From $1,200 to $120: How Braden Cut His Power Bill by $850 a Quarter With Solar and Battery

What if you could see exactly what happens to your power bill before and after you install a premium solar and battery system?
Most homeowners want to know the real numbers, not just the marketing claims. So, we wanted to bring someone on who can tell it straight.
I'm Jason. I'm Cam. We're the owners of Source Energy Group, where we've designed and installed countless solar and battery systems for Australian homeowners. In this episode, we're sitting down with
Braden to walk through his entire journey getting solar. We will break down his home usage pre and post install, his experience on install day, and exactly how much he is saving on his electricity bill right now. Welcome back, Braden.
thanks for coming back in, and I hear you're going to share a little bit about your experience and solar and everything with us.
Yeah, thanks for having me. It's good to be back. So, just, you know, so give people the full story. let's start at the beginning, I guess. what what was your power bill and electricity usage
and everything like before you went solar?
So, the top off top of my head, I would say upwards of $1,200 would be my biggest, especially around the Christmas time where you got the house closed up, all the air con's going and you're cooking and you're at home a lot more
like it was getting fogged, right?
but my lowest I think would have been 980 or 940 or something like that. So, pretty much 1,000 bucks a quarter. Quarter. Yeah. So to get it down to that 900, that was your first attempt at saving on the bill, wasn't it? Well, it was just sort of like, you know, you're limited, not using the air con pretty like air con's a big one, right? not using the air con pretty much at all and that sucks because I'm like a hot
sleeper and I was just trying to pinch pennies at the time, you know, like trying to I don't really like giving the power companies. It's one of those bills that I've I've always hated power. It It's just one that hurts. It hurts, you know. It hurts to send them that money. But yeah, it's went from from fluctuated between that 12 maybe 1250 could be high at sometimes down to not
far under 1,000 bucks and you know that was really you know making life not as comfortable as it should be. So So 1250 you know you got the family over Christmas time just enjoying life. But pinching pennies as you as you said it using your words. what were you doing to pinch pennies and basically go without just to save? What is it? It's $250, $300. Well, not not being comfortable with air con for a start. you know, if you'd have air con on all the time, I reckon you would, wouldn't you?
but yeah, not having the air con on and that that sucked. Sitting on the couch watching TV, sweaty, you know, you know, it's uncomfortable.
More people over. More people over. More beers in the fridge. In and out of the fridge. Plenty of beers.
Trying to avoid the fridge. So, buy ice in the esky. It's Christmas time.
That's right. 100%. I'd rather give ice to the local buying ice from the local bottle shop. And then instead of giving them the money definitely.
yeah. So yeah. No, over the whole time like what save $300 probably at most. 100 bucks a month or so, you know, 25 bucks a week wasn't really worth it.
Now I think I actually haven't thought about it like that. I'm a little bit disappointed in me. If you want to save $300 on your power bill, you can pinch pennies, go without your air con, freeze your ass
off in winter, wrap yourself up in blankets, y chill your beer with ice instead of using the fridge and or leaving lights on, that sort of turn all the lights off. If you're not using,
if you're not needing the light on, you turn it off, right? Because my house is pretty old and that's a big one, actually. I got 36 watt fluoros at my place inside still. So, you know, they draw. What is the size of your house
again?
Oh, it's only three bedroom. Three bedroom. One bathroom. And how many people?
Me and my partner and me son. So, three like three and a half. Two and a half. Sorry. Two and a half.
Two and a half. So, age. so it's a fair bit of power that we we use. like our hot water systems are small hot water systems, so it constantly reheating like don't take
don't long to empty it. So just not like you know not having as long as showers and suffers like that as well know definitely slowed up the power bill as well but I wouldn't do it again.
So you you're still living but you're you're not really living are you?
you don't get to work hard every day pull your brain apart to come home and not enjoy what you're going to work for. Right. 100%. So now looking forward and what you've got now are you now saving money and how much are you saving compared to what you done then? Well, at the end of the day, we shortened our showers to use less hot water. Yes.
Stopped using air con, turning fans off, turn all the lights off. You know, every time you walk into a room, you turn on a lot on light on and off a light. you know, we opening the house like trying to open the house up at a certain time's day and close the house certain times day so you keep more comfortable.
and you go through a lot of lot of effort there and you don't really benefit. So essentially, you're letting, you know, a Alinta or AGL or whoever the hell your power company is run your life.
that's what it comes down to, isn't it? Oh, 100%. And there's not really a way. And like obviously, yeah, we own a solar company, but we all we all get power bills. We've all got to pay power bills and we're all governed by the the bigger people like the DNSP, which goes
down to the bloody power companies, and then they feed us with the bills. But like things like vampire power like just I got a Sono system at home and that that just runs in the background or your leave leave fans
running in the office. TVs and computers and everything that are just left running on standby. Box freezer fridge, beer fridge.
