How Experts Print Money

Educated investors have created empires by positive gearing their portfolios.  Positive gearing property is where the income received in rent exceeds all other outlays such as weekly loan repayments, insurance, rates and repairs.  This positive cash flow method enables properties to stand alone and pay for themselves over time, without the owner dipping into their own pocket. Many experts liken this to printing money.

Successful property investors such as Robert Kiyosaki (author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad), Donald Trump and many others have continuously increased their property portfolio by using such methods. Some have become billionaires.  Many Australians have also retired, living comfortably off the yields of this investment strategy. One such success story is Phil Anderson who retired at the age of 40.

However positive gearing has not only been successful in the property market.  Some of the world’s greatest investors, such as Warren Buffett, use the same method in the share market.  For example, when many stocks fall in price, the yield (dividends) increases.  What this means is that you can borrow money from as low as 5%, for example, and receive dividends from the stock you purchased of more than 8%.  This is another form of positive cash flow that enables the stock to pay for itself over time without the owner dipping into their own pocket.

Moreover, the latest emerging trend in positive gearing is turning an expense into a profit.  More than one million Australian home owners have done this by using Solar Systems to cover power bills.   They are installing solar systems by adding them to their home loans, or taking out leases to create a positive cash flow – similar to property and share investors.  This is how Queenslanders are doing it:

Adding a Solar System to their home loan (interest rate at 6.4%)

Paying off a 5kW solar system over 15 years will cost the investor approximately $21 p/w.

A 44 cent feed in tariff will generate/save the investor $60 p/w, ($39 profit per week)

An 8 cent feed in tariff will generate/save the investor $30 p/w, ($9 profit per week or 70% return per week).

Leasing a Solar System

Leasing a 5kW solar system over 15 years will cost the investor approximately $25 p/w.

A 44 cent feed in tariff will generate/save the investor $60 p/w, ($35 profit per week)

An 8 cent feed in tariff will generate/save the investor $30 p/w, ($5 profit per week or 20% return per week).

The benefit of leasing is that you can save money instantly without having to outlay the cost of the system.

These returns only get greater as power prices increase.

 Warren Buffett is one of the largest investors in Solar in the world.                 

 

 

                                                               

Disclaimer: Please note that the information provided is used for examples only and it is recommended that you seek independent advice. 

2012 Winners Australian Small Business of the Year (trade/services)

HORAN & BIRD WIN 2012 MASTER ELECTRICIANS OF THE YEAR

Horan and Bird were very excited to cap off a great year at the Electrical Contractors Awards night at Jupiters  Casino on Saturday night. Horan and Bird won 2 major awards:

2012 WINNERS ECA MASTER ELECTRICIANS OF THE YEAR

2012 WINNERS ECA SOLAR INSTALLATION OF THE YEAR

Earlier this year in April, Horan and Bird won the National title of AUSTRALIAN SMALL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR (Trade/Services) at the Westin Hotel in Sydney.

Winter Results for NQ Renewable Energy Centre

The colder months has produced very different results then the hotter months.

As expected the colder months were ideal for the Mono Panels.

Suntech Mono was the outperforming brand panel for the month, 2nd was the Trina Poly, 3rd LDK Mono,

4th German Poly, Bosch Mono and Dupont Thin Film.

It was very surprising to see the out performing (summer) Dupont Thin Film come back to the field during the Colder Temperatures as much as it did.

Now that it is getting close to September the Dupont Thin Film is starting to challenge the higher yielding panels. We expect the Thin Film panels to again dominate for the hotter months of Jan and Feb.

However once the temperatures start to rise constantly above 30 degrees we expect the Poly Panels to have a specific yield higher than Mono panels. It was very interesting to see the Trina Poly outperform all other mono panels except Suntech during winter.

We look forward to the Spring results.

Still, Horan and Bird prefer Poly panels as the best choice for Solar Panels in  Nth Qld.  We believe over the 365 days of the year we get more days over 30 Degrees, but under the 35 degrees. When you allow for the Winter Months the Poly will outperform thin film and Mono Panels.

Of the Poly Panels Trina is our choice of Panel.

