The Gas-to-Electric Hot Water Hack: Maximise Your Solar Savings!

A Top Tip for Solar Homeowners

If you currently have a solar panel system on your roof but are still relying on gas for your hot water, you are missing a big opportunity to save money. Every day, you are essentially leaving cash on the table.

The Problem: Pennies for Power

When your solar panels generate more electricity than your home is actively consuming, that surplus power gets automatically sent back to the electrical grid. While you do receive a credit for this (often called a 'feed-in tariff'), that rate is as low as 8 cents per kilowatt-hour—a fraction (approx 25%) of what you pay to buy power back from the grid.

In short, you are selling valuable power when you could be putting it to better use.

The Hack: Switch Your Hot Water System

The simple solution is to change how you heat your water.

Instead of burning gas, make the switch to an electric hot water cylinder or a modern heat pump water heater.

Here’s why this is a game-changer for solar users:

1. Use Your Own Power: With an electric system, you can direct that excess solar power—the energy you were about to sell back to the grid for pennies—straight into heating your water.
2. Heat Water for (Essentially) Free: By using your surplus power, you are heating your water for nothing. This means you eliminate a major appliance from your household energy bill.
3. Double the Savings: You immediately start saving on your gas bill (no more bottle rentals!) AND your electricity bill because you are no longer paying to import power to heat your water.

Stop Selling Low, Start Saving Big

Upgrading to an electric hot water system is one of the single best investments you can make to significantly and immediately increase the financial return of your existing solar setup. It turns that daily surplus power from a minor grid credit into a major household saving.

The takeaway is clear: Upgrade to electric hot water and start maximising your solar savings today!