Bloody I talk a lot on the beer fridge in other episodes, but it is a big one. Like you never have a bloody ducks nuts fridge that's like quite well like quite good usage or whatnot. Like you I've got a shitty Westinghouse that's probably
1920s running in the garage. So that's that's chewing power running the beers. yeah, like it's you don't have the comforts. Like you don't know what size the bill's going to be either. It's
always something that sidelines you. Well, it comes back to like you obviously bought your own home for a reason, didn't you? Because it's somewhere you want to set up and enjoy
enjoy life, isn't it? So he his parents own the home but so I don't want to lie. Yeah. I lie that but his parents own the home but like they put the solar on for it. Okay. So we'll avoid the I haven't bought it yet on the process of buying. It's part of the their retirement plan.
Reframe it. So you know most people buy their home to set up the home the way they want it so they can live their life basically live their dream or dream life of how they want to the kids to grow up and everything like that. But to save a
couple hundred every quarter, you know, you don't turn on the air con, as you said, having short showers. Yes. Well, you can run into the water saving. So, there is benefits to short showers. but you know, lights opening up the doors, windows at certain times of day. It's just it just seems like a whole lot of effort for minimum return.
That's not living Barry. No, definitely not. That's not living Braden. Yeah.
So, what what would you or what what you did?
Well, you've seen you seen the light. Yeah, that's it. So, what's it look like now?
He's left the light on. Yeah, that's right. I've left all the lights on. what about the air con? No, the air con's not on, mate. It's too cold for that. yeah. So, now it's literally just supply charge. So the the whole bill is pretty well wiped except for the $120.
So it's incredible. Break that down in the daily. So now you're saving 88 $850 a quarter as opposed to 250 300 a quarter. But you're doing the exact opposite. And I'm using everything. You're leaving the air con on. You're having the hot shower that you need or want. you're using the lights,
you're not spending some time a day rushing to open and close doors and windows. well, just worked it out. So, from what your or estimated bill was, no one's going off actual figures here, but
what what it roughly was on the 1,200 bucks a quarter, you're 13.33 a day, $13.33 a day. is that a stubby or is it a coffee?
That's a That's probably two schooners at a decent pub. How much was that? $13.33 a day. Oh yeah, you get a happy hour.
Happy happy hour to you stubbies. Like Yeah. And then happy hour every day when you go solar and battery in 100%. Now I got Heathmore beer at home. Bloody. and then yeah, that turns into a$133 a day when you're just your daily supply charge over over 90 days. So yeah,
it's bloody good saving. And there is another way just to wipe that out as well. So yeah, that's something I'm definitely looking
into. Yeah, I got to do a bit more research on it. Probably pick your brain a bit about it.
Definitely. to try and like what that episode with Jamie and it how he's doing that what was it the GlowBird virtual power.
Yeah, the zero hero or something. Zero to her status. Yeah, if I can get that I might look into that.
Yeah, eliminate that as well. like same as what we were talking about in another episode, but the three hours of free power. So, if you get the GlowBird and then you get the three hours of free
power plus you get that force charge and if GlowBird don't take that away, then you've got a you got a pretty good time frame there that you'll be getting free battery charge. You can force charge your battery. It depends on
what the time what was the time frame on the 11 to two. 11 to two is the free power. And then you export at between 6 and 9. they'll pay you 15 cents a kilowatt hour on what you export. for up to 15 kilowatt hours. And come July, what was the if they do actually line up with that, which I don't know if GlowBird will, but Well, 1 of July is the the solar sharer
offer. So that's the one that the wholesalers offer the 3 hours of power and they have to offer it. Is that so every GlowBird will have to do it?
depends because they already do it for two hours, but they might extend that out to three. No, they already do three.
Oh, do they?
11 to two. Oh, yeah. Quick math. You want to get the crown?