 

Solar Panels Drive Growth

http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2012/06/20/340161_business.html

HOW YOUR SOLAR …

HOW YOUR SOLAR SYSTEM WILL PERFORM IN NQ

 

SUMMER   Dec – Feb

Surprisingly summer is one of the worst performing seasons of the year for Solar Systems in NQ. The heat of summer can reduce the performance of Solar Systems by up to 5%. The cloudy and rainy days also reduces the performance significantly.

The positive for summer is the length of daylight hours per day.

The sun is at its closest to us during summer which produces great light. (When there is no cloud)

For example if you have a 5kW system you can expect your inverter to reach between 4.5 – 5kW at its peak performance, but due to extreme cloud cover and heat, this will change rapidly throughout the day.

Your average Yield for summer will be between 16 – 23 kWH per day. (this depends on direction and angle of your system) On a cool summer day without cloud the yield can get up to 30kWH

 

Autumn Mar – May

Autumn conditions in NQ are slightly better than summer, with less heat, less cloud.

The daylight hours start to reduce as it gets closer to winter

The sun is still close to us during autumn which produces great light. (When there is no cloud)

For example if you have a 5kW system you can expect your inverter to reach between 4.2 – 4.8kW at its peak performance, but due to extreme cloud cover and heat, this will change rapidly throughout the day.

Your average Yield for autumn will be between 17 – 24 kWH per day. (This depends on direction and angle of your system)

 

Winter June – Aug

Winter conditions in NQ are better than summer, with less heat, less cloud.

The cooler weather increases the voltage output of your solar panels

The negative is that the daylight hours are at its worst for the year, as the sun is further away.

As the sun is far away your Solar system will not reach its maximum output level, but because of the great clear sunny days here in winter, your average yield for the day is higher.

For example if you have a 5kW system you can expect your inverter to reach between 3.4 – 3.8kW at its peak performance, but it will hold this output for a long period.

Your average Yield for winter will be between 20 – 25 kWH per day. (This depends on direction and angle of your system)

 

Spring Sep -Nov

Spring conditions in NQ are the best for producing yield. The Sun is getting closer overhead, there is less cloud, it is bright and the weather is still cool.

The daylight hours are also becoming longer. The bright, cool and longer days make perfect conditions for Solar systems.

For example if you have a 5kW system you can expect your inverter to reach between 4.2 – 5kW at its peak performance, but it will hold this output for a longer period.

Your average Yield for winter will be between 24 – 30 kWH per day. (This depends on direction and angle of your system)

 

It is important to build up large credits in your power bills during Winter and Spring, this will make up for your high Energy consumption during Summer.

Summer Results for NQ Renewable Energy Centre

Horan and Bird are excited to publish the first Quarter results for the first ever Solar Display and research Centre in North Queensland. Some very interesting data has been collected.

Here are the first Quarter Results.

Highest Spec Yield Ranking

1) Dupont (Thin Film), 2) German Solar (Poly), 3) Suntech (Mono),4) LDK (Mono), 5) Bosch (Mono)

Best Performance On Hottest Day

1) Dupont (Thin Film), 2) Suntech (Mono), 3) German Solar (Poly),4) LDK (Mono), 5) Bosch (Mono)

Best Performance On a Cloudy Day

1) Dupont (Thin Film), 1) German Solar (Poly), 3) LDK (Mono),4) Suntech (Mono), 5) Bosch (Mono). German Solar and Dupont equal first.

Best Performance in the Morning (if you have an Eastern only roof)

1) German Solar, 2) LDK, 3) Dupont, 4) Suntech, 5) Bosch

Best Performance in the Afternoon (if you have a Western only roof)

1) Dupont, 2) Suntech, 3) German Solar, 4) LDK, 5) Bosch.

Price compared to Output Ranking

1) German Solar, 2) LDK, 3) Dupont, 4) Suntech, 5) Bosch.

The above figures answers a lot questions. The most notable points are:

1) Thin Film outperforms both Poly and Mono Panels, during Summer. But surprisingly during cloudy days is not any better than the German Solar Poly. If you have the room on your roof and you live out West, Thin Film is a stand out.

2) Poly panels are every bit as good as Mono Panels if not better.

