How to get the most out of solar

Reading your energy generation

You can manage your solar energy use when you know what your system is producing. Your inverter shows how much energy your panels are generating, helping you understand and adjust your energy use. Using your own solar energy saves you from buying electricity.

Your inverter also shows how much energy your system has generated each day and over its lifetime (in kilowatt hours). This information may also be available through a web portal, smartphone app or in home energy display.

In-home displays

An in home display lets you track your household energy use in real time, helping you better manage and reduce your energy costs. Many energy retailers also offer apps that show your usage or connect to an in home display.

Monitoring this data helps you identify which appliances use the most energy, so you can prioritise upgrades and plan when to run appliances for the best rates. Between 10am and 5pm, electricity is usually cheaper, making this a good time to run things like dishwashers and washing machines.

Victorian households can get a discount up to $70 discount on in home displays through the Victorian Energy Upgrades program.

Timing your use of energy

Shifting your energy use from night to daytime helps you use the most of your solar energy, this is called load shifting.

Dishwashers and washing machines often have delays tart features. For example, setting your dishwasher after breakfast with a two hour delay may allow your solar energy to power the cycle.

If your home is well insulated, you can use split-system timers to precool it on summer afternoons while the sun is high, reducing how much cooling you need during the evening peak. Precooling your home on summer afternoons can again help cut evening energy use.

Fuel switching: Using electricity in place of gas

Changing from gas appliances to electric is an example of fuel switching. Homes with more electric appliances can use more of the available solar energy.

So you might consider efficient electric alternatives to gas-fired hot water, heating and cooking. A home with solar and all-electric appliances means there aren't any gas bills to pay, as they make the most of the PV-generated solar electricity.

Solar Battery

Households with a solar PV system benefit most when they maximise their self-consumption when the solar system is generating the energy during the day. Adding a solar battery can help you store some of the excess energy generated during the day to use during periods when the solar system isn't generating and at night.

Virtual Power Plant Program

If you own a solar battery, you could be eligible to take part in a virtual power plant (VPP). Virtual power plants allow households to share excess renewable energy stored in their solar battery. When enough households have solar batteries, they can network together through a VPP provider using smart technology to create a clean electricity grid.

When demand for electricity is high, the excess power from solar batteries can feed into the VPP electricity network. As you own your clean energy, it's like renting it out when you don't need it, providing you with higher savings and clean energy for other households.