The Mid North Coast has installed over 1500 home batteries in just five months

The Federal Government announced on Saturday it will extend Australia’s home battery subsidy, with nearly $5 billion in additional funding.  On the Mid North Coast from Woolgoolga to Manning Valley, more than 1,500 homes have already installed home batteries since July when solar batteries became eligible under the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme.

What is it: The Cheaper Home Batteries subsidy means Australian households and businesses can get a discount of around 30 percent on the upfront cost of installing a home battery system.

• The scheme has seen rapid uptake of home battery systems, with 175,000 expected to be installed nationwide in its first six months.

Mid North Coast installations: Across 18 postcodes on the Mid North Coast, 1,545 homes installed batteries between July and November this year.

• In the north of the region Woolgoolga’s postcode 2456 installed 106 home batteries and Coffs Harbour’s postcode 2450 installed 299

• Postcode 2448, including Nambucca Heads, installed 47 and Kempsey and surrounds (2440 postcode) installed 76

• Port Macquarie area (2444) installed 283

• In the south, Taree’s postcode 2430 racked up 182 battery installations

What are home batteries? While solar can generate an excess of energy in daylight hours, when the sun goes down it needs somewhere to store that energy. This is where home batteries come in: pairing a home battery with rooftop solar can further increase savings on energy bills.

Put simply: Having a solar system will save you money. Combining solar panels and a battery will save you more.

• Household batteries are used to store surplus solar power that is generated during the day, meaning batteries allow households to continue to use solar power during the evening or peak periods where electricity from the grid is more expensive.

Owner of South Kempsey Solar Andy Colban told the Mid North Coaster “the best way to maximise solar savings is by installing a battery.” 

• “You get free power when the sun’s up, and with a battery, you can use solar power at night as well,” Colban said. “Once the sun goes down, if you don't have a battery, you'll start paying for power again.”

Without a battery, any excess power generated by solar panels will typically be sent to the grid.

• According to Smart Energy Council chief executive John Grimes, around 2 million homes are expected to have batteries by 2030.

• The Australian Energy Market Commission says faster battery uptake can reduce peak demand and help lower electricity prices for all consumers.