A Sydney family is using an innovative solar and battery solution to take their quarterly power bill from Energy Australia close to zero.
The sonnenFlat system allows the Fenech family to link up with other sonnen battery owners in Australia, creating a virtual power plant for its users.
Under the sonnenFlat system, the Fenechs receive a guaranteed annual allowance of energy from sonnen for a low monthly fee.
sonnen becomes the energy retailer
Sonnen batteries are world leaders in terms of performance and scope. And with sonnenFlat, sonnen is now an energy retailer too.
Users can select from a monthly fee of $30, $40 or $50 (plus GST). According to Steve Fenech, his Energy Australia bill now says ‘zero’.
“I just don’t need their electricity,” he told news.com.au.
The Fenechs are expecting to save more than $2,520 on their total energy bill for 2018.
Quarterly power bill smashed with sonnenFlat
In fact, it now costs the Fenech family only $44 per month to power their two-storey, four-bedroom home. This includes three bathrooms and full ducted air-conditioning.
Because they used to pay around $379 per year for grid access alone, the family regards sonnenFlat as essential for their future financial health.
The entire solar power and home battery storage system cost $19,000 to install. However, it should pay for itself within five or six years, Mr Fenech says.
The family can now take control of their power bills and insure themselves against future energy price rises.
It means the Fenechs now have monthly power fees smaller than their mobile phone bill.
Sonnen powering ahead in Australia
Sonnen batteries are transforming the way power is generated, used and shared in Australia today.
Even with an empty battery, users can share and trade power with others on the sonnen community network.
Energy Matters’ parent company, Flex, is the exclusive distributor of sonnen batteries throughout Australia.
Sonnen, a German company, has also set up a battery manufacturing plant in South Australia to boost production of its battery packs.
The plant should make around 10,000 solar batteries annually for the first five years. As a result, sonnen can tap one of the fastest global growth markets for solar energy storage.
According to sonnen, the Australian market could overtake Germany in battery storage demand.
SonnenFlat launched in Australia in July 2017.
