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Summit Solar & Electrical

Phone: +61 408 809 510

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25.01.2022 Another unnecessary death. A Townsville man was tragically electrocuted earlier this month in what was a completely preventable death. There are still Queensland homes without safety switches installed, please contact your local electrician if you are unsure if you have them installed at your home.

25.01.2022 Now is the perfect time of year to get your solar panels cleaned. Dirt, mold and the lovely tropical moss/algae build up on your panels, preventing them from soaking up the sun making your system ineffective. If you suffer from vertigo or just don't have the time, give us a call! We will have them sparkling clean in no time and can also do a Solar System Health Check while we are up there, make sure everything is running as it should. If you are brave enough to get up on the roof to give them a clean, do it early morning before the sun hits them to prevent panel stress or damage, and please don't use any chemicals (no bleach, domestos etc etc). A mild mix of dishwashing liquid and water is all that's required... along with some elbow grease :)

23.01.2022 Can't say my trade assistant today is much of a 'help'. He's trying his hardest though!

22.01.2022 Should you have you panels cleaned? Yes, But do not pressure clean your solar panels!!!! Continue reading to find out why.... If the panels have been installed with enough of an angle they should be self cleaning most of the time with a bit of rain. (Hopefully your installer left you a gap between your panels so you can get to them to clean them) A thin layer of dust won't have too much of an affect on output. In the tropics we can have issues with mould that isn't easily washing off with a bit of rain. That requires a bit more effort to get off. Below is an extract from the worlds largest solar panel manufacture Jinko Solar and their Cleaning guide: In cleaning the solar modules, we must avoid the following: Standing on, leaning on or walking across the glass surface of the modules Steel wool, metal scrapers, blades, steel brushes, scourers or other abrasive tools including some types of Magic Eraser products Acidic or Alkaline cleaners such as CLR, Gumption, Cloudy Ammonia Steam cleaning or other heated cleaning tools / methods Cleaning damaged, chipped or cracked panels It is recommended that the cleaning methods of preference are: Clean, warm water (tepid not boiling) used to wet the panels followed shortly after by either a sponge, damp cloth or window wiper early morning or evening is best Wiping motion should be across the panels not placing downward pressure on the laminate, damp deposits will generally shift when disturbed at the edge by a cloth or sponge damp cloth may be more useful for stubborn deposits. And most importantly, do not pressure clean your solar panels!! Jinko recommends a maximum water pressure of 97psi, which in most cases is less than your mains water pressure. If you have had your panels "water blasted" and the seals fault (causing and earth fault) you may be able to claim damages against the cleaner for damaging your panels. The silicon crystals are also quite fragile, so the impact from the high pressure water won't help with keeping the crystal wafers in good condition. Follow the recommendation above and you should be fine. Getting on the roof is another matter!! if you don't have a harness and don't know how to use it, don't get on the roof, call in one of the experts.

21.01.2022 Batteries, do they save you money? Well lets do the maths, these are just ball park figures but you can get an idea of what I'm talking about. A few values we'll be working with, cost of power Ergon ex gst 28ckwh, Ergon solar feed in tarrif 9.3ckwh, battery cost around $1000kwh. Some simple maths tells us that if we save any power in a battery rather than exporting it for 9.3ckwh, we have a difference of 18.7ckwh. We would have got 9.3ckwh for the energy if we sold it, and w...e buy it at 28ckwh. (28-9.3-18.7) This tells us that for every kilowatt hour of energy our battery holds we effectively save 18.7ckwh. If this battery has cost us around $1000 for that kwh capacity, each time the battery discharges it saves us that 18.7c. So it needs to discharge 5348 times to pay itself back(1000/0.187=5248). A battery would normally cycle once per day, so that 5348 times comes to 14.7 years. As nearly all battery warranties for Lithium run out at 10 years, you are vulnearble to a loss. Lead acid batteries if looked after and used properly could make that time frame (ours are 13 and are still going strong). Other motivating factors are increasing reliability of supply. If you have anything important needing electricity or are trying to run a business, you need electricity, this can be a big driver for getting batteries. A small bank for "essential" services can be sized to run phones, internet, lights fans etc. I hope this information helps See more