So, so GlowBird's already giving You got your thumbs. I don't know how he couldn't count. Yeah, that's your fingers and toes. I usually just count one, two, three. 100%. Yeah. 100% savings. back on track. Anyway, well, coming from your background in the building industry and what you do and everything like that, you've obviously
seen all types of work, you know, from good, high-end, high quality work right down to the bottom of the barrel to just absolute that shouldn't happen.
yeah. So, once it comes to the actual physical install and everything like that, what how did it all go? What's it look like, mate? It's real. Some some of the houses
that I went to post handover stuff, you know, some of these people were spending $2 million building a house, right? And they've got conduit junk running down the side of the house. You go down there and I've been to literally been to houses
and they've had a battery system installed and it's that poor of a job that they've got the mounting system and stuff still there and they've gone and got a completely different system. Right. And then poor buggers have spent, you know, millions of dollars building a house and they've got just conduit like just destroys like that system that's in mine. There's like this much cable that comes out of the wall
and it just it literally looks like it's Bluetooth. Like glued to the wall. Yeah, it's glued to the wall. It's tidy as well.
Oh, they're a very tidy system. Yeah. It that does upset me even hearing that being an installer and like we go through a lot of effort if somebody is building a house to or like look at my dad's building his house at the moment.
The amount of pre-wire and effort that can go into a home that you can do before the fact. You don't have to have that.
No. Like no customer has to have that. They they can get everything within inside the walls. There's rules and regulations like you got to have it in a steel sleeve or steel conduit
to save any plaster screws or anything like that poking into it. It just there's there's rules and some people are experienced with it, some aren't.
But that's actually your battery there, isn't it? That one?
No. No. Oh, that's another one. You got the same size. Yeah, he's got the exact same one. But yeah, we I put this one together for an example of exactly what you're talking about.
But that's that's even neat compared to some of the stuff I've seen. That one?
That one?
Oh gosh. but yeah, it's sad because it's not even like a oneoff that you see like it's on all like it's common.
Yeah, it's it's wild. Do you think that's due to just trying to bang them out as quick as they can? You you'd think so. You know, like it's like what we did, the people that did the solar for the company I worked for, everything would be pre-wired, so it's tidy. But the people that decided to get solar afterwards because they thought they're going to save the dollar, it ended up just destroying the They got a cheap package duel through the overseas call center. Something like that, right? Yeah. Saw saw a TV ad. With a cricketer on it. What else?
Any ambassador. I seen one the other day. It was I think Audi was advertising like the the grocery shop was advertising.
Audi does solo. Yeah. Right. Damn. Don't tell me Mrs. She loves Audi. You can go to Audi. Get your get your horse meat and solar.
Get your dog roll. Bloody you. Get your dog your horse meet. what do you do? You get the the solar from that center. The savings.
Yeah, it is. specialised solar panel right in the guts. You submit your details and then you get a call from the overseas call center. Right. Should try it. Actually shock me. Should actually make an inquiry. See what their process is.
That'd be pretty cool. I do like Audi though. Not Yeah. I not knock an Audi sponsor. Not like a horsemeat.
Love your horsemeatat. so yeah, it it is sad what what customers have to go through, especially like building a home, you can get it all pre-wired. It can be nice depending the builder you go through or what the installer they use,
I guess. but like in in saying that as well, in your experience, did you ever come across any homeowner or anything like they they chose to not go with the building company's solar installer or
and opted to go with their own or Yeah. You get it all the time. I think the thing with the solar in the building industry as well is because they changed all the energy rating. So if your house didn't meet
energy rating, you had to have solar as well. and then they'd get a small system, whatever they needed to get the energy rating. Just pass. And then they go and
get the bigger system that they could and then they've got the one system installed. Then they've got their new system that they've had done by someone dodgy. and then they've got another system that they've got done by somebody
else. It's actually a very good point like the only reason that houses come out with a solar system already pre-installed is to meet that energy rating.
They're not designing it for this is a four bedroomedroom home. So, it's probably going to have mom mom and dad and two or three children. They're just designing it to meet that energy efficiency so they can build the home
and punch out another hundred in that in that estate or whatever it is. Yeah, I we just had a look. We thought you'd flicked a review over to us, but like do you want to give an on the camera review now? Like what what sort of stood
out it was how many stars?
How many stars? All the stars, mate. Yeah, all the stars. All the stars. No, it was it was really cool. I did I did do a review somewhere because I remember what I wrote.
It's in there. I remember what you wrote, too. I just Yeah, because I I definitely mentioned that everybody that was on site was Yeah, it's in there. We just haven't got my glasses on, so I couldn't
see. for installs and lower power bills. I'm not training final reviews. Sorry. But yeah, no, one of the best things was I think like there was Declan, Luke, Tim.
I don't know, there was like four four Sparkies there. Oh, Sparkies. Sorry. There I think there was four Sparkies there. All just getting it getting the job done. There was potential rain
coming and just got it done. So like in between like the little showers and Got it all done. Tidy up and then having a beer going. this is done.
Brilliant. And just that short period of time because they had the staff there that all qualified was awesome.
