12kW Solar System in Sydney: Price, Output & Savings in 2024
12kW Solar System Price
The cost of a fully installed 12kW solar power system has fallen dramatically in recent years. Market conditions, particularly the increase in the scale of production in China, continue to drive down the wholesale price of photovoltaic panels.
A good-quality 12kW solar power system starts at around $7,990 fully installed, including an inverter from SolarEdge, premium tier-one solar panels such as Trina Solar, and a standard installation (i.e., no cherry pickers, etc.). It is important to note that with solar panels, you generally get what you pay for, and most of our customers choose high-efficiency panels from manufacturers such as 1KOMMA5°.
It is possible to find a cheaper 12kW solar system for under $7,990. However, this will typically require buying low to mid-range panels manufactured in China, often without any after-sales support. For a larger system of this size, it is important to maximise reliability, output, and, of course, longevity, so spending a little more upfront can save you a lot of money over the life of the system.
1KOMMA5° service has full replacement warranties and includes full technical support. This gives our customers peace of mind that if something goes wrong, they will be looked after.
As a rough guide, a 12kW system can save you up to around $4,500 a year on your power bills. Of course, to save $1,200 on a quarterly bill, you will need to use a lot of power during the daytime—as much as 70 kWh during the daytime over summer. If you are able to get the most out of your 12kW system, you could spend up to $15,990 and get a top-of-the-range system with a return on your investment in only 4 years!
12kW Solar System Output
According to the Clean Energy Council guidelines, a 12kW solar system in Sydney facing north will produce an average of 48kWh a day, outputting more power in summer and less in winter. We have found that this guideline is a conservative estimate and that by using the top brands you can get considerably more out of our system, for example, our Enphase systems give our customers on average 110% of expected output.
On a sunny day in summer, a 12kW system will often give our customers over 65 kWh of power. Because this can be too much power for many households, we often recommend splitting the panel array across two orientations to distribute the output of power across the day, and to consider battery storage so that any excess solar power can then be used during the evening.
12kW Solar System: Key Figures
| 12kW System | |
|---|---|
| Number of Panels | From 28 x 440W Panels to 29 x 425W Panels |
| Output | 45 kWh a day average (see below) |
| Potential Savings | $900 – $1200 a bill depending on your cost of power |
| Average Payback Period | 3 to 6 years |
| Cost | From around $7,990 to around $15,990 |
| Suited to | larger homes using on average around 44 kWh a day during the daytime (or over 24 hours with battery storage) |
12kW Solar System Savings
The potential savings from a 12kW solar system depend on how much solar power you are able to use in the home at the time of generation. You will typically save around 22 to 30 cents a kWh (depending on how much you pay for your power), and depending on your retailer, you will be paid around 5-13 cents a kWh for the power you send back to the grid. A 12kW solar system can save you around $900 to $1200 per quarterly bill.
More information is available here: How Solar Power Reduces Your Power Bill
12kW Solar System - No. of Panels
The larger the system, the more important it is to buy quality panels to ensure you maximise reliability, increased output in all weather conditions and the longevity of the system.
The other consideration is roof space. By installing high-efficiency panels, we can use 28 x 440W panels instead of the standard 29 x 425W panels.
12kW Micro Inverter Solar System
1KOMMA5° is the largest and most experienced installer of Enphase Micro Inverter systems in NSW, and our system design team are experts at putting together a professional solar array that will maximise solar output in all conditions.
The main benefit of microinverters is that each panel is independent of the others, making it possible to design an array across different orientations and at different angles. A common panel layout is to have some panels facing north, and the others west to spread the output of solar power across the day, making it easier to use more of the solar power as it is generated. Having panels west is also advantageous if you are on time of use billing, where households typically pay around 50c per kWh between 2 pm and 8 pm for power.
On larger residential systems, the panels in the middle of the array can get quite hot during summer as airflow under the panels is less than ideal. When panels get too hot, the output can be significantly reduced. Because of this, we recommend using microinverter technology and in fact, over 80% of our systems now include this technology. Find out all you need to know about Enphase: 10 key benefits of microinverter systems.