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While prices for solar systems increased a little in WA last month, the state still had the cheapest systems in Australia on an average cost per watt basis. Find out what happened where in SolarQuotes’ latest solar price report.

Based on pricing information included in 396 installer reviews submitted to SolarQuotes as at January 26 covering sales contracts inked in December 2022, here’s how things are panning out so far in terms of cost-per watt for fully installed systems last month (all sizes), and after any subsidies.

As you can see from the above, Australians were still paying significantly more for systems on a per-watt basis than they were a year ago. Part of this would be due to a reduction in the (still generous) national “solar rebate“; which is being gradually phased out and reduces each year on January 1. While sales contracts may have been signed in December, installations were more likely to occur this month and the rebate level is based on installation rather than purchase date.

The following graph shows pricing history on a cost-per-watt basis across all system sizes nationally since January 2021. Systems may be pricier than they once were, but installing solar panels is still a no-brainer for most households with a suitable rooftop wanting to slash their electricity bills. And a nice bonus of course is the associated emissions reduction.

After three months of drops and then a jump in November, average pricing for fully installed 6.6kW solar reduced slightly from around $6,600 to $6,523 in December.

10kW solar power systems are gaining popularity as Australians seek to make the most of their rooftop real estate. December’s average cost nationally at this point for a fully-installed 10kW system is $11,649, up from $11,249 in November.

Note that all figures mentioned in this report may change as new reviews containing pricing details come in. The best way to keep tabs on movements is to use the SolarQuotes Australian Solar Price Index – it’s what this report is based on and is updated daily. Also bear in mind the systems involved are across the full range of quality and installation scenarios. For ball-park ranges on pricing for good quality systems, see our solar panel costs page.

2022 was a bit of an odd year for home solar power interest and installations. In the second half of the year, Australians certainly weren’t put off having to pay a bit more in order to avoid the impact of some pretty nasty electricity price rises.

(Polysilicon) crystal-ball gazing isn’t my forte, so I won’t attempt to predict what will happen with solar prices in Australia this year. But something you can pretty much take to the bank (quite literally) is a home solar power system will save your household money on electricity bills. And the longer your home’s rooftop is without one, the longer you’ll be paying your energy retailer much more than you otherwise would.

To get an idea of how much you could be saving by installing panels and estimated payback times, try the very popular and easy-to-use SolarQuotes solar (and battery) calculator.

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Michael caught the solar power bug after purchasing components to cobble together a small off-grid PV system in 2008. He's been reporting on Australian and international solar energy news ever since.

This is a really helpful post to help educate people on the level of price risks. There is little variation in the price year on year it seems.

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