Grey Nomads on the adventure of a lifetime can fund their new lifestyle by turning their idle homes into power stations, while also increasing the value of their homes, with solar power.
According to the experts at Auzion Solar Power, solar power is the perfect short and long-term investment for grey nomads and others who leave their homes on extended trips.
“Solar power is at its most cost efficient when you maximise the energy fed back into the grid,” Auzion CEO, Mark Leckenby said.
“For most households this means trying to reduce the energy used throughout daylight hours but when you are away on holidays, your household uses very little or no electricity.
“This means, that all the energy you don’t use while your home is unoccupied will be fed back into the grid and bought off you by your energy supplier at a premium rate,” Mark said.
“So while the cost of energy is set to continue increasing, installing solar makes sense for everyone, for travelers the investment is even more of a no-brainer because the additional power generated means they will pay their systems off much sooner.”
“For those of us lucky enough to live in sunny Queensland, we get paid a minimum of 44 cents per kW, one of the highest government feed in tariff rates in Australia,” Mark said.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Grey Nomads make up one of the fastest growing groups in domestic tourism and predict that by 2050, the number of Grey Nomads will be more than double the thousands setting off in Australia this year.
The typical Grey Nomad sets off in their caravans, motor homes, campervans and converted buses on average three times a year for 14.5 weeks at a time, leaving their home vacant for the majority of the year.
“This means, depending on the size of your system, you could make back your investment much faster and look forward to greatly reduced power bills, or even a cheque instead.”
Self-confessed part time grey nomads and Auzion customers Paul and Pauline from the Sunshine Coast installed a 3kW Auzion PV Solar System on their home in July and are already experiencing the benefits.
“We travel for three to four months of the year and saw solar as a good return on investment, far better than the return we would receive from having our money in the bank,” Paul said.
“My wife and I recently returned from a four week holiday and while we were away, our system fed 344kW back to the grid and at 50c per kW with Origin, we have already made $172 in just one month,” Paul said.
“We are both retired pensioners, so is it nice having the assurance that we won’t be faced with another power bill,” Paul said.
Mark said many Grey Nomads live off superannuation, savings and government benefits and therefore have to ‘stretch their money’ further as they continue to draw their savings down.
“Solar is a great way for these price-conscious nomads to make some extra cash and depending on their system size, they could earn well over $1,000 per year which is a whole lot of income for doing virtually nothing,” Mark said.
Paul said the couple was also going to install an Auzion Energy Maximiser to give them better understanding and control of where their household energy is being used.
The Auzion Energy Maximiser is a revolutionary, award-winning new product that enables the user to monitor energy in the home or business and potentially reduce energy consumption by up to a further 20 per cent. Through a secure web portal, the user can view an accurate breakdown of energy usage and establish energy alerts and budgets to optimise usage in line with set targets.
“The Energy Maximiser helps you pay off your solar system faster by tracking your energy usage and maximizing the power you return to the grid,” Mark said.
Auzion is a Sunshine-Coast based solar company that advocates sustainable living. Auzion’s philosophy and innovation extends from research and the development of clean, green renewable energy. Operated by a team of highly trained professionals, Auzion provides cost-effective, total energy management solutions for residential, educational, industrial and commercial sectors.
For more information about Auzion and its energy solution products, visit www.auzion.com or call 1300 289 466.
