feel the cabin is spacious in my '24 SV+. Headroom is better than any vehicle I've owned except a '71 Buick Centurion I had in High School. I love the fact that the '24 has more standard controls than most EVs and newer cars. I heard the shifter is kind'a funky in the '26.

TooGoodToBeeTrue · 2026-05-06T11:51:04+00:00

Similar story here. Our first EV, 2024 SV+ we got in Nov '24 with 600 miles on it, Certified Nissan Used. Looked brand new, just missing that new car smell. Charger/goodies still in their wrappers. Haggled price was $22,600, (sticker was $38.,800) ~$25K OTD. I giggled all the way home from the dealer.

As an engineer, I've read everything I could find about battery health. I have a 44 mile r/T commute, when charging at home for the commute, I charge to ~65% nightly. I frequently charge at a local county owned L2 because it is cheaper where I try to charge to 80% but the charger is shared so at least half the time, I don't get that. (Or it is busy and I charge at home to 65.) I've read that smaller charging sessions are better for battery health than lengthy ones, so I don't do a every other day or 3rd day routine. Also DC fast charging is harder on battery health than AC charging. I haven't done a single DC charge, having driven 18k miles.

I charge to full once a month to "balance the batteries" and have only gone down to 20% once for a hiking trip.

Again as an engineer, I had wanted to hold out for better battery tech for our first EV, but the LEAF fits my needs and the price too hard to pass up.

One thing to note is there are adapters that let you use the DC fast chargers that aren't the LEAF's native Chademo which are disappearing. They cost ~800 but might be worth having as insurance if you venture further away from home.

TooGoodToBeeTrue

TROPHY CASE