Are Zero Dollar Energy Bills possible?

Saving money is always desirable, but it becomes particularly important when the cost of living is high. Energy costs typically represent one of the biggest percentages of a household’s bills, so decreasing these expenses is a great way to save money!

Here at Plico we’re passionate about helping Aussies save money on their energy. But what if you could reduce your energy bills to zero? Some of our members are doing just that.

Let’s explore how.

Store your solar to use at night

More sunlight and longer days in the sunnier months means more solar energy is available for you to power your household. But what if you don’t consume as much as you produce?

When you have solar panels on their own, any excess solar you generate is exported back to the electrical grid. (This can also create Minimum Demand scenarios, a growing challenge for our electricity infrastructure). Typically, households will export more solar energy than they can use during the day and pay a far higher premium for the energy they use from the grid later in the evening and overnight.

Instead, Plico members have a solar + battery solution, enabling them to capture solar energy during the day and use it in the evenings when the sun goes down. When you have a solar + battery solution, using the A/C during those hot summer evenings doesn’t have to mean a high energy bill!

In fact, many of our members are self-sufficient in the sunniest seasons. This means they have nothing to pay on their energy bills - and many of them are actually in credit! Even with the regular service charge applied, some Plico members export enough excess to the grid to cover this charge and be ahead on their bills.

Plico members can have zero $$ bills in the sunny seasons when:

• They use as much of their solar energy as possible during the day, and store excess in their batteries to use in the evenings and overnight, rather than buying energy from the grid;
• They receive payments for the solar energy they do send back to the grid. This credit can be more than the service charge on their power bills;
• They receive credits for being in the Plico Virtual Power Plant, selling their energy back to the grid during VPP events for a premium, or even using more energy and getting paid for it!;
• Credits from previous bills roll over to cover costs in future bills. With recent WA government credits, many Plico members are well ahead on their power bill; 
• They are efficient with their energy; and
• They use less energy because the weather is mild and they are generating plenty of solar, like in the shoulder seasons of spring and autumn.

Plico members love telling us how they can use their electrical appliances after the sun goes down – such as dishwashers, ovens, and the A/C – and forget about the cost of electricity.

Chris from Wellard loves his summer Plico savings:

“Plico has given me the freedom to live more comfortably by using the power I generate as much as I please and at any time of the day or night thanks to my battery. It's great knowing that the hot summer days aren't costing me anything and by powering my A/Cs all day, the sun is actually keeping me cool for once.”

Cynthia from Buller avoids summer bill shock with her Plico solar + battery system:

“A lot of battery power that we store gets used through the night. So in summer, when you've got kids in their own room, and you have fans on and A/Cs running, it adds up overnight. We're basically not paying for our night power. Sometimes I get up in the morning and it's only just getting down to the last few percentages in the battery. It's just something we don't have to worry about - getting a huge bill.”

Use electrical appliances during the day

If you don’t have a solar battery but you do have solar panels, you’re off to a great start! You can still be smart about how you use the solar energy you generate during the sunlight hours, to reduce your energy bills.

In a nutshell, when the sun is shining you should power as many of your electrical appliances as possible and relax about energy bills.

Think about the following appliances, and which ones you could set on a timer to run during the daylight hours:

• Dishwasher
• Washing machine
• Pool filter
• A/C
• Oven
• Slow cooker
• Clothes dryer (though the sun’s rays are much cheaper, and a natural disinfectant!)
• Reticulation
• EV charger

We also have plenty of tips about how to save energy while staying cool in summer, autumn, winter and spring, and some practical ideas to optimise your A/C in this article.

If you already have solar panels and you want to save even more on energy (and enjoy evening A/C, guilt-free) consider installing a Plico battery now. With our flexible payment options, you can start saving straight away.

Plico member Leigh retrofit a battery to his solar panels, and hasn’t looked back:

“I wanted to get a battery because of the rebates. I pay 28 cents for every kilowatt, but I only get seven back. So I thought, if I can keep as much as I can for myself before sending it back to the grid, it just makes sense. It's been good because our home basically runs off the battery in the evenings.” 

Another Plico member - Craig from The Vines - retrofit a battery to his solar panels, and was thrilled with the results:

“On sunny days, the solar and battery solution was able to drive us through a complete 24-hour period for about five days running with almost zero consumption of the grid (only around 2%).

I was managing loads - we had things like dishwashers on, dryers on, making bread, and we have a bore which was switched on a few times. We were able to be self-sustaining for about seven days in a row, using almost nothing off the grid.”

Export your excess solar

If you have solar panels but no solar battery, you can export your excess solar to the grid in return for credits from your energy retailer.

While it’s great to export this energy and to be compensated, there are several factors affecting whether (and how much) you are paid. These can include the time of day, your location, current conditions in the market, your energy retailer and what tariff you are on. Outside of a Virtual Power Plant event, you pay more per unit of energy (kWh) you buy than you receive for energy exported. Some states have even started to charge solar owners for the energy they export in the middle of the day. So it makes sense to use as much of your own solar energy as you can – and even better to store this energy at your home in a solar battery.

You can get started with solar any time. But the best time is right now! You can have a system up and running in a few short weeks and make the most of the sunny days and not have energy bills to worry about. Even on winter days, you can power your home with solar energy. You won’t generate as much as you do in summer, however if you’re equipped with an energy monitoring app, like the one included with every Plico system, you’ll know when to ramp up your energy use and when to hold back.  

If you’re on the hunt for effective ways to fight back against increasing cost of living, now’s the time to take the next step on your solar journey.

Looking for an unrivalled range of benefits from a solar provider? Look no further! Plico is WA's trusted local solar and battery provider, with local support teams, simple weekly instalments, a Virtual Power Plant, community support, and an ongoing relationship long after your system is installed.

Find out more about how Plico supports you for the long haul by talking to our friendly team and discover how much you could save. In addition to ongoing support, when you’re with Plico you will be able to access power during blackouts too!

You could start saving now - view our different solar + battery, solar or battery only systems by clicking here or calculate your projected savings with our Solar Savings Calculator. You can also chat to the switched-on people at Plico by calling 1300 175 426 to see how a solar + battery solution can help you save.

Have a question about solar + battery?