Sarah Molloy 17/09/2024 15 min read

Savvy Saver | Spotlight on Plico Member Natalie

Plico member Nat has enjoyed significant savings and increased the value of her home since installing a solar battery. 

Installing a solar battery was the smart choice for savvy mum, Natalie. She was already saving with her solar panels but wanted to reduce her electricity bills even further with a solar battery. Now her bills are down, especially over summer, and she’s less worried about using high energy consuming appliances like the air con.  

 

“Our electricity bills have reduced significantly.”  

 

Hailing from the solar capital of WA, Baldivis, Natalie already had solar panels on her roof when she joined Plico. She says this saved her around 50% on her bills and when she added a battery to her system, her bills dropped significantly again.  

Nat had the opportunity to make a smart investment that would increase the resale value of her home and allow her to get more value from her solar panels. She's paying off her cutting-edge solar battery system with the savings she is making on her electricity bills. At the end of her 10-year contract, she will own the system outright and continue to save on her bills. 

 

“Plico has allowed us to invest in a product at weekly, manageable increments. We're still paying what we used to for our power, but instead, the money is going to an investment. 

 

Nat monitoring her energy use
Nat with a Plico team member at her home
Nat working from home
Plico Energy Monitoring app
Nat in her home
Nat's son playing computer games

Nat’s average daily electricity costs have reduced by 49% and her household is using 79% less grid power with the addition of a Plico solar battery. She’s also earned an extra $50 for being part of Plico’s Virtual Power Plant, and is set to receive more VPP payments in future.  

Being part of something positive and proactive was what attracted Nat to join Plico. We had the perfect solar battery solution for her needs and a model that is helping drive the clean energy transformation. 

 

"We wanted to be part of a movement of people who are trying to do something to benefit both the environment and the community, without being an out and proud greenie. We could see the potential that Plico had with their battery systems and thought it would benefit our hip pocket as well as the environment."

 


The technical bits 

System: Solar battery

Capacity: 15 kWh battery storage with 3 kVA inverter.

Location: Baldivis, Western Australia

Installed: March 2023

Performance: Average daily grid electricity use reduced from 10 to 2 units. 

Plico instalment: $35/week

Household occupants: Natalie, her partner and teenage son. 

If you want to save on your electricity bills, like Natalie has, with a Plico solar battery, reach out to our switched-on team on 1300 175 426 or ask us a question on the form below. We'd love to help you on your solar journey!  

 

Have a question about solar + battery?

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Sarah Molloy

Sarah joined Plico in 2020 as our Member Support Officer and Social Media Manager. Her role expanded to Communications Manager soon after, and she is now responsible for all member-facing communications and member support projects. With a background in environmental management and community engagement, Sarah creates quality content that digests technical and scientific information to support Plico members and a wider readership on their clean energy journey. Sarah holds a Master of Communications and completed a dissertation on community participation. With her skills and experience in conducting in-depth interviews and analysis, she has been instrumental in developing a suite of Plico member case studies, testimonials and research projects. A self-confessed ‘green heart’, Sarah is passionate about climate action and believes that the best place to start is at home.