Redback battery system provides unexpected community benefits during crisis

When Peter and his family installed their Redback home battery system, little did they realise it would prove to be a lifesaver in different ways.

When the devastating floods hit South East Queensland in February 2022, the family’s neighbourhood on Noosa North Shore was particularly affected.

As Peter explains, disaster planning was not something he and his wife thought of when purchasing the solar battery and inverter system, but it soon came to the forefront of their minds.

“After doing lots of research we decided to copy from the smart kid so to speak and have not regretted it. We are very happy with our Redback system and are glad we can support a local Queensland business too.” – Peter, Redback Customer

When making their purchasing decision the initial driver was the money they would save on bills. As Peter works in the energy sector (not electricity), he was acutely aware of the fact that electricity prices were only going to go one way – up.

When their old solar inverter broke, Peter started researching new ones and quickly realised that it made sense to get the complete hybrid system, combining an inverter and a battery for storage.

Peter explains that because feed-in tariffs are very low and the fact that a battery gives them the option to store the power that they generate and use it during the evening, a battery system was incredibly attractive.

An additional incentive to install a battery is because they are on tank water, so to do the basics like flush their toilet, they need a water pump and to have a functioning water pump, they need electricity.

When the floods happened in February, the true value of the battery system became apparent. The family noticed that they were the only ones in the neighbourhood that still had electricity because of their solar battery. They were running their TV, internet, and fridge.

Peter and family then opened their home to the neighbourhood for such things as storing medicines in the fridge, charging phones and storing milk so it doesn’t go off.

Peter said that a doctor his wife saw waxed lyrical about his Redback system during a consultation and convinced her it was the right system after buying one himself.

“After doing lots of research we decided to copy from the smart kid so to speak and have not regretted it. We are very happy with our Redback system and are glad we can support a local Queensland business too.”

In the year since installing the Redback system their total power bill was $50. This includes the $1.00 connection charge. Given that they have a pool pump, dishwasher, reverse-cycle air conditioning, electric stove and microwave, they are thrilled with this outcome.

“When you install one of these systems, disasters are something you don’t think about, but we now know how much of a lifesaver it is in practical, as well economic terms.”