We we did have a small drama. I think there was a bit of a glip glitch on the app on the day. they were doing remote updates. So and you guys were there for that. I was having a bit of drama. Tim had to go pick the kids up.
So I end up taking over the commissioning side on that with him. But I was immediately on on to GoodWe. Yeah, that's right. Yeah, they were working with you.
Yeah, we've got we've got a full full-time chat with about 14 GoodWe tech supports in it. So, that that was that was nice and easy on the day. It was was quite a good job, too. Like,
and then then we had some door knockers show up. Oh, we did. Yes. Yes. Yeah, we on the day of install. On the day of install. Bloody good guitar. He got his ukulele start singing to us and stuff.
So, he came around and what he knocked on the door and we're just like, "Oh, I said, "This one's for you, Cam." Yeah. He's like, "Someone's at the door for you, Cam." So, I walked out and there's these two solar sales. Oh, like
door knockers at the at the front door. So, trying to sell solar. I was like, "Come with me, fellas." Yeah. In they had they were walking around with a ukulele. And they come in and then he started playing a song and whatnot.
And but it was incredible. Even like he was saying like you were asking him questions about what they did and even he goes, "Man, we don't know. We only just started this." Yeah. Wow. their their door knocking and like I pumped them pretty heavily with questions on even their knowledge on the product they were pushing. They didn't even know what they were selling.
No, they were just trying to trying to push for the I don't know get getting named to paper to get somebody else come back I suppose but it did sing quite a good song.
Can't remember what it was. We still made him sing the song. We wanted the full experience. Yeah. Install day went quite quite well. Quite smooth. what about after install day? had any experience or anything after that? Oh yeah.
Good or bad or?
well, it's all good. I had we had one only one issue. I think there was a tech issue so far where one of the batteries and I think GoodWe you got on you got on to GoodWe and they they just did a maybe an update or
something. I think it was. Oh, yep. So, one of the batteries wasn't discharging.
It it was staying at 100% while the rest of them were discharging. And yeah, well that got picked up on and we went in pretty heavily with trying to figure out why that happens. because it didn't throw
an alarm. So that was actually not going to not going to talk and just pump up the product. It there are still kinks. There kinks in every product. Something always goes wrong, but I was I was actually glad this happened because it's something we know we have to look out for and we were actually able to give feedback back to GoodWe.
I did a lot of looking into it and working out how to sort it out. they did an update and I worked out the force charge to equalize and yeah, that's it sorted it out. Braden went out and checked the next morning and kept an eye
on it and yeah, that was but the the best one was when the internet guy come and disconnect my internet. I think I think I said it on
the that last time I was here. but that was brilliant. I was with one of me workers and I get a phone call off Joe and she's like, "Oh, your soul is down." And sort of I said, "Oh, no. I've got the internet guy there and
he's that's why it's not working." She's like, "Okay." And then she goes, "It's back on now." So he must have fixed your internet. Good. What So what was your guy's take on it?
What did he reckon?
The the bloke you had there?
Oh, he thought it was brilliant. Yeah, I think he's even called you as well. I think it was Nick. Yeah, he did. He referred a bloke over to me. Yeah. That he was pretty impressed. That river. Awesome. just time frame time frame on what we what we did like well did touch on it. Got it done in the day even with the rain and whatnot, but time frame from
going through it signing the deal and to closing the job off. So you reckon it was actually within a good time frame or drag out or?
No, it didn't drag out at all. Didn't drag out, but I was patient. I was Yeah. like I wasn't too stressed. I knew it was going to get done.
I had plenty of confidence. it was that you know where I live. Yeah, it was it was only a couple of weeks I think. I can't really remember to truth that time frame, but yeah,
it wasn't long enough to be worried about anything. So, yeah, I'm sure it was only You'll be able to look it up. Couple couple of weeks at most. but yeah, I wasn't ever concerned. Cam's always transparent. said when he was going to do something and it's happened.
Yes. Would have been around two weeks at that time and or doing everything about two weeks at at that point. Now it's sort of 7 to 14 days based on the schedule. Yeah. Try and keep it within that 7 to 14 days as well. Too far out. changes. You don't want to be booked that far out.
Yeah, that's right. Oh, you never know happens with weather. Yeah, that's it. I actually didn't think the soul was going to go on that day.
I'll be honest, I didn't either. Product supply prices changing and everything like that. It's just Yeah, you get caught out.
lightly touched on after install support, but that is the biggest biggest one I think after install support.
like Joe being able to monitor the app, watch the app and all that. That's that's pretty big perk I think. Oh, bloody oath. Yeah.
