Energy and Water Minister Stephen Robertson told Parliament that the state is entering a huge milestone in its attempt to double the use of solar power in Queensland. Currently the state’s solar usage is powering ahead, increasing more than 80% in just one year.

The massive increase is largely thanks to the state’s additional solar bonuses and schemes that were implemented last July to aid households who want to make the switch to solar power. The bonuses and schemes have been a huge success; the 84% increase means an extra 227,000 households with solar hot water systems, and about 125,000 new solar panel installations, and these figures continues to rise daily as more Queenslanders take advantage of the bonuses and solar benefits.

A big incentive of the extra subsidy was directed towards retired and pensioned residents, who have received an extra $1000 rebate (for the upfront payment alone) while everyone else receives $600. This is on top of the existing federal government rebates. In general a solar hot water system in the state will only cost $2000-$3000 after subsidies, depending on the size and the brand of the system.

Minister Robinson said that hot water accounts for about 30% of the total electricity bill of a typical in Queensland and that solar hot water can slash that figure down to 5%. With only a small outlay which is affordable for many households it’s not surprising how many have taken up the offer; as of this month more than $12 million was spent by the government to subsidise solar hot water alone.

Another big reason why solar hot water has been such a big success in the state in the last 12 months was timing; as natural disaster hit many areas over summer a lot of water heating systems were damaged.  Instead of replacing them with expensive auxiliary powered systems many people turned to solar as a much better alternative.

“This is practical help to assist the many families throughout Queensland who lost everything during the devastating floods and Cyclone Yasi,” he said.

The minister also said that he is very happy that Queenslanders are embracing solar as a better way to heat water and produce electricity. He added that the state will see more solar system installations in the coming months as another $32.9 million solar package was recently tabled.

If you want to completely eliminate your electricity bill for your home or business though rather than only reducing it, you will be need to look at installing a solar panel system of a KWh size roughly equal to your daily usage.

Premier Solar Queensland offers expert advice in how to firstly reduce your overall energy usage, and will then design the best value solar system to provide that required power output.

We offer Free On-Site Assessments and Quotes for Homes and Businesses, Call 1800 797 273 Today to Book Yours and discover how much money solar power can save you! Brisbane, Sunshine Coast, Gympie, Hervey Bay and Maryborough