Q: What exactly does a battery storage system do for my home?
A: Think of a battery storage system as your home's energy savings account. During the day, your solar panels generate electricity - some powers your home immediately, and the excess gets stored in your battery instead of just feeding back to the grid. When the sun goes down or during power outages, your battery kicks in to power your essential appliances. This means you're using more of your own clean energy and buying less from the electricity company.
Q: Will a battery system work with my existing solar panels?
A: In most cases, yes! Our team can integrate battery storage with existing solar installations, whether you have string inverters or SolarEdge systems. During our site assessment, we'll evaluate your current setup and recommend the best battery solution that works seamlessly with what you already have. Every home is different, which is why we design tailored systems rather than one-size-fits-all solutions.
A: Think of a battery storage system as your home's energy savings account. During the day, your solar panels generate electricity - some powers your home immediately, and the excess gets stored in your battery instead of just feeding back to the grid. When the sun goes down or during power outages, your battery kicks in to power your essential appliances. This means you're using more of your own clean energy and buying less from the electricity company.
Q: Will a battery system work with my existing solar panels?
A: In most cases, yes! Our team can integrate battery storage with existing solar installations, whether you have string inverters or SolarEdge systems. During our site assessment, we'll evaluate your current setup and recommend the best battery solution that works seamlessly with what you already have. Every home is different, which is why we design tailored systems rather than one-size-fits-all solutions.
Q: How much money will I actually save with a battery system?
A: Your savings depend on your energy usage patterns and electricity rates, but most of our Central Coast and Newcastle customers see significant reductions in their power bills. If you're currently paying peak electricity rates in the evening (when solar panels aren't producing), a battery can eliminate most of those charges by using stored solar energy instead. We'll analyze your specific usage during our consultation to give you realistic savings projections.
Q: What's the upfront cost, and do you offer financing?
A: Battery system costs vary based on your home's energy needs and the storage capacity you choose. The good news is we offer $0 deposit green loans, so you can start saving immediately without a large upfront investment. Plus, NSW residents can take advantage of the NSW Battery Rebate 2024 program, which can significantly reduce your overall cost. We'll walk you through all financing options and rebates during your free consultation.
A: Your savings depend on your energy usage patterns and electricity rates, but most of our Central Coast and Newcastle customers see significant reductions in their power bills. If you're currently paying peak electricity rates in the evening (when solar panels aren't producing), a battery can eliminate most of those charges by using stored solar energy instead. We'll analyze your specific usage during our consultation to give you realistic savings projections.
Q: What's the upfront cost, and do you offer financing?
A: Battery system costs vary based on your home's energy needs and the storage capacity you choose. The good news is we offer $0 deposit green loans, so you can start saving immediately without a large upfront investment. Plus, NSW residents can take advantage of the NSW Battery Rebate 2024 program, which can significantly reduce your overall cost. We'll walk you through all financing options and rebates during your free consultation.
Q: How long do batteries last, and what happens if something goes wrong?
A: Modern battery systems typically last 10-15 years with minimal maintenance. We only recommend proven, reliable battery brands that come with comprehensive warranties. Unlike companies that disappear after installation, we provide ongoing support throughout your system's lifetime. If you ever have questions or need service, you'll speak directly with our local team - no call centers or confusing phone trees.
Q: Will my battery work during a blackout?
A: Yes, but it depends on how your system is set up. We can configure your battery to automatically power essential circuits during outages - things like lights, refrigeration, and communication devices. The backup duration depends on your battery size and which appliances you're running. During our design process, we'll help you prioritize which circuits are most important for your family's needs.
A: Modern battery systems typically last 10-15 years with minimal maintenance. We only recommend proven, reliable battery brands that come with comprehensive warranties. Unlike companies that disappear after installation, we provide ongoing support throughout your system's lifetime. If you ever have questions or need service, you'll speak directly with our local team - no call centers or confusing phone trees.
Q: Will my battery work during a blackout?
