5 Solar Energy Benefits for Your Home

New Zealand is a good spot in the globe to harness solar energy. It’s located near the water hemisphere, sitting at  41°S 174°E in the South Pacific Ocean, which means it receives a healthy amount of sunlight. This is why more and more power companies in NZ are buying stored solar energy and creating solar power plans for their consumers. 

According to the Electricity Authority, there are over 19,497 Kiwi households in 2018 that have installed solar panels. This goes to show that many Kiwis are already reaping the benefits of solar energy - but what are these benefits? And, looking at the bigger picture, what does NZ get out of it? Let’s take a deeper look into solar energy benefits...

Top 5 solar energy benefits for your home:

Save on your electricity bills

When you use solar energy for power, you minimize using non-renewable energy. Solar energy that’s stored in the grid is used first; and when it runs out, that’s the only time you draw from the utility grid. This lets you save a lot on monthly electricity bills. 20m² of PV panels produces as much as 3kW of power on a typical sunny day. 

Earn money by storing unused power

Some power companies in New Zealand, such as Contact Energy, are willing to buy back the energy that you store. You won’t waste any power when you use solar panels; when you have stored excess power, it’s simply stored in the grid. 

Want to find out more on how you can maximize stored solar power? Check out this article; Back in the Grid: Selling Your Solar Energy in 2020. 

Reduce your carbon footprint

Buying solar panels allows you to reduce your carbon footprint at home, and thus help save the environment. 80% of New Zealand’s electricity comes from renewable sources. This helps to save the environment and allows us to have power in the long run. By using renewable sources, our energy sources are replenished. We can live happier and more conveniently due to sustainable power generation. 

More control over your power

Solar panels are energy efficient, as you’re able to monitor your power usage with a management system. The power management system monitors your monthly solar energy consumption and redirects excess energy to high-consuming appliances. If you consume a lot of power monthly, it’s best to get a system that monitors power usage 24/7. 

Can be easily adjusted to your home

Solar panels are easy to reconfigure, making it possible to customize your home to your power needs. Want to install a small greenhouse or a sunny kitchen? As solar panels are very flexible, you can easily adjust them to cater for any new property developments or improvements. 

Use solar energy for a cleaner, greener NZ

Using solar energy as an alternative to non-renewable energy reduces our carbon footprint. It’s one of the best benefits of solar energy. The importance of solar energy is found in creating a cleaner and greener NZ. Imagine if more than half of the population uses solar panels in their homes; we’d have cleaner air and a greener environment in no time! Not only can we help save the environment - we also ensure future power generation, as renewable energy, unlike fossil fuels, can be replenished. 

Nova Energy, Contact Energy, Meridian Energy, Genesis, and other companies feature solar energy in their power plans. To find out more about solar energy plans, check out their offers on our comparison page.