Following a major revamp of our Solar & Battery Storage Sizing & Payback Estimator midway through last year, we’ve just made a couple more significant improvements based on feedback from users. While these changes mean our calculator is now just a bit taller, it also means a higher level of sophistication and accuracy in results. Not bad for a tool that’s free for anyone to use.
Improvement #1: Option to enter average daily consumption by month
The first major change we’ve implemented is a new space for entering monthly consumption data instead of just two slots for average daily consumption (weekday & weekend). This will allow users to get a more accurate idea of the attractiveness of solar and batteries for their homes – especially if their usage levels change throughout the year due to fluctuating heating & cooling needs.
These numbers can usually be found on past electricity bills in a graph on the second or third page (example here), or your electricity retailer should be able to provide it to you if you ask.
What if you don’t have that information (e.g. because you’re looking at solar/batteries for a new house or have just moved)? You can estimate the numbers or just use an annual (daily) average energy consumption figure instead – or simply guess at the numbers for each month. The choice is yours.
Improvement #2: System financing details
The second change we’ve brought in is the ability to enter financing plan details if you’re not paying for their system outright. In particular, user can now wout monthly payment amounts with interest and understand how much more they’ll have spent for their system over the course of those payments than if they had paid cash up front for the system. The two variables that can be entered are the number of monthly payments and the interest rate.
In a related improvement, our cashflow analysis chart (at the bottom of the calculator) has now been updated to reflect payments made under a finance plan vs estimated savings achieved through solar & batteries for each year.
More in store…
We’re always aiming to improve the tools & resources on our site.
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