A: Yes, but it depends on how your system is set up. We can configure your battery to automatically power essential circuits during outages - things like lights, refrigeration, and communication devices. The backup duration depends on your battery size and which appliances you're running. During our design process, we'll help you prioritize which circuits are most important for your family's needs.
Q: Can I monitor my battery performance and control it remotely?
A: Absolutely! Modern battery systems come with smartphone apps that let you monitor energy production, storage levels, and usage patterns in real-time. You can see exactly how much money you're saving and optimize your energy usage. We'll show you how to use these monitoring tools and explain what the data means in practical terms.
Q: Can I add an EV charger to my solar and battery system?
A: Yes, and it's actually a great combination! We can design your system to accommodate EV charging, either now or in the future. Your battery can even help manage charging times to maximize the use of solar energy and minimize grid electricity costs. Since we handle solar, batteries, and EV chargers, we can create an integrated home energy solution that works together seamlessly.
A: Absolutely! Modern battery systems come with smartphone apps that let you monitor energy production, storage levels, and usage patterns in real-time. You can see exactly how much money you're saving and optimize your energy usage. We'll show you how to use these monitoring tools and explain what the data means in practical terms.
Q: Can I add an EV charger to my solar and battery system?
A: Yes, and it's actually a great combination! We can design your system to accommodate EV charging, either now or in the future. Your battery can even help manage charging times to maximize the use of solar energy and minimize grid electricity costs. Since we handle solar, batteries, and EV chargers, we can create an integrated home energy solution that works together seamlessly.
The most common understanding of which way panels should face is North.. and this is true to a certain extent. It also matters what available roof space you have, whether it be North, South East or West. West & East facing panels do produce about 10-15% less then north facing and south facing panels produce about 40% less then north facing. The steeper the south facing panels are as well, the less they will produce. If you had ample roof space, then your lifestyle plays a big factor on your design because essentially, you need to design your system around when you are going to use the most power. If you are a family who wake up and are out of the house early on, kids are off to school and the husband/wife are off to work... then west facing panels would be ideal because you would tend to use more power when everyone's at home of an afternoon. If you work afternoon/night shift where most of you power would be consumed in the morning then east would work better.
Higher energy usage in the morning - east facing panels
Higher energy in the afternoon - west facing panels
This is not to say they all need to face this way. You would just have a heavier presence of panels on whatever direction suits in combination with north facing panels. Considerations to also take would be is the option there to tilt the panels to face an optimal direction? Generally this would be for flat roof spaces or south facing roof spaces that could have panels angled a different way. So depending on your roof space availability, you really need to work out what you foresee your lifestyle to be over the next 5 to 10 years to help design a system that will help maximise the rewards for your requirements.
https://youtu.be/wMaJxhl0vl8?si=FbxpGvPXqwYZAA91
Solar panel efficiency refers to the ability of a solar photovoltaic (PV) panel to convert sunlight into electricity effectively. It's a crucial factor in determining how much electricity a solar panel can generate from a given amount of sunlight. Efficiency is typically expressed as a percentage and represents the ratio of usable electricity output to the total amount of sunlight the panel receives. Here's a breakdown of how solar panel efficiency works:
Sunlight Absorption: When sunlight hits a solar panel, it contains energy in the form of photons. The efficiency of a solar panel is directly related to its ability to absorb these photons.
Photon-to-Electron Conversion: Solar panels are made up of semiconductor materials (usually silicon) that contain many tiny cells. When photons from the sunlight strike these cells, they can dislodge electrons from their atoms, creating an electric current.
Losses: Not all the energy from the absorbed photons gets converted into electricity. Some energy is lost due to various factors, including:
Reflection: Some photons bounce off the panel's surface and are not absorbed.
Thermal Losses: Solar panels can heat up in sunlight, and this heat energy is typically lost.
Resistance: Electrical resistance within the panel's materials can cause some energy loss.
Electrical Output: The electricity generated by the solar panel is collected and sent to an inverter, which converts it from direct current (DC) to alternating current (AC) for use in your home or to feed into the grid.
