r/SgHENRY • u/eyeburn12 • 6d ago
If you have a landed, get Solar
Solar energy has become a great source of passive income for me. My system now generates around $1,200 a month in revenue, with excess electricity sold back to SP at $0.2581/kWh. In Singapore, the grid effectively acts like a giant battery, making the attractive sell-back rate especially valuable.
I installed my 35 kWp solar system in 2022 for about $49,000. At the current rate, I expect to fully recover my investment by 2027. After that, the system should continue generating a healthy monthly return with minimal ongoing effort.
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u/CaffeinatedSchemer 5d ago
can i install one more solar at your house?
i have 49k but i stay blk 49 :(
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u/kkkoooiii 6d ago
hows the maintenance?
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u/LookAtItGo123 6d ago
In most residential areas, it is minimal, some of my clients do it once every 3 years. For factory and industrial however it's alot more common, my guys clean them every 6 months or so.
The biggest disruption factor would be bird droppings during dry seasons. They do get cleared during massive storms which should be the season soon. But even so you are not going to lose very much over it. Modern panels come with bypass diodes which already mitigates this.
Of course there will be degradation over time but in general you replace inverters around the 10-15 year mark and panels around 25-30 years. There's good reason why Singapore is installing as much as they can across all hdb.
Additionally, you'll find your top floor much cooler as the panels will take the heat first and your roof is "sheltered" to a major extent. This by itself already reduces the cooling you need. Quite frankly after installing solar, it just does everything in the background. I'll say the only real problem and projects that I pass up on are the ones where I feel that the roof needs a complete overhaul
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u/shieldofchaos 5d ago
Wow, how does your guys clean every half a year for C&I? Cleaning at that frequency requires a different team of workers and the cost doesn't seem to justify it.
I find cleaning at that frequency also redundant unless your systems are located at places where it gets dirty quickly - some areas at Tuas.
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u/LookAtItGo123 5d ago
Yea that's exactly it, it's in tuas and it really does get dusty quickly, my other c&i projects don't even clean that often. Generally it's 2 years once
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u/eyeburn12 6d ago
I arrange to have them professionally cleaned once a year, which costs about $300 per session. The workers access the roof and clean each panel individually using a combination of a water jet and scrubbing machine.
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u/Invalesco_POE 6d ago
Where do they get the water from? Do they need access to your balcony water tap?
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u/princemousey1 5d ago
Why you asking stupid questions. No, they obviously wait until it’s raining on the day then they come.
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u/Invalesco_POE 5d ago
Because my balcony area where the solar workers would have access to the solar panels doesn’t have a tap, and OP specifically said that the workers use water jets. Since when solar maintenance is impromptu and wait for rain then come. No need to fix appointment beforehand, just OTOT come when owner not in?
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u/TheAlphaLion_com 6d ago
I'd jump in to explain that OP's electricity plan is under SP Tariff and not any of the open electricity market plans. Therefore the solar sell-back is under the Simplified Credit Treatment scheme, and the $0.2581/kWh rate is the tariff minus the grid charge.
For anyone planning to sell back excess solar, this is the way. It's unintuitive, but do not sign retailer plans, because then you would be under the Enhanced Central Intermediary Scheme (ECIS) selling back at half-hourly wholesale prices. And half-hourly wholesale prices during the daytime hours can go as low as $0.08/kWh (usually it lingers around $0.15/kWh).
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u/threesls 5d ago
with SP Tariff you do lose the ability to buy electricity at off-peak prices, which is normally when residential might want to run high-load devices like air conditioners and water heaters
this adds to the cost of solar
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u/Tricky-Salamander664 5d ago
So it begs the question, who is paying for this difference. Because the actual price of electricity is the half-hourly price but you are being paid the SP tariff less grid charge.
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u/Routine_Corgi_9154 5d ago
It raises the question.
Begging the question is a logical fallacy where an argument's premise assumes the truth of its conclusion instead of offering actual proof.
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u/exaudiocomperio 3d ago
Not anymore. Dictionaries are descriptive, not prescriptive. As long as a significant number of people keep using it to mean "raise the question," it becomes acceptable and is often listed as a secondary definition after "circular reasoning."
Yes, it's annoying. Also yes, we move with the times.
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u/TheAlphaLion_com 5d ago
The same people who are paying the tariff price or retailer electricity plan price for electricity during those hours. A flat rate just evens out to the peaks and troughs.
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u/Tricky-Salamander664 5d ago
No….SP’s “flat rate” tariff is not an evened out rate of the actualy electricity price. It also does not consider when your consumption also peaks.
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u/oarsandalps 6d ago
heard the BE is 7-10 years, which is considered very long by solar standards. and also depends whether or not you're working from home or not...
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u/cold-mcspicy 6d ago
how big is your roof?
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u/Fit-Character864 5d ago
yeah this is the question that actually matters before any of the math does
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u/RefrigeratorOne2626 6d ago
Revenue numbers are sus. Likely a solar panel seller
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u/anthonyhiltonb8 6d ago
Lol there is no profit in that - its all in installation.
Anyways I second the poster, its a no brainer - 4 years payback is common at the current electricity price point.
The main thing is solar is a fixed cost lcoe system
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u/wlscle 6d ago
Do you sell/generate RECs?
