Close Menu
  • Guides
    • Televisions
    • Computers
    • Apps
  • Blog
  • Forum
  • News
    • Audio
    • Computers
    • Digital Cameras
    • Gadgets
    • BD/DVD
    • Gaming
    • Televisions
    • Mobiles
    • In-Car News
    • Internet
  • Round Ups
    • Tablets
    • testnews
    • Audio
  • Reviews
    • Mobiles
    • Apps
    • Televisions
    • In-Car
    • Gaming
    • Audio
    • Gadgets
    • Digital Cameras
    • BD/DVD
    • Computers
  • Home
Mobiles

HMD revives the classic flip phone with the 2660 Flip to keep you connected but not distracted

By Stephen FenechMay 22, 20250

HMD (Human Mobile Devices) has revived the classic flip phone and given it a modern…

7 Must-Have Customer Service Tools For Small Businesses

May 22, 2025

The Complete Beginner’s Guide to AI product photography

May 22, 2025

Why Custom Mobile Apps Are Now A Competitive Differentiator For Australian Retailers

May 22, 2025

Essential Networking Gear for Seamless Internet Performance

May 21, 2025

Power Up Your Patio: Smart Electrical Upgrades for Every Season

May 21, 2025
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram YouTube
Tech GuideTech Guide
  • Home
  • Latest News

    HMD revives the classic flip phone with the 2660 Flip to keep you connected but not distracted

    May 22, 2025

    7 Must-Have Customer Service Tools For Small Businesses

    May 22, 2025

    The Complete Beginner’s Guide to AI product photography

    May 22, 2025

    Why Custom Mobile Apps Are Now A Competitive Differentiator For Australian Retailers

    May 22, 2025

    Essential Networking Gear for Seamless Internet Performance

    May 21, 2025
  • Reviews

    Samsung Neo QLED 8K QN990F TV review – the pinnacle of home entertainment quality and performance

    May 19, 2025

    Sony WH-1000XM6 headphones review – an already excellent product just got even better

    May 16, 2025

    Belkin SoundForm headphones review – remarkable value and impressive audio quality

    May 5, 2025

    Garmin Instinct 3 smartwatch review – a great way to keep track of what’s important to you anywhere

    April 28, 2025

    Google Pixel 9a smartphone review – an affordable allrounder that delivers everything you need

    April 14, 2025
  • Blog

    Would you believe the massive global IT outage could have been far worse

    July 22, 2024

    Hey Tesla the affair is over – I’ve now gone back to my ex

    August 4, 2023

    Why we should all do our part and download the coronavirus contact tracking app

    April 20, 2020

    It’s two years since I went solar and the savings have been enormous

    October 15, 2019

    Why we need to return to one on-field referee after massive NRL Grand Final blunder

    October 7, 2019
  • Apple

    Apple reveals new accessibility features including Magnifier for Mac and Braille access

    May 14, 2025

    Apple names the Australian winners of its WWDC25 Swift Student Challenge – and four are from Queensland

    May 9, 2025

    Journey’s REEVUS drink bottle can be tracked on the Find My network and is also a magnetic phone stand

    April 25, 2025

    Apple Watch was released 10 years ago today and changed the way we monitor our health and fitness

    April 24, 2025

    Apple’s latest software update brings lossless audio and ultra low latency audio to AirPods Max

    April 11, 2025
  • Samsung

    Samsung Neo QLED 8K QN990F TV review – the pinnacle of home entertainment quality and performance

    May 19, 2025

    Samsung unveils its super thin Galaxy S25 Edge smartphone – and it’s stunning

    May 13, 2025

    Samsung to launch its super thin Galaxy S25 Edge smartphone next week

    May 8, 2025

    Samsung releases its biggest range of OLEDs ever in sizes from 42-inch all the way up to 83-inches

    April 9, 2025

    Samsung 2025 OLED S95F TV review – the entertainment experience has gone to another level

    April 7, 2025
Tech GuideTech Guide
Home»Blog»It’s two years since I went solar and the savings have been enormous
Blog

It’s two years since I went solar and the savings have been enormous

Stephen FenechBy Stephen FenechOctober 15, 2019No Comments5 Mins Read
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

It’s been two years since I went solar with panels and a storage battery in my home. And the investment has paid off handsomely – saving me close to $8000 in electricity and petrol costs in that time.

In October 2017, there were 27 solar panels, a Solar Edge inverter and a 10kW Sonnen battery installed in my two-storey home in the eastern suburbs of Sydney.

Ironically the day I met with Natural Solar – July 1, 2017 – was the same day electricity prices increased by 20 per cent.

What better time could there be to make the jump to solar?

In another fluke of timing I was also in the right place at the right time to take advantage of the new SonnenFlat system that would lead to me having a $0 bill from my electricity company.

In fact, since then I haven’t received another bill from Energy Australia.

I was actually the first SonnenFlat customer in the southern hemisphere.

Here’s how SonnenFlat works.

