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Thread: 1.6kw Origin system in Brisbane user findings

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    Default 1.6kw Origin system in Brisbane user findings

    I live in Brisbane, I had my origin Sharp 1.6KW system installed in August 2010, and up until this week we have had crap weather ever since.

    I have noticed the last few days with perfect weather my 1.6kw system that has a perfect North facing is generating around 9.5kw per day. up to 1.2kw per hour at noon

    We have changed our power consumption habits, we only use the washing machine and dishwasher at night, and our pool filter only comes on during the dark hours, which allows us to generate and put back into the grid as much as possible,

    Our house on standby uses around 550w per hour ( 3 plasma TV`s, 4 computers, 2 fridges, 1 freezer )

    I just though I would share my findings with you all

    oh and we have gas hot water and cooking
    Last edited by Yobbo; 25-01-11 at 08:50 PM. Reason: update

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    Default Update 11/03/2011

    Today I received my first power bill over summer with my 1.6kw origin system connected. In 89 days I put 92kw back into the grid

    92 x .50c = $46.00cr

    now you might not think that is much but my average daily use went from

    47.7 kw per day to 25.2 kw per day

    or from $9.21 per day to $ 4.89

    so it looks like I was only generating about 1kw per day excess that was feed back into the grid @ .50c per day

    But by changing my power use habits, ie using the washing machine, dishwasher, pool filter only at night, which allows the solar system to power the house through the day and by converting my light bulbs to fluro and LED, I have saved a whole pile of cash!!!!

    very happy

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    Otherwise known as VK4XA MaXiLeeCH's Avatar
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    G'day Yobbo,
    You could probably help your bottom line by actually turning OFF the plasmas when they are not in use, they are notoriously power hungry, even on standby.
    Another plus (in several ways*) would be to ditch the plasma's entirely and change to LCD TV's.


    *Several ways.
    1. Less heat output, thereby decreasing your A/C usage. (Your average Plasma uses 130watts on standby, which is dissipated mainly as heat, with way more dissipated when it's running of course)
    2. LCD's use heaps less power, even when on.
    3. Your local Ham Radio operator would thank you from the bottom of their heart for decreasing the spectrum pollution that those damned plasma TV's produce.
    4. You would complying with the ban on Plasma TV's that the EU has now started to enforce and that the US and hopefully Australia will soon ratify.
    (Reason: See my way number 3, too much spectrum pollution)
    5. If there is a Ham in the area you would save yourself the embarrassment of being told by the ACMA to get rid of the plasma TV's, due to the (the plasma's) interference to his radio gear.
    (As my one of my next door neighbours has had to do in the last week.)
    Last edited by MaXiLeeCH; 12-03-11 at 02:58 PM. Reason: Typo's
    MaXiLeeCH
    Lord of his ring, keeper of his faith, master of no-one!

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    Hi MaXiLeeCH

    Mate I live in surburbia,

    I have 11 kva running right past my house and 33kva running up the main road about about 100m away, and as a ham and the owner of a spectrum analyser, I can tell you now my plasmas are going to to nothing that my S9 noise floor (QRM) doesnt already do, 180-2m. and having owned 3 UHF CB repeaters in SEQ, when the ACMA do call on or visit, our conversation over a cupa tea and biscuits, the topic of my 3 plasmas never arises,

    and my speccy (which is in calibration) can display more on HF about my local hams, than they will ever whinge about my plasmas

    But i reckon my house on standby @ now 522w is pretty good, being as my caravan is now also plugged into the house

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    Which inverter did you end up with? Sharp or aerosharp?

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    it`s just a sharp, I will find the model number later

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    A work colleague ended up with the Sharp, it crapped out after the meter was changed and had to be replaced. He chose the sharp over the Aerosharp because they were reported to be very noisy and also with reliability issues. He is considering a system upsize now and maybe purchasing another inverter.

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    Default Update

    I have received my second power bill since my solar system was installed

    Billing period is 87 days

    I returned 86KW back to the grid 86 @ .50c = $43 credit

    I used a total of 1883 KW @ 19.4C = $365.49 (Tarrif 11 )

    my total bill inc all other chargers (ambulance cover, service) is $409.68 or $4.70 a day

    I have changed all my down lights to 1w LED

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    Any rebate is a rebate, I wont argue that but depending on just how much 'YOU' have to payout for this, I dont think based on a mean average of Ikw per day as quoted by Yobbo at 50 cents = $182.50 PA is much of a saving, to you or the planet.
    Yobbo is in Brisbane and I am on the Central Tablelands west of Sydney at 900 metres, Temps about 7C at Noon today and for the last 2 days it has been a drizzling mist so I wonder what a similar system would generate for me in these typical conditions ?
    Add a few frosts and the prospect of some snow to come before November.
    My last bill was for longer at about the same rate and just under $350, I dont have electric hotwater (LPG instant).
    I have no problem with solar power but I still dont see it as the 'Magic Bullet' solution to power needs.
    Last edited by gordon_s1942; 13-06-11 at 01:20 PM.
    I stand unequivicably behind everything I say , I just dont ever remember saying it !!