Solar panel efficiency is usually expressed as a percentage and typically ranges from around 15% to 22% for most commercially available panels. In other words, for every 100 watts of sunlight that hit a solar panel with 20% efficiency, you can expect it to produce 20 watts of electricity. Higher-efficiency solar panels are generally more expensive but can be a good investment in situations where space for solar panels is limited. They can generate more electricity from the same amount of sunlight, which can be particularly beneficial for residential rooftops with limited space or for achieving specific energy production goals. It's important to note that while efficiency is a crucial factor, other considerations such as the cost of the panels, the available space for installation, and your location's sunlight conditions also play a significant role in determining the overall value and effectiveness of a solar panel system.
Sunlight Absorption: When sunlight hits a solar panel, it contains energy in the form of photons. The efficiency of a solar panel is directly related to its ability to absorb these photons.
Photon-to-Electron Conversion: Solar panels are made up of semiconductor materials (usually silicon) that contain many tiny cells. When photons from the sunlight strike these cells, they can dislodge electrons from their atoms, creating an electric current.
Losses: Not all the energy from the absorbed photons gets converted into electricity. Some energy is lost due to various factors, including:
Reflection: Some photons bounce off the panel's surface and are not absorbed.
Thermal Losses: Solar panels can heat up in sunlight, and this heat energy is typically lost.
Resistance: Electrical resistance within the panel's materials can cause some energy loss.
Electrical Output: The electricity generated by the solar panel is collected and sent to an inverter, which converts it from direct current (DC) to alternating current (AC) for use in your home or to feed into the grid.
Solar panel efficiency is usually expressed as a percentage and typically ranges from around 15% to 22% for most commercially available panels. In other words, for every 100 watts of sunlight that hit a solar panel with 20% efficiency, you can expect it to produce 20 watts of electricity. Higher-efficiency solar panels are generally more expensive but can be a good investment in situations where space for solar panels is limited. They can generate more electricity from the same amount of sunlight, which can be particularly beneficial for residential rooftops with limited space or for achieving specific energy production goals. It's important to note that while efficiency is a crucial factor, other considerations such as the cost of the panels, the available space for installation, and your location's sunlight conditions also play a significant role in determining the overall value and effectiveness of a solar panel system.
If you have a property that has potential shading issues such as trees, etc, an optimised system may be more beneficial to you. An optimised system also offers exceptional consumption monitoring down to the panel level to the point where if there is an issue with a panel, it alerts the installer.
A standard string system reduces its output if a panel is shaded and has no output if there is a fault in the circuit. The reason for this is that string system panels are wired in a series while in an optimised system, the DC optimisers are wired in a series and the panels are wired in parallel to them. This allows the circuit to bypass a faulty panel because there is another path.
A standard string system reduces its output if a panel is shaded and has no output if there is a fault in the circuit. The reason for this is that string system panels are wired in a series while in an optimised system, the DC optimisers are wired in a series and the panels are wired in parallel to them. This allows the circuit to bypass a faulty panel because there is another path.
FIT stands for Feed In Tariff. Feed In Tariffs are what your energy provider pays you for the generated power that you feed back to the grid. FITs are great now but they won’t be available forever. I see a lot of people using FITs as a big consideration when choosing a system size. Don’t base your system on it – think of it as a nice, handy little benefit. The reason it won’t be around forever is the more that solar becomes prevalent in communities, the less likely energy providers are going to allow exporting to the grid. Once they start denying exporting, this essentially means whatever you produce will either supply your house or be wasted.
How does solar work?
The Sun’s energy hits the panels.
Solar Panels convert it to DC power.
Inverter converts DC to AC power.
Household appliances use AC power.
Meter tracks excess power sent to grid and tracks usage from the grid.
During low sunlight periods, the grid supplies electricity.
The Sun’s energy hits the panels.
Solar Panels convert it to DC power.
Inverter converts DC to AC power.
Household appliances use AC power.
Meter tracks excess power sent to grid and tracks usage from the grid.
