The lasting effect of COVID-19 may take some time to understand and appreciate fully. It has caused a whole host of difficulties, some of which the world has never seen before. It’s hard to find a person or business who hasn’t been touched by the virus in some way.
For most people, the virus has meant more time spent at home, with many working from home, balancing work and home-schooling the kids. During this period, Australian household energy consumption skyrocketed.
Covid’s impact on energy consumption
With so many people working remotely, the kids being home-schooled and dining-in becoming the norm, power usage is said to have increased by an enormous 105% over the last few months. Some Australians are going to be hit with an electricity bill that is double their usual monthly amount.
In March 2019, the typical Aussie household was using 513kWh a month, or 16.5kWh every day to power their home. Fast forward to 2020, and the picture is vastly different, power consumption has shot up to 1052kWh a month. In April 2020 it climbed even further to 1094kWh, or 36.4kWh a day.
With such an enormous jump in consumption, Australian households are going to be hit hard in the back pocket, at a time when every dollar counts. It is estimated that some may even be paying up to $1800 per quarter.
How has the government responded?
The Australian government has extended the Instant asset write-off scheme to help small businesses get back on their feet after COVID.
The 17.6 billion dollar scheme has been extended and improved, with solar installations falling under its remit. Solar installations can be written off up to the value of $150,000 by any business with revenue of less than $500 million.
Meanwhile, the government-linked think tank Beyond Zero Emissions has estimated that the growth of solar following COVID will create around 150,000 jobs as part of a ‘Green Recovery’ by the government.
The indications are that the government is backing solar as it continues to prove itself as the reliable long-term solution for energy issues.
A Future Powered By Solar
Bushfires, protests, pandemics and emergency government spending are a sign of an uncertain future. Generating your own electricity via solar and storing some of the excess power in a battery that also protects you during a blackout is one of the best ways to remain resilient in times of uncertainty.
Australia has the highest uptake of solar in the world. As of 30 April, more than 2.4 million solar systems have been installed, as more people act on the need for energy independence and lower energy costs.
The average cost of a PV system has continued to decrease with most households now choosing to install much larger systems. Better yet, the payback period of solar power is at a record low, ranging from just 3 to 5 years depending on how much solar power you are able to use in the home, and some other factors such as your feed-in tariff etc.
A good quality solar power system can save the average Australia household thousands of dollars a year on their bills by generating free electricity during the day. Further savings can be had with battery storage.
Future proof your home today with a quality solar power system from Solaray Energy and take back control of your power supply.
Our experts can discuss the variety of options available for both domestic and commercial systems:
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