Solar Panel Cost for a 3 Bedroom House
Reviewed by
Leigh McInerney
To determine the cost involved in installing solar panels on a three-bedroom house, it’s crucial initially to work out the daily energy consumption. According to the CSIRO, a typical three-bedroom residence uses about 22.45kW of electricity each day.
You will need to install a 5kW solar system to cover daily power usage (approx. 22.45kW) in a 3-bedroom house which will cost $5,975 on average after rebates.
A 5kW solar system will easily run your appliances, but some homes have a pool and larger AC units which will draw more power. In this case you may need a 6.6kW system.
A typical 3-bedroom house will use an average of 22.45 kWs of power per day. This is over the entire year, but can be broken up into seasons of usage over summer, autumn, winter and spring as represented in the graphic below.
| Star Rating | Summer | Autumn | Winter | Spring |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.5 stars and + | 18.53 | 15.592 | 19.316 | 14.675 |
| Below 4.5 stars | 22.481 | 17.134 | 22.554 | 16.476 |
| Household type | Summer | Autumn | Winter | Spring |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adults w/ children | 25.65 | 20.23 | 23.98 | 19.08 |
| Adults w/t children | 13.97 | 10.87 | 15.29 | 10.24 |
| Single adults | 13.60 | 10.90 | 13.45 | 10.04 |
| Unknown | 18.81 | 17.19 | 22.87 | 16.87 |
What size system would a 3 Bedroom house need?
A typical 3-bedroom home uses 22.45 kiloWatts of power per day. To cover that amount of energy usage, you will need to install a 5kW solar system. This system will produce 5kW of energy per hour at its peak. That’s for about a 2 hours period when the sun is highest in the sky.
The total produced when averaged out over the entire year is about 22.45, although this may differ depending on where you live. Locations like Hobart receive fewer hours of light as compared to Cairns.
Cost of a 5kW solar system for a 3 bedroom house
We have established that a 5kW solar system will cover the power usage of a 3-bedroom house, but how much will that cost? Again it depends on where you live and the about of rebate the government is willing to give you.
The average cost of solar panels for a 3-bedroom house is $5,975 installed.
The rebate is explained in a little more detail below, but the costs of a 5kW system for a 3-bedroom house are as follows.
| City | Zone | Rebate on 5kW | Average cost (after rebate) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney, Brisbane, Canberra, Adelaide, Perth | Zone 3 | $1,886 | $6,034 |
| Melbourne, Hobart | Zone 4 | $1,611 | $6,309 |
| Darwin, Cairns, Townsville | Zone 1 | $2,201 | $5,719 |
Rebate on solar panels for a 3 bedroom house
As mentioned in the cost of solar above, the rebate on a solar system will depend on the system size you install and where in Australia you live. Rebates are based on the number of STC you receive and the current trading price of STCs.
The price for 1 STC is normally about $39.30, so we are going to base rebate prices on that assumed price.
| City | Zone | STCs | Rebate on 5kW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney, Brisbane, Canberra, Adelaide, Perth | Zone 3 | 48 | $1,886 |
| Melbourne, Hobart | Zone 4 | 41 | $1,611 |
| Darwin, Cairns, Townsville | Zone 1 | 56 | $2,201 |
To calculate the rebate on solar panels for a 3-bedroom house, you need to take the number of STCs and multiply that number by the trading price of STCs.
Example:
48 x $39.30 = $1,886
Payback period
The payback period on a solar system for a 3-bedroom house is about 3.5 years. This will vary depending on your energy consumption, the size of the system you use, and your ability to maximize your energy usage.
Another factor that is super important to your ROI is the feed-in tariff you receive. This is the amount of money your energy retailer will pay you per KW of unused energy.
Expected savings per month off my bill
On average, you can expect to save about 85% off your typical power bill after you have installed the system. Again, this is going to depend on your usage, the size system you used, and your ability to take advantage of optimal times of day to use power.
You can maximize your savings by using your washing machine and dishwasher at noon when your system is producing the most power. Same goes for pool filters and any other power-sapping appliance.
What can I run in my 3 bedroom house?
With the 22kW on average used per day in a 3-bedroom house, you can run a bunch of electrical appliances with your solar system, including:
| Appliance | Watts per hour | Avg. Hours used daily | Total Watts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lights for 5 bedroom home (10 x 7 Watt LED lights [60W equivalent per globe]) | 70 | 6 | 420 |
| 2 x LCD televisions | 60 | 5 | 300 |
| 2 x Laptops | 200 | 6 | 1,200 |
| Microwave | 1500 | 0.3 | 450 |
| Dishwasher | 1800 | 1.5 | 2,700 |
| Freezer | 42 | 24 | 1,000 |
| Refrigerator | 35 | 24 | 900 |
| Central Air conditioner | 3200 | 3 | 9,600 |
| Wifi | 6 | 24 | 144 |
| Washing machine | 500 | 0.5 | 250 |
| Clothes Dryer | 4000 | 0.3 | 1,050 |
| Total | 18,000 | ||