During low sunlight periods, the grid supplies electricity.
We continuously update our product selection to offer the best price-performance balance, based on current market technology. Ask us about the latest available options.
It’s important to confirm if your quote is fixed.
With Zeneco, the price is fixed after a site assessment.
If anything is missed, the cost is on us—not you.
With Zeneco, the price is fixed after a site assessment.
If anything is missed, the cost is on us—not you.
Maintenance is essential and often a condition for warranty coverage by inverter and panel manufacturers.
Many companies do. This can result in inconsistent quality.
Subcontractors are usually less invested in the outcome of your installation.
Subcontractors are usually less invested in the outcome of your installation.
Most installations are completed in one day. However, this depends on specific site conditions.
Workmanship: 10 years (or 15 years with maintenance plan)
Inverter: Minimum 10 years
Panels: 25 years product and 25 years performance warranties
Inverter: Minimum 10 years
Panels: 25 years product and 25 years performance warranties
Many companies do use subcontractors for their jobs, which essentially means that you are rolling the dice. You may get a good installer or you may get a bad installer. Regardless, you are not going to get someone that is fully invested in your install.
Typically, we can complete most installations in a day but it is best to clarify with us how long the installation will take as there are many factors that can affect the length of install.
It's a good idea to clarify if the quoted price is locked in. On the odd occasion, if an installer hasn't visited your property, they may have missed several items that will end up costing you more. With Zeneco, our prices are fixed as we will ensure someone is sent out to conduct a site assessment - if there is any additional costs incurred because we have missed something during this, it's on us - not you.
It's a good idea to clarify if the quoted price is locked in. On the odd occasion, if an installer hasn't visited your property, they may have missed several items that will end up costing you more. With Zeneco, our prices are fixed as we will ensure someone is sent out to conduct a site assessment - if there is any additional costs incurred because we have missed something during this, it's on us - not you.
There are 3 warranty periods to closely identify: Workmanship, Inverter and Panel warranties. Our workmanship warranty is 10 years which is an industry standard. We do however offer an industry leading 15 year product warranty if you complete 5 consecutive years of our maintenance plan. Our inverter warranties are generally minimum 10 years and most of our panels are 25 year product/25 year performance warranties.
If you have a property that has potential shading issues such as trees, etc, an optimised system may be more beneficial to you. An optimised system also offers exceptional consumption monitoring down to the panel level to the point where if there is an issue with a panel, it alerts the installer.
A standard string system reduces its output if a panel is shaded and has no output if there is a fault in the circuit. The reason for this is that string system panels are wired in a series while in an optimised system, the DC optimisers are wired in a series and the panels are wired in parallel to them. This allows the circuit to bypass a faulty panel because there is another path.
We are always updating our products to give our future clients the best possible product with respect to pricing and performance at the current time of the market. This is always changing with the engineering advances of many solar panel and solar inverter manufacturers so please ask us about the latest and greatest.
Solar panel efficiency refers to the ability of a solar photovoltaic (PV) panel to convert sunlight into electricity effectively. It's a crucial factor in determining how much electricity a solar panel can generate from a given amount of sunlight. Efficiency is typically expressed as a percentage and represents the ratio of usable electricity output to the total amount of sunlight the panel receives. Here's a breakdown of how solar panel efficiency works:
Sunlight Absorption: When sunlight hits a solar panel, it contains energy in the form of photons. The efficiency of a solar panel is directly related to its ability to absorb these photons.
Photon-to-Electron Conversion: Solar panels are made up of semiconductor materials (usually silicon) that contain many tiny cells. When photons from the sunlight strike these cells, they can dislodge electrons from their atoms, creating an electric current.
Losses: Not all the energy from the absorbed photons gets converted into electricity. Some energy is lost due to various factors, including:
Reflection: Some photons bounce off the panel's surface and are not absorbed.
Thermal Losses: Solar panels can heat up in sunlight, and this heat energy is typically lost.
