Surrounded by native bushland on the outskirts of Melbourne, these home owners came to EnviroGroup with:

  • High and rising electricity costs
  • Power outages and limited supply causing inconvenience and limiting lifestyle
  • High dependence on grid electricity – TV, internet, heating, cooling, cooking, hot water, using water and flushing, toilets from tank water.

Taking all these issues into account, EnviroGroup was able to design, supply and install a solution that reduced electricity consumption in the home while also producing and storing electricity on site. Now the family can live comfortably with or without grid power and at a fraction of the original running cost.

Grid Connected Solar Power System

The solar power system was designed for maximum performance despite the shading from the tall gum trees early and late in the day. Combining a high performance Yingli solar panelwith individually controlled Enphase micro-inverters allowed for higher energy production and improved system monitoring over traditional solar systems.

Hybrid Energy Storage System

While most solar power systems only operate while the electricity grid is available, ‘hybrid’ energy storage systems can operate both on grid and off grid. For this household a hybrid energy storage system was chosen that could switch to stored energy if the local grid supply dropped out or reduced in capacity. The storage system can be programmed to switch over to stored solar energy when the sun goes down, using this in the home instead of purchasing electricity from the grid.

Only the highest quality components were chosen to ensure reliable energy supply and long system life. The Selectronic SP Pro My Grid consists of a energy controller manufactured here in Australia and maintenance-free German Sonnenchein batteries all in a neat and tidy cabinet.

Both the solar power system and the storage system can be remotely monitored by the homeowner and by EnviroGroup technicians.

Efficient Hot Water

The original hot water service was an electric boosted hot water storage tank running on off-peak electricity. This accounted for almost 30% of the home’s daily energy needs. EnviroGroup installed a high efficiency heat pump hot water unit reducing electricity consumption by over 70% and which runs in the daytime directly from the available solar electricity. The Sanden Heat Pump was chosen because it is highly efficient and cost competitive to install when compared with solar hot water.

System Specifications

  • Solar Power System
  • System Size: 5kW peak
  • Solar Modules: 20 x Yingli YGE 250 Watt
  • Solar Inverters: 20 x Enphase M215 micro inverter
  • Orientation: North and West

Hybrid Energy Storage System

    • Battery Inverter: Selectronic SP Pro 7.5kW
    • Batteries: Sonnenschein Gel
    • Services/appliances connected: All On/Off Grid Switching
    • Time: Instant
    • Storage Capacity: 10kWh @ 40%
    • State of Charge Load Capacity: 7.5kW continuous

18kW peak

Efficient Hot Water

  • Model: Sanden Heat Pump 315 Litre Short Tank
  • Boost type: Efficient Electric 1kW
  • Energy Saving Compared With Old Hot Water System: 74%
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