Pictured: Tom, Rosy, Zoe and Harry with Baxter the dog.
When Annandale resident Tom Browell was 14 years old, he lived in a mud-brick house with a small solar PV system in the Hunter Valley. Today, 38 years later, he’s finally got his own solar system, courtesy of Inner West Community Energy.
Tom and his wife Zoe Thompson acknowledge that solar had been viable for them for at least five years, but this year they could afford it because – like other households we’ve helped this year – they used the money they would have spent on holidays but couldn’t due to the pandemic.
Tom already had a quote from outside our group that he was comfortable with when he attended our Solar Information Night at the Leichhardt Bowling Club in October, but he chose to contract one of our preferred solar installers, Brightside Solar and Electrical, because of our recommendation, and because Brightside’s quote was competitive.
As well, he liked the fact that Brightside’s Paul Hutt came to the Info Night on a bike!
“I think the main benefit for me was having a trusted installer,” Tom says. “I already had a lot of the required knowledge through the second-hand experience from other friends and family who have installed solar recently.
“I think the people at IWCE are all genuine and passionate about solar, so they cut through all the crazy deals and glitzy advertising and provide real information and actual local experience.”
The system Tom now has on the roof is unlike anything that could have been possible or viable when he was a 14-year-old lad. It’s a 6.65 kilowatt system, comprising 19 Q Cells panels and a five kilowatt Solar Edge inverter.
Pictured: Browell home with new solar
“I feel fantastic,” Tom says. “It was a very smooth installation and my power provider had everything switched on and working within two days. I think I was lucky in this regard because we already had a smart meter so the cut over was able to be done remotely. I would encourage everyone who can to do it. I can’t believe how much electricity the panels are making!”