Antinuclear

The figures take into account each city’s sunshine hours, the cost of a solar power system for that region, local electricity rates and the region’s level of government support.

According to sourced data, Australian shares have returned on average 9.8% per year, residential investment property 9.5%, global fixed interest 8.5%, global listed property 8.1%, fine art investment 8.0%, global shares 7.7%, Australian fixed interest 7.5%, gold (in AUD) 4.1% and cash 3.9%. Putting this all into perspective, the annual rate of inflation is 2.7%. (excellent graph)

“Australians are constantly looking for the best place to invest their money, yet these figures show they’re overlooking one of the best around, and it’s right above their head,” stated Nick Brass, co-founder of Energy Matters. “The upside to solar investment is its green credentials. For many clients, this is a strong secondary motivator.”

“Our consumer insights also revealed confusion around government support. People think incentives have completely eroded, and nothing could be further from the truth. The government is still supporting it with worthwhile incentives. By installing solar, you are also adding value to your house if you ever resell. That’s on top of the yearly return on investment you achieve from the energy you produce,” said Mr. Brass.

“For many households, the initial outlay of solar may prevent them from reaping the benefits of this sound investment, but Energy Matters has partnered with a finance company to create an innovative payment plan where, in many cases, there is a zero deposit and the savings each month are greater than the repayments.”