Resistance: Electrical resistance within the panel's materials can cause some energy loss.
Electrical Output: The electricity generated by the solar panel is collected and sent to an inverter, which converts it from direct current (DC) to alternating current (AC) for use in your home or to feed into the grid.
Solar panel efficiency is usually expressed as a percentage and typically ranges from around 15% to 22% for most commercially available panels. In other words, for every 100 watts of sunlight that hit a solar panel with 20% efficiency, you can expect it to produce 20 watts of electricity. Higher-efficiency solar panels are generally more expensive but can be a good investment in situations where space for solar panels is limited. They can generate more electricity from the same amount of sunlight, which can be particularly beneficial for residential rooftops with limited space or for achieving specific energy production goals. It's important to note that while efficiency is a crucial factor, other considerations such as the cost of the panels, the available space for installation, and your location's sunlight conditions also play a significant role in determining the overall value and effectiveness of a solar panel system.
Sunlight Absorption: When sunlight hits a solar panel, it contains energy in the form of photons. The efficiency of a solar panel is directly related to its ability to absorb these photons.
Photon-to-Electron Conversion: Solar panels are made up of semiconductor materials (usually silicon) that contain many tiny cells. When photons from the sunlight strike these cells, they can dislodge electrons from their atoms, creating an electric current.
Losses: Not all the energy from the absorbed photons gets converted into electricity. Some energy is lost due to various factors, including:
Reflection: Some photons bounce off the panel's surface and are not absorbed.
Thermal Losses: Solar panels can heat up in sunlight, and this heat energy is typically lost.
Resistance: Electrical resistance within the panel's materials can cause some energy loss.
Electrical Output: The electricity generated by the solar panel is collected and sent to an inverter, which converts it from direct current (DC) to alternating current (AC) for use in your home or to feed into the grid.
Solar panel efficiency is usually expressed as a percentage and typically ranges from around 15% to 22% for most commercially available panels. In other words, for every 100 watts of sunlight that hit a solar panel with 20% efficiency, you can expect it to produce 20 watts of electricity. Higher-efficiency solar panels are generally more expensive but can be a good investment in situations where space for solar panels is limited. They can generate more electricity from the same amount of sunlight, which can be particularly beneficial for residential rooftops with limited space or for achieving specific energy production goals. It's important to note that while efficiency is a crucial factor, other considerations such as the cost of the panels, the available space for installation, and your location's sunlight conditions also play a significant role in determining the overall value and effectiveness of a solar panel system.
If you have a property that has potential shading issues such as trees, etc, an optimised system may be more beneficial to you. An optimised system also offers exceptional consumption monitoring down to the panel level to the point where if there is an issue with a panel, it alerts the installer.
A standard string system reduces its output if a panel is shaded and has no output if there is a fault in the circuit. The reason for this is that string system panels are wired in a series while in an optimised system, the DC optimisers are wired in a series and the panels are wired in parallel to them. This allows the circuit to bypass a faulty panel because there is another path.
FIT stands for Feed In Tariff. Feed In Tariffs are what your energy provider pays you for the generated power that you feed back to the grid. FITs are great now but they won’t be available forever. I see a lot of people using FITs as a big consideration when choosing a system size. Don’t base your system on it – think of it as a nice, handy little benefit. The reason it won’t be around forever is the more that solar becomes prevalent in communities, the less likely energy providers are going to allow exporting to the grid. Once they start denying exporting, this essentially means whatever you produce will either supply your house or be wasted.
The Sun’s energy hits the panels. The Solar Panels convert the sun’s energy into DC power. This DC power travels to the inverter via the installed DC cable. The Inverter converts the DC power to usable AC power and distributes it to either the house or back to the grid. Your household appliances utilise the AC power from your solar and would only draw power from the grid if your usage surpassed what your solar was producing. Your Meter reads the excess solar production being fed back to the grid so you can earn money from it. It also reads what you are drawing from the grid. During periods of low sunlight where your system isn't producing power, the grid supplies your household with electricity generated from power stations.