When considering solar power for your new home, you want to get it right from the start. A new home build allows you to optimise your set-up, but you want to ensure you have done your homework. You can do this by providing you have consulted with your builder, architect and solar expert during the planning process. This will allow you to avoid common installation issues or roadblocks. Westsun Energy is here to help!
Below are Westsun Energy’s tips for navigating to a sunny future in your new home.
Roof Design
First, you will need to check with your home builder that your roof has enough space to fit solar panels on it. Surprisingly, even in this day and age with an all-electric future upon us, there are still developers and home builders getting away with ‘slender roof houses’ without provision to support solar resources.
The good news is that if your new home needs roof modifications during the planning stage, it can easily be included as a build contract variation which usually costs a few hundred dollars.
Moreover, another great thing to discuss with your solar experts and architect is tailoring the design to your roof. They can help identify possible shading issues from neighbouring properties and solutions for optimal placement of skylights, ventilation, antennas etc., on other areas of your roof line.
Westsun Energy suggests supporting your roof space with panels so North, East, West and South. This means you’re not limited to the system size you can have installed. A 13kW system can fit 32 solar panels, which will help you produce more electricity in cooler months whilst charging your battery and electric vehicle.
Pre-Wiring
At Westsun Energy, we advise pre-installing your solar system wiring whilst your home is under construction. We can pre-wire the house for solar, meeting all solar CEC standards, before the walls have been gyprock. This is much simpler and more cost-effective to do at the beginning of the build rather than after; it also ensures there are no visible cables in your home.
Here are a few things you should be aware of:
- The solar cable can run up to 600V DC in your home and are live at all times, except for when you switch your solar panels off or the sun goes down, and a safety switch or circuit breaker can’t protect them
- Due to this, strict regulations are implemented on how and where to run solar cables, and specific heavy-duty solar conduits must protect them. It is important to note that not all electricians or builders are across these industry standards as they are not necessarily ‘solar experts.’
- Westsun Energy recommends engaging a CEC-approved electrician to do your pre-wiring. By doing so, you can ensure it’s compliant, avoiding any extra costs that can crop up when mistakes are made.
- It helps to know which solar system you plan on installing on your home before wiring; it ensures correct cables are laid.
Inverter Location
Switchboard, Inverter and Battery
- The good thing with solar panel installation on a new build is you can decide where all your services will be located. Westsun Energy’s advice is to position the inverter as close to the switchboard as possible. We usually suggest placing them on a southern wall or inside of your garage, which can also be an excellent spot for a battery in the future.
Monitoring
- Your monitoring system will need a data connection and the internet, which can be connected via Wi-Fi or a LAN cable. Hard wiring is usually preferred due to the unreliability of Wi-Fi, which is why we recommend running a data cable to the switchboard/inverter location. This way, you are pre-wired for the installation day, and your system can be connected to the internet.
Meter
- Westsun Energy can help get pre-approval once your block has been cleared.
Type of Inverter
- Westsun Energy designs solar systems based on our customer’s current and future needs. Most of our clients like to stick with reputable brands as you can AC couple a battery like Tesla’s Powerwall or Sonnen. We also have DC hybrid inverters. However, they only come in a single phase and are less popular due to higher costs.
Switchboard and Three Phase Power
In the not-too-distant future, you will most likely add big appliances to your home, and with this in mind, it makes sense for you to install a bigger switchboard with more breakers and greater capacity than you currently need. It will save you lots of money down the track, as replacing a switchboard can be a costly exercise.
While most homes commonly run on single-phase power, there is no limit to how much solar a 10kW solar system can export to the grid, and hence how much you can on your electricity bill. If you can install three-phase power, even in a modest home, it opens up the opportunity to generate more power and savings, given the current feed-in tariff. You will also be generating enough extra energy to charge larger appliances in the future.
It is also wise to consider laying three-phase cabling from your switchboard to wherever you place a charger for your EV. It won’t be long before this becomes a reality for most of us, and it will cost much less than installing cables later.
Safety and Scaffolding
At Westsun Energy, we take safety very seriously; if you are building a multi-story property, it’s a good idea to ask your builder to allow the solar company on-site to install your panels while the scaffold is up as it is not always possible to add scaffolding after handover.
Electric Vehicle (EV)
With more electric vehicles coming into the market, it is only a matter of time before you will have one parked in your garage. Regarding future-proofing for an electric vehicle, most wall chargers work similarly and require the same AC cabling. When you charge your car, if the sun is shining, your solar will look to set your car before exporting to the grid, therefore, filling your vehicle from the sun. It is best to let your builder know that you’d like a provision for a future electric car which can be done during the building process.
Timing and STCs
Installing your solar system will influence the STC rebate, which can affect your system cost. The STC’c are only created once the system is fully installed and operating and will reduce the cost of your installed solar system.
On the 1st of January every year, the STC prices change. Next year’s change will see the average solar system cost rise by about $400, meaning a system that would cost you $4,000 will now cost you $4,400.
What Next?
You will be pleasantly surprised with your solar system performance and savings. And to find out more about installing solar on your new home in Perth, Westsun Energy is ready to help you achieve the benefits of building a solar-ready property.
Please do not hesitate to contact us; we look forward to hearing from you!