If people don't have confidence in hearing something about that, that's that's a major deal for people. Also in the product, like the the tech support side of it, like if there isn't when there is an issue, you know,
they're there to sort you out. Listen, if you got support by the manufacturer and support by the company, like it's a good product and a good company all around really. So,
just sort of come back to mind like when we had Jamie in, Jamie had a preconceived notion about solar. What was your thought about it all before this? Like obviously you knew you had to do something about power because you're
pinching pennies. Right. So, I'm a bit more of a realist, I guess, in that aspect because at the end of the day, your whole life you build over your life. It's about the cost controlling the cost of living,
right? So for for what Jamie sort of had running his air con all the time, I tried to tell him I said even without batteries, I believe that you would have benefited from it. You leave your air con on ducted air con on 24/7, mate.
but yeah, like the I've always believed in solar. My old man got it when it was a new thing and he was on that good rebate. who's one of the early adapters. Well, he's always tried to bring down the cost of living himself. So, you know, he doesn't like giving money to anybody.
That's a pretty important thing. But I've always Yeah. I've never had any skeptical thoughts on solar at all. Maybe some companies, but not not not actual the the idea of it. Yeah. So, if if you're going to give any advice to anyone looking to potentially go down this path and reduce their bills, what would you say to them?
What would they what do they need to look out for?
where you who you're dealing with?
what products they're supplying? look at some reviews and see what they posted on what companies posted. Like I'm not going to just sit here and for like say that people shouldn't look at other companies,
but have a look at the companies and have a look at what installs they've done and obviously they're putting up with their own work.
have a look at the detail into it. Have a look what the products like. Do you want that on the side of your house?
At the end of the day, you get your battery, you get your solar, it's going to save you money no matter what. You don't know what the power is going to be like, the bill's going to be next year. You
don't know if your fridge is going to be as running as good as it's going to be next year. you know, your hot water system. Like my hot water system's small and old, so the insulation in it's probably highly bugged. So that's
probably, you know, not holding its thermal heat as much as it should. So it's probably heating a lot more than it should do. Like all these things blow will blow out as you come up go further.
So your bill's going to grow bigger and bigger. Even if the supplied charge and your kilowatt charge and all that sort of stuff doesn't change, your power bill is always going to grow. Right. So, if if you don't jump on the bandwagon, especially while the government's given the money away. Like if you're not going to take it, someone's going to take it. Right.
Jumping while you got the opportunity. I reckon that is that is something huge that we see a fair bit is snooze you lose.
You sn you lose. Don't get caught sneezing. the biggest one, yeah, I see it heaps is people saying waiting for the price to come down and
they're talking about the cost of the solar or power price or anything or it's a or it's a ripoff. It's just another thing the government's going to give away. If you don't, someone else will like if you don't take the rebate,
you're just going to pay pay for everybody else that is taking advantage of it like because everyone's paying for it anyway.
Don't get left behind. It's not it's not free money. It's just you'll get some back something back that you've already given them. Then when the 3 hours of free power comes in 1 of July, if you're not one of the ones with the solar and battery that took advantage of the rebate, you literally are the one paying for
everyone else. Exactly. Right. And then Yeah. That that bow price, the 1 to 4% increase that they're talking about putting it up. You're the one paying the one 1 to 4%. The person with
the solar and battery ain't paying Yeah. Right. But what you said there earlier too, obviously about other solar companies, we actually encourage people to, you know, look around. they obviously should go with us. That's just a given.
But it's not we're just putting this information out there. Ideally, yes, people come to us and get us to install.
At the end of the day, as long as anything we say or do helps them make the right decision and they pick one of the good ones, because there is good ones out there, well, that's all that needs to happen.
So% 100% we want them to come this way. But as long as they just don't choose someone, one of the cheap nasty ones that going to burn a hole in their pocket. Okay. Already burning money right now by paying the power company. So don't burn it again by just trying to skimp out. So yeah. Yeah, cheapest is not always best. So yeah, we've gone through bill size, home usage, had a little chat about your review.
install day experience. Well, there we go. We heard it from Braden. you know, his bills are averaging 980 to,200 depending on whether he's pinching pennies or not.
Cam, you know, went around and showed him the benefits of solar and battery. He's now got it installed. His bills are down. He basically doesn't use anything from the grid. Still paying the supply charge, but he's going to work on that
by, you know, potentially swapping retailers. you've heard it from Braden. If you're looking to save on your bill or whatever, give us a call.
Book your free energy order. Cheers, Brad. Cheers, man. Thanks. The the clap the clap's the go for me.
Hey.