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Why this could be the time to invest in solar

Mark Bristow avatar
Mark Bristow
- 3 min read
Why this could be the time to invest in solar

The cost of living is high and rising, with energy bills playing a significant role. With this in mind, could the potential financial benefits of a solar power system be worth the installation costs?  

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) utilities prices rose between 4 and 7 per cent in the past 12 months, and annual price reviews for gas and electricity saw higher wholesale prices passed on to consumers in the September 2022 quarter.

And in the recent federal budget, the treasurer forecast that energy prices are likely to rise by another 56% over the next two years.

As a result of these rising prices, solar companies are reporting a significant rise in enquiries as Australians look for ways to limit the impact of hefty power bills on their household budgets. Rising energy prices could potentially mean that it takes less time to make up the cost of a solar panel installation from the savings on your power bills. 

Whether you’re wanting to save money on your household power bill or make an ethical decision to decarbonise your money, going solar could be worth consideration. While there may be significant upfront costs to installing solar panels and batteries in the home, they may make up for it over the years through future energy savings.

Additionally, state governments across Australia are further investigating how to develop and improve electrical infrastructure with renewable energy in mind. For example, in the lead-up to the federal election earlier this year, the federal government made commitments to upgrade Australia’s electricity grid and to roll out community batteries to help encourage the take-up of rooftop solar. Similarly, for the upcoming Victorian election, Labor is intending to install 100 neighbourhood batteries across the state if re-elected. Easy access to community batteries could help households save the cost of adding a battery to their own home.

Australians may also be able to use specialist green finance products to help manage the cost of investing in solar technology for the home. This could include applying for a green personal loan or refinancing to a green home loan. These green loans often have lower interest rates, with eligibility criteria ensuring that the money be used to add green features to your home that will improve the property’s Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) star rating. There are also green car loans available for buying fuel-efficient vehicles, such as hybrids and electric vehicles (EVs).

You can use RateCity’s calculators to estimate the costs of a home loan, personal loan or car loan and compare these to potential energy savings to determine whether now is the best time to invest in solar and other renewable technologies for your household.

7.50%

8.90%

$933

Australian Credit Licence 234945

Fees & charges apply

Product info
Commonwealth Bank of Australia
Unsecured Personal Loan for Eligible Sustainable Purchases
  • 1 to 7 years
  • Unsecured
  • Variable Rate

7.50%

8.90%

$933

Australian Credit Licence 234945

Fees & charges apply

Product info
Commonwealth Bank of Australia
Unsecured Personal Loan for Eligible Sustainable Purchases Fixed
  • 1 to 7 years
  • Unsecured
  • Fixed Rate

5.49%

5.84%

$906

Australian Credit Licence 237879

Fees & charges apply

Product info
Bendigo & Adelaide Bank Ltd
Secured Green Personal Loan
  • 1 to 7 years
  • Secured
  • Fixed Rate

6.24%

6.24%

$916

Australian Credit Licence 238991

Fees & charges apply

Product info
Police Credit Union
Solar Eco Loan
  • 0 to 7 years
  • Unsecured
  • Variable Rate
  • No ongoing fees

6.49%

6.63%

$919

Australian Credit Licence 240573

Fees & charges apply

Product info
Horizon Bank
Green Personal Loan
  • 2024 Award Winner
  • 0 to 5 years
  • Unsecured
  • Variable Rate
  • No ongoing fees

6.44%

7.45%

up to 6.76%

$919

Australian Credit Licence 238293

Fees & charges apply

Product info
Gateway Bank Ltd
Eco Personal Loan
  • 1 to 5 years
  • Unsecured
  • Variable Rate

6.74%

up to 19.24%

6.99%

up to 19.52%

$923

Australian Credit Licence 238317

Fees & charges apply

Product info
Great Southern Bank
Unsecured Green Personal Loan
  • 1 to 7 years
  • Unsecured
  • Fixed Rate
  • No ongoing fees

7.10%

7.10%*

$928

Australian Credit Licence 236476

Fees & charges apply

Product info
Australian Mutual Bank Ltd
Green Loan
  • 1 to 7 years
  • Unsecured
  • Variable Rate
  • No ongoing fees

Compare personal loans

6.75%

up to 26.95%

6.75%

up to 26.95%

$923

More detailsclick for more details

Australian Credit Licence 411227

Fees & charges apply

Product info
  • 2024 Award Winner
  • Special
  • 1 to 7 years
  • Unsecured
  • Fixed Rate

6.57%

up to 8.48%

7.19%

up to 13.58%

$920

More detailsclick for more details

Australian Credit Licence 488228

Fees & charges apply

Product info
  • 1 to 7 years
  • Secured
  • Fixed Rate
  • No ongoing fees

6.99%

6.99%

$926

More detailsclick for more details

Australian Credit Licence 517589

Fees & charges apply

Product info
  • 1 to 7 years
  • Unsecured
  • Fixed Rate
  • No ongoing fees

Product database updated 05 May, 2024

This article was reviewed by Personal Finance Editor Peter Terlato before it was published as part of RateCity's Fact Check process.

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