Solar Upgrades

Call Sharpe Services if you are experiencing any of these:

What to consider?

Should I upgrade my solar system?

This is a question Sharpe gets asked nearly every day. It comes from people who have older, underperforming solar panels, or inefficient systems that were never designed properly to deliver what was required, and people whose lifestyles have changed so they now require more solar production.

There are a lot of important issues to consider regarding solar upgrades. Here is an easy guide to help you make the right decision.

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Accreditation with the Clean Energy Council recognises solar electricians who have undertaken the necessary training to service, repair, engineer and install solar systems, solar inverters, and home battery systems on Adelaide homes & offices.

CEC-accredited service, repair, installer, and designer solar electricians strive beyond industry best practice standards, producing systems that are safe, reliable, and meet customer expectations and requirements.

New Energy Tech - Approved Solar Retailer

Accreditation with New Energy Tech recognises solar electricians who have undertaken the necessary training to service, repair, engineer and install solar systems, solar inverters, and home battery systems on Adelaide homes & offices.

New Energy Tech Approved Seller-accredited service, repair, installer, and designer solar electricians strive beyond industry best practice standards, producing systems that are safe, reliable, and meet customer expectations and requirements.

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Solar Upgrades Adelaide

Solar no longer covers my daily electricity use

This could be because your older systems is now inefficient. Perhaps it was never engineered correctly to suit your household’s needs and when installed wasn’t located to take full advantage of sunlight hours. These problems could be compounded by recent increases to peak-time power use, reduced feed-in tariffs and maybe a change in lifestyle with a growing family.

As well, over the past 10 years you may have got out of expensive gas for cooking and heating, installed reverse-cycle airconditioning and other electrical systems, all of which demand more power from your solar system.

What do you want to achieve?

Every household has different requirements for energy use. So it’s important that your end goals are determined early on.

Let’s look at the common scenarios.

Can I upgrade without losing my long-running and generous feed-in tariff?

If you have the high, pre-2012 feed-in tariff, you need to be very careful that any upgrades undertaken don’t increase production to levels that contravene the original contract.

Having said that, you can use the major technological advances the solar industry has achieved in the past 10 years to maximum production in daylight hours. For example you need fewer panels to achieve the same production level and the latest panels even work in low-light situations.

Sharpe, an experienced, long-running Adelaide-owned and run company, will give you written confirmation that any changes to your system won’t jeopardize your current feed-in tariff.

My quarterly power bill is still over $400, despite the good feed-in tariff…

In this case it probably would be a better option to get a completely new system engineered to suit your home and lifestyle. The overall reduction in your power bill would more than outweigh the loss of a high feed-in tariff from an inadequate system. But again, you need an experienced and reputable company to undertake this work. Sharpe only supplies and installs the highest-quality solar systems and components to ensure the best return on your investment.

How do I take control of my night-time power use?

The first step is to shift appliance operation times to the part of the day when power is cheapest to buy. Using dishwashers, swimming pool pumps, clothes driers, etc in this way greatly reduces peak power usage. Power authorities are planning periods during daylight hours when a “time of use tariff” or “solar sponge” is enacted to balance out the amount of solar power within the grid. Sharpe will keep you updated on this as it evolves.

Depending on your power demand, solar-powered battery storage may be a viable option for larger families. Solar energy not used during the day is stored in the battery and released at night to power the house at minimal or no cost.

What are the limitations to upgrading?

We’ve already spoken about the risks of losing a generous feed-in tariff. Generally speaking, feed-in tariffs are reducing as more people join the rooftop solar revolution. This means systems need to be engineered to deliver maximum results. Here are some other points to consider.

Micro-inverters are the best way to overcome these issues if you want a larger system or for improving your energy efficiency. You can add more solar panels as required as each panel is fitted with a micro-inverter that works independently of all the others. Micro-inverters are also the best option if your solar system suffers from shade issues as one panel affected won’t drag down the whole system, like it does with a string inverter.

Adding more Solar Panels VS Installing Battery Storage

Generally speaking, if the size of your power bill remains above $400 a quarter even with solar installed you are in the ballpark to consider adding battery storage. But, as we’ve said before, you need qualified, experienced experts to engineer a suitable outcome to give you the best return on your investment. With its long daylight hours and generous government incentives, battery storage figures add up best in South Australia. So it’s definitely worth considering.

A key element is your household’s time of maximum power usage. For example a young, busy family will be using power most in the early evenings. A retired couple will most likely be using most of their power during daylight hours.

Get the best advice, followed by supply and installation of industry-leading solar/battery combinations, from Sharpe.

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We offer a total solar system maintenance and system checks package.

The service and inspection includes:

A huge range of Solar Inverters & Solar Panels brands Serviced, Repaired & Installed

As a leading solar repair company, we can assist you with the servicing and repairs of all kinds and brands of solar inverter and solar panels along with the supplying and installation of new ones too.

Solar Inverters Service & Repairs

Solar Panels Service & Repairs

We also do Solar Pool Heating and Repairs

If you are unsure of what to look for in Solar Systems contact us to speak with one of our solar service specialists or complete our booking request today and we will get back to you shortly.

With over 40 years of experience, Sharpe Services delivers you with the best advice and services in Adelaide. Work with our team for reliable, quality and professional services for your solar system requirements. You can trust Sharpe Services for reliable advice and services from accredited Solar Technicians Adelaide who strive to be the best in what they do. Find a solar technician in Adelaide with Sharpe Services which is closer in distance and can be with you as soon as possible.

It is important to get hold of a Solar Electrician technician when in doubt about a solar system issue. Call Sharpe Services on 8262 5000 or fill in our online booking form for guidance until support arrives.