All customers who sign up to SonnenFlat are all linked.

Sonnen (a German company which has built a factory in South Australia to manufacture storage batteries) became my new energy providers.

As SonnenFlat customers we all generate electricity through our panels and store the excess power in our Sonnen batteries.

Now all of the Sonnen batteries – and there are now more than 3,000 of them in Australia are linked.

All SonnenFlat customers form their own tiny part of a smart grid.

For a flat rate of $40 a month, Sonnen manages the grid and shares the power generated by customers where it is needed.

Sometimes I’ve received power and sometimes I’m sure I’ve supplied some.

But, apart from my initial investment, $40 is all I pay for my electricity every month.

That’s cheaper than my mobile phone bill.

The Solar Edge inverter

I mentioned my initial investment – it was just under $19,000. That’s for all the panels, the inverter, the Sonnen battery and installation.

Now $19,000 is nothing to sneeze at – it’s a decent amount of money.

But I looked at it as an investment in my home and in my family’s future.

That’s about the same amount of money a family would spend on a kitchen or bathroom renovation.

But the big difference here is that a kitchen or bathroom can’t pay you back over time.

One suggestion, if you don’t have that kind of cash laying around is to redraw on your mortgage and pay it back with the money you save.

My electricity bills were between $3,000 and $3,500 per year. And that was based on prices from two years ago – that figure would probably be significantly higher if I was still on the grid.

Now, after installing my solar panels and battery, I’m paying just $480 a year.

So if you whip out the calculator, I should recoup my investment in five or six years.

And the solar panels and battery have a lifespan of more than 20 years.

But it actually gets even better.

I also decided to buy an electric car – a Tesla Model S to be precise – and half the time I charge it at home through my solar panels and battery.

So now I’m saving on petrol costs as well.

My previous car before the Tesla was a Mercedes-Benz E200 which cost me about $3000 a year in fuel and other running costs.

Petrol prices are also on the rise so I’ve also stepped out of that price spiral as well.

So all up my savings are pretty solid between my electricity and fuel costs.

I’ve had my Tesla since May 2018 – seven months after installing my solar system – and in that time have saved close about $2000 in the costs of running my car.

Now throw in the $3000 a year of saving electricity and I’m looking at a saving of almost $8000 in the first two years of ownership.

At this rate my system will pay itself off in less than five years. And I will save more than $70,000 during the life of the system.

Suddenly that $19,000 investment is looking pretty good.

And I haven’t even mentioned the environmental benefits as well. That’s gravy on top of the financial savings.

I’m doing my little bit to reduce my emissions and use clean energy to power my home and my car.

The Sonnen battery has really become the heart of our home and it has gone beyond just powering my home with the addition of my electric car to the equation.

The reason I installed the system was so that I could step outside this cycle of price rises and not be at the mercy of the energy companies.

And now that I drive a Tesla, I have also dodged rising petrol prices as well.

I hope I can be an example to others about the possibilities with the exciting solar and battery technologies available to us.

Featured
Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
Stephen Fenech
  • Website

Stephen is the Tech Guide editor and one of Australia's most respected tech journalists. He is a regular on radio and TV talking about the latest tech news, products and trends.

Related Posts

HMD revives the classic flip phone with the 2660 Flip to keep you connected but not distracted

May 22, 2025

Google’s I/O developer conference kicks off with updates to Gemini and a new AI search mode

May 21, 2025

Samsung Neo QLED 8K QN990F TV review – the pinnacle of home entertainment quality and performance

May 19, 2025

Comments are closed.

100% Human
Tech Guide only publishes quality 100% Human content you can trust. AI has never and will never be used to generate any articles and reviews despite the rise of AI and the flood of AI-generated writing elsewhere. We also reject the use of our content to be used by AI in any form whatsoever.

Subscribe to Updates

Get the latest news from The Tech Guide.

Sign up for the weekly Tech Guide newsletter so you can stay updated and educated about the latest consumer tech news and reviews.
  • Home
  • Latest News
  • Reviews
  • Blog
  • Apple
  • Samsung
  • Home
  • Latest News
  • Reviews
  • Blog
  • Apple
  • Samsung

Samsung Neo QLED 8K QN990F TV review – the pinnacle of home entertainment quality and performance

Sony WH-1000XM6 headphones review – an already excellent product just got even better

Belkin SoundForm headphones review – remarkable value and impressive audio quality

Garmin Instinct 3 smartwatch review – a great way to keep track of what’s important to you anywhere

Google Pixel 9a smartphone review – an affordable allrounder that delivers everything you need

Samsung 2025 OLED S95F TV review – the entertainment experience has gone to another level

Go to the top of the class with Episode 645 of the top-rating Tech Guide podcast

Pump up your tyres and listen to the latest episode of the Two Blokes Talking Electric Cars podcast

The Best Movies You’ve Never Seen – The Abyss

© 2025 Techguide. Designed by Multimediax.

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.