If you are thinking about installing a solar power system on your home, to get the best return on investment you really need to be using as much of the solar generated power as possible, and feeding less back into the grid….

If you are working 7-5 and there is no one home during the day to use the power, it may not be a great investment for you (unless you can start to program things like pool pumps, hot water systems, dryers, washing machines… Maybe even slow cooking your meals!).

The issue is, how do we KNOW exactly what we use during daylight hours? A way to do this would be to manually read your meter before you go to work, and take a second reading when you return home… However if you have had a new smart meter installed by your electricity retailer, you can view your hourly usage broken down via their online portal.

The example I have here is by Origin Energy… I have seen Powershop has a great app too which is even more convenient, but if you are with origin energy, follow the steps below:

1. Login to the online portal at originenergy.com.au
2. When you’re logged in, find the graph on the bottom right hand side of the page, and click “More Details”
3. Your energy usage will show up – however the default view will be “Bill”
4.  If you have your smart meter installed, you can click bill and change it to “daily”
5. Voila – There you have it… You can now see your hourly breakdown of usage, which is really handy if you are looking to get a quote on a solar power system. We utilise this information to provide you with some great, accurate payback figures rather than just a guess / stab in the dark based on an “average” family. Ideally, you size a solar power system to suit your daytime energy usage, or oversize the solar panels if you’d like to also install battery storage.

If you need more information on reading your meter, or would like to speak with our local Coffs Harbour solar team, feel free to send us an email here.