Shining A Light On Me

My first daughter was 11 months old when I submitted my university application, was this an ideal decision? Hmm, I thought at the time and for the following three years that I managed my time relatively well, and did an all round good job. My husband probably has different memories as to my time management skills, and in hindsight, I probably wouldn’t recommend doing this to anyone now who has a small child in tow. However, today I have well and truly completed my Bachelor of Science in Sustainable Energy Management, I am a Clean Energy Council accredited designer, and have remained involved in the energy industry ever since. Also, my now 8-year-old daughter is thriving and happy, so no damage done there.

I found my passion through years of working in voluntary positions and assisting others with making energy choices narrowing my niche all the way down to solar power.

I am constantly astonished at how this renewable energy source remains a leader in the renewable energy sector, and why on earth is it not on every single roof if it is so good. Although, according to the Clean Energy Council 2018 figures, “more than 2 million households now enjoy the benefits of rooftop solar across Australia”, so it may not be on every roof – but damn that’s a lot. However Australia we have a long way to go because approximately 7.5 million are without.

I have had numerous conversations whilst assisting people to compare solar power system quotes, and just discussing solar power systems in general over the years, and I believe there is a reason that is partly responsible for why there are so many people without. That reason being is that there are many vulnerable people out there open to some very dishonest solar retailers, causing reluctance and distrust (rightly so) among some consumers, which affects the industry as a whole. These retailers who are intentionally dishonest, or who are ‘maybe’ just inexperienced are offering products and system sizes that just are not viable, and are turning some consumers off solar completely, or leaving some consumers confused and just don’t understand or know what to expect from their system. Consequently, some retailers have done nothing to help this, literally leaving them with a system, which they are expected to just figure out. In fact, an article was written by Alison Potter of Choice in December 2018, outlining the figures of a survey conducted in relation to peoples solar power systems, and a staggering (well I think staggering) 21% were unsure how much power their system generated, a whopping 46% relied on their electricity bill to determine what is being generated, which is not a great idea, so I believe people are playing a guessing a game, which is such a gamble when thousands of dollars have been outlaid.

I must say here, not all companies are dishonest, as there are many who are passionate, delivering great service and products, so honesty does exist, just be aware.

This is where the idea to expand the Energy Management Consultancy brand to deliver solar power system installation coupled with an energy management strategy plan developed from. My passion boils down to that there are great affordable products out there, and anyone spending hard earned money on a system should have access to these along with educated information to get the most from their solar power system.

Has anyone had a bad experience or is just struggling to understand how to get the most from their system? Or better yet, do you know how much power was generated by your solar system yesterday? I would be interested to hear your stories to see if we can help and also a way I can keep refining and improving the service provided by us at Energy Management Consultancy.

I will not always write light-hearted articles, I will get technical at times, and other times I will write about up to date information about the industry, or just provide information that I believe to be important when it comes to energy and solar.

Mel