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    Any rebate is a rebate, I wont argue that but depending on just how much 'YOU' have to payout for this, I dont think based on a mean average of Ikw per day as quoted by Yobbo at 50 cents = $182.50 PA is much of a saving, to you or the planet.
    you are forgetting the panels do the house first then excess to the grid, so as he noted his usage has dropped as well as a small rebate
    Yobbo is in Brisbane and I am on the Central Tablelands west of Sydney at 900 metres, Temps about 7C at Noon today and for the last 2 days it has been a drizzling mist so I wonder what a similar system would generate for me in these typical conditions ?
    likely cant cope with even the house let alone any excess at this time of year
    Last edited by anyone; 13-06-11 at 04:02 PM. Reason: opinion

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    Senior Member skozzy's Avatar
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    Great figures for a 1.6kw system. I have 3.12kw (producing 2.5kw at best with peeks around 3kw), we just had our digital meter installed almost 3 months after the solar system was installed.

    Till now, that system reduced the power bill by 50%, since we were still on the old disk spinning meter we wernt getting any rebate.

    Last week the digital meter was installed. Last I checked on it the readings showed we used 40kw and returned 23kw. We havn't changed any power related habbits inside the house, but we did ditch the two 35y/o fridge and freezer and replaced with new ones that use less power.

    Our goal was to get a close to $0 bill without making money so it didnt effect my pension.

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    I refuse to pay for the installation of a smart/solar meter!!!!

    They want to meter my usage, not me, so by my reckoning
    They should be paying for it!
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    I didn't pay for mine, at least no one said anything about payment. I did ask the energex installer if it was a smart meter or time of day meter, he said na its a basic meter that shows the power we use and the power we export.

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    Quote Originally Posted by dogsbreath View Post
    A work colleague ended up with the Sharp, it crapped out after the meter was changed and had to be replaced. He chose the sharp over the Aerosharp because they were reported to be very noisy and also with reliability issues. He is considering a system upsize now and maybe purchasing another inverter.
    Unlucky.

    I have installed heaps of the origin sharp systems - rarely have any crapped themselves. I personally rate the Sharp JH-1600 a very good inverter, although a very basic inverter as far as logging is concerned.
    If I want too,I can, I will

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    Quote Originally Posted by HoochDaTank View Post
    Unlucky.

    I have installed heaps of the origin sharp systems - rarely have any crapped themselves. I personally rate the Sharp JH-1600 a very good inverter, although a very basic inverter as far as logging is concerned.
    Heaps of people have installed a lot of these pieces of junk over the past 12 to 24 months ,most new stuff does work when installed or it's just replaced but with no track record to draw on it's a pure gamble to spend money on inferior products when there is every likelihood the people who supplied them will not be in the industry much longer now that the government handouts have finished.
    No idea where you get "Unlucky" from , I think you are very "Lucky" if you haven't had problems yet because plenty of people have and continue to have problems with these inverters , this is just one small example of the many out there.


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    Senior Member HoochDaTank's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Joey View Post
    Heaps of people have installed a lot of these pieces of junk over the past 12 to 24 months ,most new stuff does work when installed or it's just replaced but with no track record to draw on it's a pure gamble to spend money on inferior products when there is every likelihood the people who supplied them will not be in the industry much longer now that the government handouts have finished.
    No idea where you get "Unlucky" from , I think you are very "Lucky" if you haven't had problems yet because plenty of people have and continue to have problems with these inverters , this is just one small example of the many out there.

    I think Origin will still be around!!!

    So if the brand/model has not been around since day one is it automatically put in the junk pile?

    I get "unlucky" because the company i work for does approx 100 installs(Sharp, SMA Sunnyboy, Fronius, Clenergy) a week for the last few years and we rarely have any warrenty work on Sharp Inverters.

    Most of the issues I have seen with sharp inverters have been because of wankers doing crap installs.

    Even some of the so called better inverters have some issues from time to time. Best advice is to get your system from one of the companies that will be around for ever in a day (e.g. power companies such as Origin and the like)

    Just wondering is your opinion based on your own experiences?

    Have you had some issues with these inverters personally?
    Last edited by HoochDaTank; 26-09-11 at 01:00 AM.
    If I want too,I can, I will

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    Quote Originally Posted by HoochDaTank View Post
    I think Origin will still be around!!!

    So if the brand/model has not been around since day one is it automatically put in the junk pile?

    I get "unlucky" because the company i work for does approx 100 installs(Sharp, SMA Sunnyboy, Fronius, Clenergy) a week for the last few years and we rarely have any warrenty work on Sharp Inverters.

    Most of the issues I have seen with sharp inverters have been because of wankers doing crap installs.

    Even some of the so called better inverters have some issues from time to time. Best advice is to get your system from one of the companies that will be around for ever in a day (e.g. power companies such as Origin and the like)

    Just wondering is your opinion based on your own experiences?

