Kiama-based solar and battery company The Energy Experts is organising a series of Local Battery Bulk Buy/Info Sessions on Tuesday, 2 September at The Pavilion – in partnership with Sun People & Easther Electrical.

“We want to educate people about the importance of buying quality when it comes to a home battery system - both from an efficiency and reliability point of view, but also from a safety perspective,” says Carolyn Lee of The Energy Experts.

“There are plenty of entry-level brands on the market (a number of which are approved under the Federal Government rebate scheme).

“It's so easy to be lured on a cheap price, but long-term reliability and safety are critical.”

The combined buying power of these three companies will enable Kiama residents to save significantly on a home battery, as they’ll be buying container loads of batteries, rather than pallet loads.

“Most people in our community choose to support local where they can and that’s exactly what they’ll be doing if they choose to install a government-subsidised battery through our bulk buy initiative,” says Lee.

Battery storage enables households to power their homes with solar energy 24/7.

The national battery rebate program began on 1 July. Over 16,000 batteries were installed across Australia in the first 28 days of the scheme.

In the Illawarra alone, hundreds of batteries have been installed since the rebate went live.

Experts in the solar industry have calculated the $2.3 billion in rebates will likely be exhausted within 12 months, based on current battery uptake.

Households and businesses are installing larger batteries than they otherwise would because there’s such a generous rebate on offer (around 30% discount on the average cost of a battery; worth up to $16,500).

As the subsidy can only be accessed the once, it works out to be more economical to install more battery capacity now than do it in two stages.

For households that choose to join a Virtual Power Plant, where ongoing revenue can be generated by selling the stored energy back to the grid when demand is high, it’s financially more beneficial to have greater storage capacity, as it helps to achieve a faster return on investment.

“The two info sessions we’re running on September 2 will clarify the different tiers of batteries available under the scheme and will also help people understand more about VPPs, which hasten the payback of a battery by around 20%,” Lee added.

What: Local Battery Bulk Buy/Info Sessions

When: Tuesday 2 September, 10:30am - 11:30am; and 5:45pm - 6:45pm

Where: The Pavilion, Kiama

There is limited seating, so register at theenergyexperts.com.au/events.