20.01.2022 Happy New Year! Thank you for all your support and wishing you a safe and happiness filled 2019. From Craig and the Team at Summit Solar and Electrical Ph: 0408 809 510 Web: https://summitsolar.com.au/... Email: [email protected] See more

19.01.2022 Joys of an effectively working Solar System! This Summit Solar Install has taken the householders power bill down from an average of $670 to $208.99! Give us a call on 0408 809 510, email [email protected] or message us on facebook. ... Lets get your bill down to paying peanuts too! We can also inspect your current Solar install if you think its not working to its full potential. Local Speewah business servicing the Speewah, Koah and Kuranda areas :)

18.01.2022 Well I guess that explains a lot. Brisbane Times: Queensland energy companies deliver $6.3 million a day to the state.

16.01.2022 Who can sell you solar? Well as it turns out, anyone. Your grandmother can sell solar so long as she can talk the talk. All that is required to sell solar is an ABN. No training, no accreditation, no certifications, no licences, no insurance, no experience, register yourself a green renewable sounding business name and off you go. This is the complete opposite of registered installers (registered individuals who can also sell you solar). They are normally, registered electric...ians, have an electrical contractors licence (to engage in, or contract for electrical work for payment), have completed the training for solar and are Clean energy council accredited to install solar (have design and install accreditation), have public liability insurance, have professional indemnity insurance, have working at heights training and last but not least, have some experience. What normally happens is one of these cowboy solar companies, talks the talk and sells someone a solar system. They then engage an accredited installer to install. The installer has had no input to the design and what is best for the customer, (the non accredited salesperson has done that) they just install to the relevant safety standards. The installer has all the liability, the sales company has none (other than normal consumer laws), as they say, easy come, easy go. When the warranty claims, and poor system performance come in, (remember all they have committed to is an ABN), they close the doors and move on. We call those left over solar orphans who have been sold a landfill solar system. Even the worst systems will work fine for 4 years, after that your 20 year warranty could be worthless, no sales company and the equipment manufacturer is no longer represented in Australia. It is wise to only use reputable equipment, if the products have only been on the market for 2 years they might be gone in another 2. What's the equipment history and pedigree etc In many cases, these solar companies have engaged in illegal activities as they can’t enter into a supply and install contract for a solar system, as they don’t hold an electrical contractors licence, therefore can’t enter into a contract for any electrical work (installing a solar system is electrical work). A recent case of a $100,000 fine for someone taking payment for electrical work without a licence highlights this. The Clean energy council has been aware of activities such as those listed above and have introduced the approved solar retailer scheme trying to weed out the cowboys selling solar. The solar sales companies sign up to a code of conduct trying to get them to do the right thing, it’s still a work in progress but is an improvement on the current system, If you are interested in solar, ask around, do some investigating to find a local reputable company or installer that has been around a few years.

16.01.2022 We're back, light duties, should be back in force next week. Sorry for any inconvenience.

15.01.2022 As well as general electrical installation, maintenance and repairs, Summit Solar & Electrical can also do thermal scans of your electrical equipment (switchboards, cabling etc). This checks for hot spots and other electrical problems before they develop into something bigger and more costly (power outages etc) Is your power bill higher than you think it should be? We can also do energy audits to check for power problems, you never know if you have faulty equipment using exc...essive power. We can do this by installing a Data Logger, which monitors your power usage and we can identify any anomalies. Thinking backup batteries for your house? Summit Solar & Electrical is accredited to install batteries for your solar or backup needs. Give us a call for an obligation free quote, and remember we are locals, servicing the Speewah, Koah and Kuranda areas with local rates.

14.01.2022 Unfortunately due to illness Summit Solar and Electrical will be out of action for the next few days. Joys of kids bringing home school bugs and sharing the love with the family Apologies for any inconvenience and will be back all systems go as soon as possible! Craig and the Summit Solar Team

12.01.2022 The Queensland Electrical Safety Office recommends to get the most out of your solar PV system and ensure it continues to be safe - have it regularly inspected and maintained by an accredited solar installer or licensed electrician annually.

