How a Personal Loan Can Help Manage the Cost of Solar Panels
Hope Turner |
One financial option to fund the cost of solar panel installation is by using a personal loan. In this article, we’ll go into detail on how solar panels work, how much they cost, how much they could save you on your energy bills, and of course, the pros and cons of using a personal loan to pay for them.
On this page:
- What are solar panels?
- What are solar batteries?
- How much do solar panels cost?
- How long does it take to save money with solar panels?
- Why install solar panels for your home?
- Can you get a personal loan for solar panels?
- Solar panel personal loans: pros and cons
- Jacaranda personal loans for solar panels
Originally published by William Jolly in November 2022.
First things first: What are solar panels?
A solar panel is a collection of photovoltaic (PV) cells that are combined to generate energy from the sun's rays. Rooftop solar panels are installed on the roof of a home and convert light into energy which can power your home.
According to the Clean Energy Regulator (CER) more than 3.7 million Australian homes and businesses had a rooftop PV system installed by the beginning of 2024. Given we receive enough solar radiation in a single year to power the entire country 10,000 times over, having a few solar panels on a roof can generate a lot of energy for your home.
Solar panels vs solar batteries: what’s the difference?
Often confused and used interchangeably with solar panels, a solar battery is a device that stores the excess energy generated from a solar PV system for later use. So essentially, you can have both solar panels and a battery: the solar panels generate electricity, and the battery stores it for you to use during periods where generation (a.k.a. sunlight) is low or demand from the grid is high.
How much do solar panels cost?
The cost of buying and installing solar panels on your roof can vary based on a number of key factors, primarily:
- The system size (i.e number of kilowatts) and the number of panels
- Your location and house design (i.e. will it be difficult to install?)
- The angle of your roof (they must be angled towards the sun, so a flat roof can cost more to install)
- The quality of the panels you choose
- The installer you choose
- Any government (state or federal) rebates you’re eligible for
- The market demand at the time
- Your method of payment (i.e any extra costs associated)
Just to name a few. So it’s hard to nail down an exact price for buying solar panels in Australia because there are so many different variables. However, the approximate cost of a good quality solar system installation according to SolarQuotes as of February 2024 is as follows:
System size | Number of panels | Cost Range (February 2024) |
---|---|---|
1.5kW | 4 | $2,500 – $4,000 |
2kW | 6 | $3,000 – $4,500 |
3kW | 7 | $3,500 – $5,000 |
4kW | 10 | $4,000 – $6,000 |
5kW | 12 | $4,500 – $8,000 |
6.6kW | 16 | $5,500 – $9,000 |
7kW | 17 | $6,500 – $10,000 |
8kW | 19 | $7,500 – $11,000 |
10kW | 24 | $8,000 – $13,000 |
13kW | 31 | $10,000 – $15,000 |
In short, you can expect to pay at least a few thousand dollars for good solar panel installation.
Note that this does not include the cost of buying and installing a solar battery: the two are separate things, and according to Solar Choice, the average out-of-pocket cost for a solar battery as of August 2024 is anywhere between $4,380 and $26,100 depending on the battery size.
How long does it take to save money with solar panels?
The main draw of installing solar panels - apart from being trendy - is to save money on your energy bills long-term. Ideally, the savings generated on your bills eventually eclipse the cost of buying the solar system in the first place. The length of time it takes to do this is known as the payback period.
As an example, let’s say you bought an $8,200 solar panel system that saves you roughly $600 each quarter on your electricity bills. In this scenario, your payback period would be 3.4 years (8200 / (600 x 4)). Of course, you can continue to reap the rewards of cheaper electricity after this point, but the payback period is simply the length of time it takes for your investment to be worth the money.
The Australian Energy Council publishes a quarterly report on solar energy in Australia, and it calculates its own payback period numbers. Depending on the city and the size of the system, the average payback period can be as little as 3 years and up to 8 years. Generally speaking, a payback period of 5-7 years is common for the typical household with solar panels.
Why should I install solar panels in my home?
Lower energy bills
One major reason to install solar panels (for most people) is to cut down on their household electricity bills. Depending on a number of factors like the solar system, the property, your energy consumption habits and more, annual savings on electricity thanks to solar panels can be over a thousand dollars in some cases. Finder, for example, worked out that a house with a 5kW solar system could reach estimated yearly savings of roughly $2,000 ($400 per kW).
Increasing property values
Installing solar panels can also earn you money when you sell your house. According to Solar Emporium, 77% of Australians think a house with solar panels is worth more than one without, with 55% saying they’d pay $10,000 extra if a house had them.
Overall, median house prices for properties with sustainable features like solar panels are nearly 20% higher, according to Domain's Sustainability in Property 2024
Sustainability
Households alone are responsible for more than 10% of Australia’s total carbon emissions each year and use 24% of the electricity. That’s a lot!
Installing solar panels and other sustainable features can drastically cut down on your carbon footprint.
Government rebates aplenty
More and more government support - both state and federal - is popping up all the time to encourage everyday Australians to take a punt on some panels. These incentives can come in the form of:
- Grants, which give a cash payment to people buying solar panels
- No-interest loans for people in certain states/territories
- Rebates and concessions that make buying and using solar panels cheaper
And more. Check out the Department of Energy’s tool to find out if you’re eligible for any rebates and assistance. You could save thousands!
Can you get a personal loan for solar panels?
IIf you’re thinking of joining the green revolution and adding some shiny solar panels to your home’s roof, then one popular method of paying for them is with a personal loan. Personal loans can be an ideal option for buying solar panels due to a number of reasons, mainly:
- The maximum loan amounts, which tend to be larger than options like credit cards or buy now, pay later (BNPL)
- The loan terms can be a bit longer than other options and can have more manageable repayments.
As we showcased above, a good solar panel can easily cost $10,000 or more. That’s more than most BNPL platforms allow you to borrow, and if you were to borrow that much on a credit card you could be facing a less-than-ideal situation if you need to pay the credit off all at once.
Personal loans, however, commonly have loan limits within this range and can let you spread out the repayments over several years.
What’s more, a flexible personal loan (like Jacaranda’s Express Personal Loan) lets you pay above the minimum required amount, so you can pay off the loan faster and save money if you choose.
One final benefit of choosing a personal loan over other options is the security they offer. Personal loans, like those offered by Jacaranda, undergo a thorough credit and financial assessment for all applicants, meaning longer loan terms: Personal loans can let you pay off the loan over several years (commonly 2-3), which can make the ongoing repayments easier to manage. You shouldn’t be offered a loan that isn’t suitable for your needs.
The better your financial situation, the better your loan terms can be with a personal loan. This is particularly true if you have an asset - usually a car or your home - that you can use as security on the loan, which can grant you access to higher loan amounts and better rates as well.
Solar panel personal loans: pros and cons
Personal loans can be a safe and reliable way to finance solar panel installation on your home, but they won’t be for everyone. Whether a solar panel loan is right for you will come down to your unique situation: there are some potential negatives you should consider as well.
Below is a quick summary of the pros and cons of buying solar panels with a personal loan:
Pros |
Cons |
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Consider a Jacaranda personal loan
At Jacaranda Finance, our express Home Improvement Personal Loans can be used to buy and install solar panels and batteries for your home. With secured loans available for up to $25,000, a Jacaranda Personal Loan could be the solution you’re looking for if you’re ready to go green on your home.
We’ve helped thousands of everyday Australians turn their house into a home, so what are you waiting for? Check out our personal loans today and apply!
You can get in touch with Hope via hopet@jacarandafinance.com.au.