If you stay in Victoria and want to use solar energy for your daily needs, you must haveheard of solar feed-in tariffs. Along with many other parts of Australia, the residents of Victoria are also showing a lot of interest in using solar energy for their daily needs. The region has over 510,000 solar PV systems installed to generate one-third of the total electricity demands in the state for residential users.
The solar feed-in tariff is the money you get when you return unused solar energy to the grid, and you get paid based on how much electricity you manage to return.
However, you can maximise your solar feed in tariff Vic by being a little more diligent about your choice of plans. You can also check the Government of Victoria’s site to compare plans. Here are some ways of maximising the tariffs.
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Shop and Negotiate
Since Victoria is a considerably large state, several service providers will offer you their separate feed-in tariffs. However, before settling for the first offer you come across, shop around and compare the rates. You can also negotiate with the retailer and maximise the rates by calculating how much electricity you will likely give back to the grid after meeting your needs.
However, it would help to remember that the tariff is only one aspect of the electricity bill. It will help if you also consider other factors like fixed charges, discount options in Victoria, and more. Only after you’ve taken into account all the factors should you make a choice.
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Time Your Appliances
Most of the time, you fail to maximise your feed-in tariffs because you do not have a clear idea about how much electricity you’d use or how much you will give back. One of the ways of doing that is to time your appliances. Your gadgets like washing machines, dishwashers, refrigerators, or even televisions can tell you how much energy you need.
Using some of the gadgets during the daylight hours in Victoria also helps you save energy after hours, which can return to the grid and maximise your feed-in tariffs. The tariffs will change with the change in daylight hours in Victoria.
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Preparing your Interiors
If your house is exceedingly hot or cold, it will consume more energy when you try to cool your house with an AC or warm it up with a heater. If you operate your heating or cooling systems with the help of solar panels, you can try to preheat or pre-cool your house accordingly.
Moreover, instead of running the heating or cooling systems at extreme temperatures, switch them on in the early daylight hours, but set them to more moderated temperatures. Unlike the surge of energy sucked out of the grid during sudden bursts of heating or cooling, the low yet steady temperatures conserve more power. It will maximise your feed-in tariffs when the electricity returns to the grid.
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Understanding Tariffs
The feed-in tariff is the cost of each unit of electricity that returns to the grid, which you may find on your electricity bill as cents per kilowatt. The more surplus energy you consume, the more feed-in tariff you get. The retail tariff or consumption tariff is what you pay for the grid energy.
This might remain constant or could be subject to changes. If you have opted for a flat or block tariff, the rates will remain fixed around the year. However, you may also opt for a more flexible plan. They will change based on whether you have decided on Gross or Net feed-in tariffs, but retailers mainly offer the latter in Victoria.
By keeping these few points in mind, maximise your solar feed-in tariffs in Vic quite quickly. If you are still unsure about which plans to use, you can compare the rates and tariffs online through a reliable comparing website. They will take into account your daily needs and requirements and tell you about the best options in Victoria so that you can get maximum returns.
