Aussies overwhelmingly satisfied with solar purchases and keen to invest further, survey finds

The survey was conducted on 552 Plenti customers nationwide who had installed either just solar panels or solar + battery solutions in the last two years. It found 98% of respondents were happy with their purchase, with 46% reporting they were either thinking about or actively researching investing more in their renewable energy system.

The survey’s findings show renewable energy and expansion is front of mind for many Australians,  Plenti’s Head of Renewable Energy Finance, Louis Edwards, said. “This is not stopping, people want to continue to go further. They are now seeking ways to become less reliant on the grid, they are now seeking ways to reduce their electricity bills and they are seeking ways to better the environment by changing their energy systems,” Edwards told pv magazine Australia.

More specifically, the survey found 63% of consumers were ‘extremely happy’ with their renewable energy purchase, 28% reported they were ‘happy’, and 7% said they were ‘satisfied,’ leaving just 2% dissatisfied. 

In terms of power savings, 20% of those surveyed said they were saving more than $300 from their solar energy systems, 23% were saving between $200 to $300, 33% saved between $100 to $200, and 20% of respondents saved under $100. The average monthly savings for all those surveyed was $175.

In terms of further investment, either through installing more solar panels or a home battery, 4% of respondents said they were actively researching quotes and 42% said they are considering it.

“The fact that so many green home Aussies want to invest even further in solar is a huge positive in times of economic uncertainty. To me this shows more people are realising the technology curve we are on, the benefit with new products like home batteries and the need to get in early to invest in their home energy future,” Edwards said.

He believes both home batteries and Virtual Power Plants (VPPs) will be the next wave of technology coming through the renewable energy market. To this end, Plenti’s aim for the survey was to get a gauge on how advanced Australian households are in terms of their awareness of new energy technologies like these, and whether there is desire in the market for this next suite of options, especially given the roaring success of solar penetration particularly over the last four years.

Positioning themselves as a reputable green loan lender, Plenti’s stand in the world of green financiers was raised after it become the delivery partner for the South Australian government’s $100 million battery scheme. As a non-bank competitor to the big four banks, the group has spent the last three years moving into the green loan sector, funding over $100 million in renewable energy loans.

“Australian sentiment is rapidly changing – for the better – towards a cleaner future,” Edwards said. “I think we can play a really pivotal role in accelerating that uptake process.”

This shift among everyday Australians, Edwards says, in turn puts pressure of bigger business and corporations to change.

“There’s a bit of a ground storm and it all starts from the bottom. When more consumers and more Australians are talking about the clean energy future, that creates a ground storm up in organisations to continue to talk about and open the topic of ‘‘what are we doing in terms of renewable energy.’”

“Australian businesses now understand that we need to be achieving a cleaner future and have sustainability targets as a whole.”