11.01.2022 This is concerning, but I'm not surprised. This is what happens when a government stimulus brings out all the cowboys. This mainly happens with the cheap installations you see advertised on TV and the internet. High pressure sales promising you the world, and lets face it, to be making any money they must be using the cheapest components available. The retailer has very few obligations and basically just makes the sale. They then subcontract the installation out to an install...er for a very low rate of pay. The only way for the installer to make any money is to do the job as fast as he can, sometimes this means cutting corners. If there are any product recalls (ie rooftop isolators) due to failures and fire risk, this is rarely followed up by the installer or retailer for the faulty units to be replaced. Once the failures get to a certain point, the sales company and or installer closes up shop so they don't have to honour warranties, and they start the process again, it's called phoenixing. Some of the big sales companies you see advertising have done this and continue to do so. The ACCC doesn't do much about it, we've seen how effective they are with the banks. Your best protection is to go with a local solar company with a good reputation, especially with after sales service. If someone you know has used them and they were good, chances are they'll be ok. One last thing to consider, maintenance, very few people have regular checks of their solar systems for developing problems, hot spots, arcing etc etc. The couple of hundred dollars it costs annually for a check up is well worth the money. See more

08.01.2022 ESO cracks down on unlicensed electrical work 8th July 2020 The Electrical Safety Office (ESO) has issued a warning today that it is targeting and prosecuting operators who advertise and undertake unlicensed electrical work in Queensland.... In a statement about the crack down, Head of the ESO Donna Heelan called out the dangerous and illegal activities. Put simply, ‘unlicensed is unlawful’ and we are doing everything in our powers to stamp out this dangerous practice those who are falsely advertising, those who are actually performing unlicensed work and those who are getting it done. You are all in the ESO’s sights, Ms Heelan said. People doing unlicensed electrical work don’t have the knowledge or competence to perform electrical work compliant to installation standards, or to test the work to ensure it is electrically safe. This poses a significant risk of shock which could result in serious injury or death, Ms Heelan said. Already this year, an individual was fined $100,00 after being charged with nine offences related to unlicensed electrical work and contracting. It’s important that home owners are aware of the risks and realise that electrical work in the home is work that must be done by licensed electricians. All Master Electricians are licensed and insured. Find a Master Electrician or call 1300 889 198

08.01.2022 Another day in paradise

08.01.2022 This tounge in cheek two minute video is scarily accurate at summing up Australia's current energy debacle.

05.01.2022 When is the last time you looked at your panels? Think they might need a clean? Give us a call.

04.01.2022 Bit of hard work for a great cause! Kuranda Men's Shed one step closer to completion

04.01.2022 If you suspect your Solar System isn't working 100%, contact Summit Solar and Electrical for a Solar System Health Check. We can identify sources of poor performance or potential hazards (sometimes just a good old panel clean is needed! Which we do as well!). Below is a great example of a non compliant/poorly installed Solar DC Isolator/Switch we found this week. Incorrectly placed and not sealed, water had been collecting inside the box corroding out the components. Thankfu...lly this was found before it caused any serious damage (best case scenario the solar system just stops working. Worst case scenario is it starts arcing causing a fire). Phone:0408 809 510 Email: [email protected] or message us on facebook https://www.facebook.com/summitsolarelectrical/

02.01.2022 Unlicensed electrical work, is it worth it? Anyone that does electrical work on your property should not only be an electrician, but also a licensed electrical contractor. It's illegal under the Queensland electrical safety act to do electrical work without an electrical contractors license, and they do prosecute with big fines. If your "sparky" is way cheaper than anyone else, he probably isn't licensed to do the work. The licensed electrical contractor must also issue a cer...tificate of test, to say they have completed the works to standard, this is a legal document. If you have problems later with the electrical work, you have no insurance, as your home and contents insurance won't pay out, and your "sparky" also doesn't have insurance. Use the link to check if your "sparky" has an electrical contractor license https://fswqap.worksafe.qld.gov.au/elis/ See more