Tesla Battery Slashed Australian Family's Power Bill By More Than Half
An Australian family couldn't be happier about their decision to let Tesla into their home after the company's battery technology slashed their power bill by more than half. Theirs is just one of the many success stories the company has had ever since Elon Musk made it its mission to help Australia with their energy woes.
Chris Hankin and his family have been enjoying the company's power-saving technologies for over a year ever since they moved to their new home in Thurgoona, New South Wales. Built across the street from their old home, the house was equipped with $10,000 Powerwall battery and $6000 worth of LG solar panels from Tesla.
Within just months, the family immediately saw results. Back when they were still living in their old home, their power bill peaked at $600 a quarter. After moving, however, this was slashed to $200, a 60 percent reduction.
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"Our average daily usage from the actual grid is about one kilowat – for a standard house it's usually 12 to 16 – and through our solar panels we are producing 30 kWh on average for this time of year," said Hankin. "The only time we need any electricity is when the battery runs empty during the night."
Not only are Hankin and his family reducing their energy consumption, they also received credits that were used to purchase future market electricity. He estimates that thanks to these savings and credits, his $16,000 investment would pay for itself within the decade.
Back in October, Elon Musk was almost brought to tears after hearing Australia's deepening electricity crisis that has prices soaring out of control. This prompted the billionaire to improve energy consumption and production in the country which included building the world's biggest lithium ion battery in South Australia after the state's disastrous blackout.
The battery has since proven itself time and again which, coupled with battery and solar technologies being equipped in individual homes, have made the energy crisis a little less worrying for Australians. Musk has expressed his desire to build up the country's capacity for renewable energy saying that it is was "perfect" for solar power.