    Have you had some issues with these inverters personally?
    Don't take it personally mate , I am just talking about inverters , I personally know 4 people with Sharp inverters , 3 have failed within 6 months of them being installed , one guy in particular I warned after speaking to a larger system supplier and being told they were stopping supply of them because the failure rate was way to high., this guy I warned was without an inverter for 9 weeks waiting for a replacement , the others were done within 10 days because they come from a large supplier who had stock.

    2 years ago there were only a hand full of inverters on the market , SMA , Fronius , Latronics , Motech etc , all have long histories and impeccable reputations ( especially SMA ) who will air freight an inverter to your door anywhere in the world with return postage paid for a faulty unit ).
    The PV handouts started and a new inverter has been popping up on the market everyday , not built to a standard like the original few but to a price that in many cases has left people wishing they had spent more for quality.
    Time in the industry doesn't mean junk , they are cheap and nasty inverters built to price that have a very high failure rate , being with Origin is obviously great for some ( where ever they are ? ) but that is only one state in big country that has been supplied sub standard inverters and panels and many of the suppliers are already history , PV companies are closing down or going bankrupt all over Australia in big numbers.
    The rebates have already stopped , now REBS are being cut back or closed in nearly every state or will be very soon , there will be no market for most of the crap out there and if there is no market there will be no support.

    trust me it wont be long before the only Solar posts we read on forums are "help" my system is dead and the supplier no longer exists.

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    SMA inverters are the best Grid Interactive inverters.



    Grid/battery systems use Selectronics or nothing.


    Period.

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    Senior Member HoochDaTank's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Joey View Post
    Don't take it personally mate , I am just talking about inverters , I personally know 4 people with Sharp inverters , 3 have failed within 6 months of them being installed , one guy in particular I warned after speaking to a larger system supplier and being told they were stopping supply of them because the failure rate was way to high., this guy I warned was without an inverter for 9 weeks waiting for a replacement , the others were done within 10 days because they come from a large supplier who had stock.
    No worries Joey,I am not taking it personal.
    Just be aware I would not always listen to supplier/company point of view as they more often than not will bag everything other that what they are currently using. What they are currently using is usually what makes them the most $$$.

    Quote Originally Posted by Joey View Post
    2 years ago there were only a hand full of inverters on the market , SMA , Fronius , Latronics , Motech etc , all have long histories and impeccable reputations ( especially SMA ) who will air freight an inverter to your door anywhere in the world with return postage paid for a faulty unit ).
    Even SMA and Fronius have had bad batches of inverters.

    A shit load of Fronius inverters had a very high failure rate after approx six months due to a problem on the DC card. They always send a tech to check the fault and replace/repair as required in SA.

    You are right though there is now a million bloody inverters out there a lot of them are junk.


    Quote Originally Posted by Joey View Post
    The PV handouts started and a new inverter has been popping up on the market everyday , not built to a standard like the original few but to a price that in many cases has left people wishing they had spent more for quality.
    Also to blame are the fly by night companies using them just to make a fast $$.
    Quote Originally Posted by Joey View Post
    Time in the industry doesn't mean junk , they are cheap and nasty inverters built to price that have a very high failure rate
    I have actually seen more faulty Fronius inverters than sharp, even though many more sharp have been installed.

    Quote Originally Posted by Joey View Post
    being with Origin is obviously great for some ( where ever they are ? ) but that is only one state in big country that has been supplied sub standard inverters and panels and many of the suppliers are already history , PV companies are closing down or going bankrupt all over Australia in big numbers.
    Origin are a very large Electricity and Gas Supply company - they will be around for a very long time.


    Quote Originally Posted by Joey View Post
    trust me it wont be long before the only Solar posts we read on forums are "help" my system is dead and the supplier no longer exists.
    Trust me this has been happening for a while already. I get contacted quite reguarly by people just wanting to get their system independantly check because they think it is not working properly. Often they call the install company and they send the same wanker out who f**ked it up in the first place, he says nothing is wrong. After inspecting plenty is found wrong.

    Yobbo starts a thread telling us about his Sharp System, and then he hears how crap it is. If it has been installed correctly it should be quite a good system and have a reasonable output for quite a while. His pannels are prob sharp as well and they are ok as well.

    I am not saying Sharp are the best but they are ok and Origin are a very large company for after sales service.

    Often I will attend a service call for a faulty inverter and there is actually nothing wrong except the installer stuffed up.
    If I want too,I can, I will

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    Quote Originally Posted by HoochDaTank View Post
    Yobbo starts a thread telling us about his Sharp System, and then he hears how crap it is. If it has been installed correctly it should be quite a good system and have a reasonable output for quite a while. His pannels are prob sharp as well and they are ok as well.

    I am not saying Sharp are the best but they are ok and Origin are a very large company for after sales service.

    .
    Great post mate you make a lot of sense and are no doubt one the good guys the industry needs., with all the shonks that have been and gone you are going to be in work for a long time .

    Sorry Yobbo I didn't intend to rubbish your system pretty thoughtless actually , HoochDaTank is correct you have used a reputable supplier that is going to be around long term so you are in the best position possible.

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