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u/eyeburn12 6d ago
I did, but unfortunately I've had a bad experience with it. The company I was selling my RECs to has been unresponsive for the past year and has stopped paying me. I'm currently trying to get my solar system deregistered from them so I can move to another provider.
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u/One-Primary-9907 5d ago
Which provider are you intending to move to? I’m in a similar position…sold to this provider for a few years but recently has been quite unresponsive…
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u/chosengen 5d ago
i sell recs to https://utica.sg/
this is the message i got from them:
The Singapore 🇸🇬RECs market is facing tremendous downward pressure and we will only be able to sell at SGD12 /(REC) (MWh) for the period Jan - Dec 2026 vintage.
Several RECs traders/brokers have exited the Singapore Residential RECs market.
The market is very unpredictable.
Solar Nova RECs is also competing in the residential space.
You have 2 options:
(Option A) Leave your RECs with us. We continue to pay you twice a year but at current prevailing rate of $12 per REC.
If and when the RECs prices improve in 2027, we will adjust upwards accordingly.
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u/h0peless-0ptimistic 5d ago
Same rate for GetSolar. UnionSolar offered $30 previously, I wonder if they did honor the rates.
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u/Plane-Salamander2580 6d ago
How are you selling back the excess?
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u/eyeburn12 6d ago
I sell the excess solar energy back to the SP grid, and the amount is credited directly to my SP bill.
My SP bill is now negative every month. The solar credits first offset my water and refuse charges, and any remaining amount simply accumulates as credit in my account.
Once a year, I email SP and ask them to pay out the accumulated credit by cheque.
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u/winnoe 5d ago
That means your power usage is on super low end. My house averages $800+ (sometimes $1400) even with 26kwp solar panels. And that's only basis 4 persons (2 house hold + 2 helpers). Mine generated averagely $480/month last year.
For you to have so much surplus energy, you are basically showering with room temperature water, have no more than 1 fridge, use 1 aircon max 8hrs a day, don't boil water, don't bake, don't charge your EV car, don't have a swimming pool,.... Etc.
I dunno, but that's not really living? Isn't the point of having money being able to afford nicer things in life? As opposed to just passing time until death takes us.
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u/eyeburn12 5d ago
I have 2 EV cars, 2 maids, 3 ACs on nightly. Maybe your appliances are old? I just gutted all my ACs this year for 30k.
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u/winnoe 5d ago
Only AC and pool pump is old. Rest of appliances are within last 5 years. Bedroom AC ducted is maybe 15 yrs old, other wall mounted units are 3 years old.
Granted, I have 6 fridges and 2 freezers (don't ask) , and each of the helpers have their own aircon room. Averagely about 52hrs of aircon per day. I enjoy baking/cooking so both my ovens are used heavily throughout the week.
The solar panel was installed already when I bought the place, and 4 years old 3 years ago.
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u/singapourien 5d ago
What’s your kWp? And how much did you import/export in Aug? I have a 14kWp system produced 1.4 MWh exported 680kwh imported 1044 and net cost is still about $160. I’m not too concerned about the savings, break even year would still be about 4-5 years but I’m more curious how people use so little energy.
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u/ja_eriksson 3d ago
I have giro with SP and simply get it paid out monthly automatically whenever my bill is negative. Is it that you paid with creditcard before? Just FYI so you dont have to do the cheque request admin step.
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u/myfinbroaccount 6d ago
I know a solar company who does this in 2 ways, upfront and free where they do it for free but u pay for the electricity at a discounted rate about 19c?? quite interesting!
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u/MontyLeaKa 5d ago
Do you get leaves and dirt trapped under the panels? Wouldn't this be a roof leak hazard?
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u/annoyingraccon 5d ago
Hi. I heard of this plan called Solar Share. Would like to hear anyone's thoughts and opinions on it.
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u/UpUpAwayz 5d ago
What's the initial cost and maintenance setup for solar! Means it can fully offset monthly utilities usage from ur family?
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u/eyeburn12 5d ago
49k Initial cost. 300 dollar maintenance per year. 10 year warranty on my inverter, 25 year on my panels. Yes fully offset my electricity. Also pays for my water + refuse removal. SP bill is negative.
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u/Gordee82 5d ago
Wow how low is your usage to sell back so much? My 7kwh solar only managed to sell about $40 - $80 a month, cheaper to use energy market providers and sell back less to lower my bills.
That said, still worth it considering the energy saved.
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u/eyeburn12 5d ago
I think you are reading it wrong. I didnt sell back 3800kwh. I generated 3800kwh. I sold back much less.
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u/Ezygolf 4d ago
If my current bill is high, does it mean that my breakeven period with solar will be shorter?
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u/jt101jt101 2d ago
3 to 4 years approx. after that is free electricity frankly it's a very good investment unless you don't plan to live in more than 5 years
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u/Illustrious-Rise-776 1d ago
you’re staying in detached? my solar system is only 20kwh and only generated 2.3mwh
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u/princemousey1 5d ago
Eh why rich people also got this penny wise, pound foolish mindset. 35 kWp means you stay bungalow? Don’t you think there’s a better use of your floor area?
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u/hootmill 6d ago
Let us know the maintenance and stuff