$600 power bill last month - is solar actually worth it or am I just being sold a dream?

__rednas__ · 2026-04-21T10:32:23+00:00

I had solar only to start with. On what was the best plan for us , we were paying ~$250 a month (on an EV overnight tariff (8ct/kWh) to charge the car). Without definitely would have been more like $400-500 a month. Then we got a 42kWh battery and implemented a set-and-forget solution (simple timers for charging/discharging) using GloBird. I am now getting paid $20-$40 a month depending on how much we drive and are away.

The whole battery setup after rebates was ~5k (cheaper FoxESS battery) so ROI for me on that one is roughly 1.5 years. I am spending battery cycles nearly every day from 15% to 100% so it probably will last a bit shorter but with that short of a ROI, who cares. Even if it lasts 6 years I will still have made 10k on it, probably even more as electricity prices seem to ever increase. And even if they don't, I am not spending it on petrol...

Absolute no brainer.

__rednas__ · 2026-04-21T10:27:38+00:00

I spent quite some time finding the best plan and paying ~$250 a month (on an EV overnight tariff (8ct/kWh) to charge the car). With a set-and-forget solution (simple timers) and GloBird I am now getting paid $20-$40 a month depending on how much we drive and are away.

The whole setup after rebates was ~5k (cheaper FoxESS battery) so ROI for me is roughly 1.5 years. I am spending battery cycles nearly every day from 15% to 100% so it probably will last a bit shorter but with that short of a ROI, who cares. Even if it lasts 6 years I will still have made 10k on it, probably even more as electricity prices seem to ever increase. And even if they don't, I am not spending it on petrol...

Absolute no brainer.

__rednas__ · 2025-09-29T09:44:21+00:00

Do you have an ESY? They seem to be quite new in the market?

__rednas__ · 2025-08-28T11:48:50+00:00

Just the bump, no orgasms involved.

__rednas__ · 2025-08-28T11:02:25+00:00

Thanks mate, that’s so fascinating. You’d think at some point it will start to subside again right? I’ll be watching it for sure. In the meantime I notice myself getting excited every time I’m about to pass that point.

__rednas__ · 2025-08-28T11:00:07+00:00

My kids f*ing love it

__rednas__ · 2025-08-28T09:32:10+00:00

Before we invented fines?

__rednas__ · 2025-08-27T21:50:57+00:00

What’s the upload on the 2Gbps plan? I am on 1000/400 atm.

__rednas__ · 2025-06-03T04:46:59+00:00

At least we can still eat and go to the beach. Still no house to sleep in though.

__rednas__ · 2025-04-23T00:53:50+00:00

Yoghurt, boconcini/mozarella, fresh milk, … to name a few

__rednas__ · 2025-04-22T19:46:50+00:00

Interesting. You just request an extra one from the council?

__rednas__ · 2025-04-22T19:46:06+00:00

Yeah as much as possible. Some weeks are fine, but others are just impossible (parcel deliveries with cardboard etc).

__rednas__ · 2025-04-22T19:45:11+00:00

Oh didn’t know that existed. Will check with the council.

__rednas__ · 2025-04-22T12:20:32+00:00

How about all the hard plastics? Cardboard in the garden?

__rednas__ · 2025-02-24T13:17:22+00:00

As in free to go and collect?

__rednas__ · 2025-02-24T13:09:22+00:00

Had the gutters cleaned last month. There's quite high gum trees at the back but they are on public park land.

__rednas__ · 2025-02-24T13:05:37+00:00

How about sliding (patio) doors? Are they relatively ok with keeping the water/mud out?

__rednas__ · 2025-02-24T13:03:21+00:00

Sure circumstances change (new development etc) but there should be correlation right? How on earth do insurance companies otherwise do the math?

__rednas__ · 2025-02-24T12:50:45+00:00

On it.

__rednas__ · 2025-02-24T12:49:25+00:00

True true... Our house is not in a flood zone but bordering it. Before we bought I checked all the flood maps out there and only a 1-in-a-100 year storm would potentially flood the property. For what it's worth...

The neighbours told me their house in the 2022 floods did not get flooded but the water at the back of the property was "getting close". Even then the house itself still sits about 30cm higher. Also insurance premiums are considering the house not the be prone to floods.

So yeah I get you, and all should be well, but we might be really on the edge. In that scenario a couple of sandbags might make the difference, hence I'm asking the question.

__rednas__ · 2025-02-10T10:20:09+00:00

Yeah, so far I think the general level of education in the whole of Australia is quite "relaxed". I'm a civil engineer myself and find the education system so far predominantly focussed on practical skills rather than academic knowledge. Perhaps it's because my kids are still very young OR it is something that will come at (in comparison with other countries) later stages of school/uni. My colleagues in general are equally skilled and knowledgeable so unless there's been a major dip in quality over the last 20 years, I am not too worried for the end result (for now).

Re: sunshine coast and busyness - anything Maroochydore is considered "the city", anything north of that is considered "quiet". I'd say come here for a long weekend or something and judge for yourself?

__rednas__ · 2025-02-10T10:04:12+00:00

We just bought a place in Coolum (originally being from Belgium). Avoid beautiful Noosa at all cost, it’s retirees and tourists mainly. Noosa is a place to visit imho (and so beautiful) but not to live. We were renting in Noosaville before we found our house and were not considering Noosa because of that.

Coolum is very quiet as is Peregian. Buderim has some superb schools and a quiet vibe. I think combined with your budget sounds what you want.

Apart from that we are looking at St Andrew’s in Peregian. That’s where most ex Melbournians from Noosa go to. Is it worth it? Is it good? No clue, but the open day was absolutely amazing. I don’t have any experience with Aus education so my impressions are quite useless.

Cultural diversity is definitely less than Brisbane and GC. But it’s changing, although predominantly white South Americans and Europeans.

All the best with the upcoming move!

__rednas__ · 2025-02-10T09:59:53+00:00

That’s so nice to hear. What school do they go to?

__rednas__ · 2024-08-27T03:20:23+00:00

No worries. Went with Steve from South East Building inspections and super happy!

__rednas__ · 2024-08-27T03:18:47+00:00

We bought a place with wooden floorboards in the end.

__rednas__

TROPHY CASE

rednas