FAQS

By using Clean Energy Council accredited installers you are entitled to the government rebates. Progress Electrical Contractors are fully accredited Clean Energy Council installers.

Generally we will have your solar system fully installed in 1 day for a residential system.

We have both public liability and workers compensation insurance.

In most cases you can but this can be confirmed by our free onsite consultation.
Contact us today to request your FREE onsite consultation.

Your system will still operate under both conditions but at a reduced output.

To be entitled to the government rebates you must use a Clean Energy Council Accredited Installer. Progress Electrical Contractors are fully accredited Clean Energy Council installers and we only use approved products for the Australian market that are eligible to receive government rebates.

When we come to do your free measure and quote we will calculate the size of the rebate you’re eligible for so you know exactly how much you can save by going solar right from the start.

Because solar panels work best when they’re directly facing the sun, a north facing roof is ideal because it will catch more sun and generate more power. However, east/west installations can also work, depending on factors such as shading on the roof and the time of day you use the most power.

You’ll need approximately 10 square metres of roof surface for each KW, so for example a 1.5KW system will need approximately 15m2 of roof surface. Your solar system will weigh approximately 27 kilograms per square metre and each solar panel measures about 1×1.5 metres.

At our onsite consultation we can take all these factors into account to work out the best orientation and how much roof square meterage of roof surface you will need to support your domestic solar system.

A domestic solar power system of any size will help you reduce your power consumption and power bills. And naturally, the bigger your system, the more you will save.

The average size system sold in 2020 was 6Kw. Please contact us for your FREE online consultation to discuss the system size you need based on usage and your energy profile.

• The strength of the sun’s rays depending on the season of the year,
• How far south of the equator your home is,
• Any dust particles and water vapour in the air,
• Cloud cover over your home,
• Shading of your solar panels from neighbouring buildings or trees,
• The quality, size, age and cleanliness of your solar panels.

Grid connect systems are the most common type of domestic solar power system for urban households who have access to the mains power electricity grid.

Your grid connect system will supply solar electricity from your roof solar panels directly to your home using an inverter, as well as supplying it back to the electricity grid when your solar system generates more energy than your home needs.

When your household supplies power back to the mains grid, you’ll usually receive a “feed in tariff”, which is a credit or a payment to you for the electricity by a utility or government agency.

In Australia most feed in tariffs are net tariffs, which means you only get paid for the surplus solar energy you supply back to the mains grid, however depending on where you live you might be eligible for a gross feed in tariff, where you can send all of you solar energy back into the mains grid at the premium rate.

Yes, your solar panels will still generate power but it will be at a reduced output. When you’re connected to a grid connect system any power shortfall on cloudy or rainy days will come from the mains power supply.

Adding a battery to your solar system will allow you to store unused solar power generated during the day that you can use on low sunlight or rainy days.

Find out more about what to look for in a solar battery.

If you’re on a grid connect system any excess electricity your solar system generates during the day is fed back into the local electricity grid and you receive an feed-in tariff credit for that power.

During the night when your system does not produce energy you will draw your power back from the grid, and pay for the amount you draw. If you have a battery installed it will store excess energy generated during the day for you to then use at night.

Your grid connect inverter will automatically shut itself off within a few milliseconds to avoid a “brown-out” in your home and to prevent back feeding into the grid. This is why even though you have a solar system, you won’t have power available during a blackout.

To ensure you will still have power during a blackout then you would need to invest in a battery for your solar system.

Once we have measured and quoted on your domestic solar system the actual installation of your solar panels usually only takes one day.

At Progress Electrical we do not subcontract out any of our installation work – our experienced and professional team install every solar system ourselves.

Yes, your domestic solar system is fully covered by insurance. As a Clean Energy Council Accredited Installer we meet industry best practice standards and all relevant Australian Standards and you’re fully protected by the Solar Retailer Code of Conduct, Australian Consumer law and our 10-year warranty.

At Progress Electrical we also are fully covered by both public liability and workers compensation insurance.If you would like to include your system under your home and contents insurance, you’ll need to check with your insurance company.

If you have a grid connected solar system, there will be very little maintenance. If you need maintenance or cleaning of your solar system the team at Progress Electrical can do this for you too.

Your photovoltaic solar power system will consist of the following parts:

• Solar array. A solar array is the name for the multiple solar panels on your roof that absorbs the sun’s energy, converting it into electrical energy.
• Frame. Your array mounts on a frame that secures your panels to your roof the correct aspect and elevation to receive the maximum amount of sunlight, while also ensuring minimal interference with the waterproofing and structure of your roof.
• Inverter. A cable sends energy from the array to the inverter, which is a device that efficiently converts fluctuating DC energy into usable, safe and consistent AC energy. The inverter then sends AC energy to your switchboard which is connected to the main power grid. Usually the inverter sits beside your fuse box.

Your solar system might also have a battery to store the excess power you generate, easy-to-use remote monitors, internet enabled data loggers, and even sensors to determine solar availability, panel temperature, air temperature, and wind speed.

With a grid connect system you won’t need a regulator because your inverter will handle the incoming charge and convert it to AC electricity. But you might need a regulator if you’re installing an off-grid system.

A new meter may be necessary because without an appropriate mains meter, any energy you sell to the power grid cannot be accurately measured. A ‘bi-directional’ meter will replace your existing one-way ‘detented’ meter, allowing you to read energy in both directions and both buy from and sell to the main grid.

When we come to give you your free onsite consultation we can assess whether your meter and switchboard need upgrading or not.

Your solar panels come with a minimum 10 year product warranty and 25 year performance guarantee; your inverter has a 5 – 10 year warranty and your mounting system comes with a 10-year product warranty.

Panels – our panels come with a 25 year manufacturers warranty.

Inverter – our inverters come with a 10-25 year warranty depending on the make and model. 12 Year warranty with SolarEdge inverters with an option to increase to 25 years.

Whether you’re thinking of extending your house or you just want to upgrade your solar, in most cases you can add more solar panels and upgrade or extend your solar system, you just might have to upgrade to a larger inverter.

We will confirm this at our free onsite consultation and work out what is the most cost effective option for your household.

Yes you can! Retro-fitting a battery into your existing grid connect system will give you 90-100% independence from the grid, emergency power supply during blackouts, can improve your poor grid supply and stabilise the cost of your energy for the next 15+ years.

Every year your 2kw grid connect system will prevent approximately 3.3 tons of carbon dioxide being generated through coal fired power generation. That’s the equivalent of taking one car off the road every single year…and the larger your solar system the bigger the impact you will have!

A four-person household with a 5kW solar power system will generate approx 20 kW/h per day, which offsets over 8.5kg of CO2 each year – the equivalent of planting nearly 400 trees annually.

Every household starts to save money from day one of installing a solar system. On average the money you will save on your power bills will pay off the cost of your solar system within 3-5 years.
I f you want to learn more about how much you can save by going solar contact our friendly team of experts for free, no-obligation onsite consultation.