Slowly but surely, people across Australia are becoming aware of the need to live sustainably. They're taking responsibility for the size of their carbon footprint and placing their focus, in particular, on their energy consumption. If you are thinking about your own position, you may want to install a solar array on your roof, but you will need an additional piece of technology to take full advantage of your investment; a battery.

Best Approach

Most homes can be fitted with a solar installation, no matter whether the roof is facing the north or not. After all, technicians have the capability to adjust the installation and, in certain circumstances, to introduce a system that actually follows the path of the sun during the day.

In any case, you'll be able to harness energy from the sun and convert it into power that you can use throughout your home. However, you will need to add a purpose made battery if you want to fully capitalise on the opportunity, so that the energy created can be stored and used during the nighttime hours as well.

Cost Saving Solution

Without a battery, any "excess" energy that you produce would need to be fed into the national grid. Certainly, you may be able to earn some additional cash from this, but it is not the most economical solution, due to those energy consumption habits. After all, you may be out of the home during the day and when harvesting is at its peak but may require a lot of energy at night when the solar system is dormant. Without a battery, you will have to buy this energy in from the grid and this would represent a net, additional cost.

Stored Energy

However, if you've got a battery at home, then you can store the energy as it is produced and use it later when you get home. You will just need to make sure that it is correctly configured and enough for your needs.

Topping up

Furthermore, the latest types of battery are "smart" and designed to top themselves up from the grid, if needed, at the most attractive rate. The utility companies will often sell their electricity at a lower rate during certain times of the night and if the battery predicts that it will run out of stored energy based on previous consumption, it may automatically top up at the best rate.

Further Information

As you investigate your options and look for solar panel alternatives, talk with an approved solar retailer about battery technology as well.