My name’s Emma Jenkin and I’m co-founder and Chief Financial Officer at DC Power Co. We recently launched our solar battery package, DC Sunny Saver, and I was thrilled to be the first customer to install the DC Sunny Saver on my home. 

Why I wanted a solar battery

I installed solar in 2014 but am not home in the middle of the day when my solar is pumping so can’t fully utilise it. I have worked to get the most value out of it without a battery - using timers on my dishwasher and washing machine to turn on when the sun is shining - but I wanted more!

Blackout protection, greater control over my power and having a positive impact on the environment were also driving factors for me.

The search for the right solar battery package 

I’d received a number of battery quotes from different installers, but they were all too expensive and I felt the batteries were oversized for my needs. Some installers even tried to sell me a solar panel upgrade, which is not what I was after as I already have excess solar with my current system. 

I looked at Tesla and the Enphase modular system and found that they didn’t work for me as the Tesla was oversized (and expensive for the needs of my family) and the Enphase didn’t have enough power. 

Meanwhile at work, the team was busy developing the DC Sunny Saver battery package. It includes a Sungrow 4.8kWh battery, Sungrow 5kW Hybrid Inverter, an app so I can manage my energy and with the Customer & Investor Special, I got the Sungrow Emergency Blackout Box thrown in for free (as will you with the Solar Citizens Special). 

I chose this package for a few reasons:

• Sungrow is a reliable brand - this is big company and they use proven Samsung battery technology within the battery itself
• It’s sized for my house and I can add further modules if our needs change
• It’s a good price
• It provides back-up power in case of blackouts

Getting an installer and my total costs

I ordered my DC Sunny Saver battery package online through DC Power Co. It was very easy and I had the battery delivered to my door.  

While DC Power Co were completing my grid approval, I went on the hunt for an installer (the model here is a little different - DC Power Co don’t install the battery package, they give the choice over a local installer). I went to the Clean Energy Council to find one in my area, and got a range of quotes.

Some installers tried to sell me more panels or convince me to go with a different, more expensive battery instead, but the installer I went with was happy to simply install my DC Sunny Saver battery package.  

The cost quoted for installation was $1500, which meant the overall price of my DC Sunny Saver could come in at just over $7250. That’s almost $5000 cheaper than another quote I received for the exact same battery and inverter including installation.

Living on my solar power

Looking at my DC Power Co energy app*, I can now compare my energy usage to this time last year. 

The green bars in the graphs above represent the electricity I’m buying from the energy grid. 

On 19 November, 2018 I used electricity from the grid in the morning and the evening. Of course during the middle of the day my solar panels were generating electricity, so I didn’t have to buy any. 

On 19 November this year my battery powered my home until 7am when I purchased a tiny bit of electricity from the grid. When the sun rose, my home was powered by my solar power, which also charged my battery. This meant I didn’t have to buy any electricity for the rest of the day, as my battery powered her home in the evening. 

This is what a typical day in the Jenkin household now looks like - I’ve been living off solar power almost entirely for a week now! 

Why I can recommend the DC Sunny Saver

I love that with the DC Sunny Saver, I can use more of my own solar and take control of my power, get better value from my solar panels and protect myself from blackouts.

You too can find out more about the DC Sunny Saver battery package here.

*The DC Power Co app doesn’t come with the DC Sunny Saver battery package. The DC Power Co app is designed for customers who have their electricity accounts with DC Power Co. If you install the DC Sunny Saver and are not an energy customer of DC Power Co, you’ll be provided with the Sungrow energy monitoring app, so you can keep an eye on your battery.