3) Different Panels work better on different facing roofs.

4) Horan and Bird Rate Poly Panels the Best for the Townsville Region.

 

Horan & Bird’s North Queensland Renewable Energy Centre

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Electric Car Townsville, energy efficiency, horan and bird, Solar Ayr, solar power, Solar Townsville, Townsville Solar

 

Aired December 1, 2011.

Copyright WIN Network 2011.

For more information, visit our website.

 

Renewable energy hub

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energy efficiency, horan and bird, Solar Ayr, solar power, Solar Townsville, Townsville Solar

Horan and Bird will officially Open the NQ Renewable Energy Centre on Dec 1, 2011

Tomorrow (December 1, 2011) Horan and Bird will officially open North Queensland’s first renewable energy display centre at Hyde Park, Townsville,

Our new $1.2 million centre doubles as our headquarters a display complex so you, our customers, can compare the cost and performance of real solar panels in action.

Read more in today’s Townsville Bulletin or visit our website.

How to Choose a Solar Panel

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Solar Ayr, solar power, Solar Townsville, Townsville Solar

Installing a Solar System is a great thing to do, but how do you choose which brand to go with?

We rank the the following in order of importance:

1) The Solar Panel Company: We rank this as the most important part of your decision. Your solar panels have a 25 yr Warranty. What is the possibility of this Company being around for the next 5 – 25yrs. Research is needed in this area, don’t just go with a no name brand, as there is a huge chance that they won’t be around in 12 months time. It is also extremely important that the company that you use here in Nth Queensland is also going to be around to help you with these warranties. You do not want to be dealing with a company in China and try and claim a warranty yourself.  Horan and Bird use LDK Solar as they are the largest Solar Wafer and soon to be Panel Manufacturer in the World. We also use Suntech as they are currently the largest Solar Panel Producer in the World. Both Companies are listed on the Stock exchange in the USA and both Companies have backing from their Government.

Warranties are also extremely important with the company that you use. LDK have a 10 yr product workmanship warranty and a 25 year performance warranty. Most other companies only have a 5 yr product workmanship warranty and a 25 year performance warranty.

2) Vertical Integration: Does the Solar Panel company make the solar Panel from Start to finish, such as LDK and Suntech. Many companies buy all the parts and just put them together. This turns to problems as they have no Quality Assurance over the entire panel. Many Companies like LDK sell their Solar Wafers, that do not meet their high quality standards to many other Companies so they can make their own Panels. There is a very good chance that the lower priced solar panels on the market are made from Solar Wafer rejects of large companies, such as LDK and Suntech.

3) Power Tolerance: This is how much power your panel will produce. Both LDK and Suntech have a 0/5%+ power tolerance.  This means that their 250W panel is worst case 250W but most probably 262.5W. This is extremely important over the life of your solar system, as over 25 years solar panels start to loose their output. Many other companies such as JA Solar or Sunpower only have a 0-3% power Tolerance on their spec sheet. This means for a 250W the best case is 250W but worst case 242.5W. There can easily be a 9% performance difference between the panels.

4) Temperature Coefficient of Pmax: The performance of a Solar panel is effected by the heat so this is important. All solar Panels have a temperature Coefficient rating on the spec sheet. For most Mono-crystalline panels they lose about 0.4% – 0.48% of their Power output for every degree over 25 Degrees outside. If you live on the coast this is not a huge problem, as the temperature never gets much hotter than 32 degrees here in Townsville, Ayr, Ingham, Bowen. So when the temperature reaches 32 Degrees the power output will reduce by about 3%.However when you decide to install solar panels out west when temperatures start to get over 40 Degrees you may have to start looking at thin film solar panels which have a Temperature Coefficient of 0.25%. Heat and light are the major issue for panel performance. This is why August to October are the best times in NQ to make power from your Solar System. It is a little cooler and we have better sunlight.

Conclusion: If the price of a Solar System is cheaper than another brand there is a very good reason for that. A panel with a 0/-3% power tolerance should be 9% cheaper than a panel with a 0/+5% power tolerance. Also if you see a Solar system that is extremely cheap, there is a very good chance that they are using reject Solar Wafers from a Larger Company. The larger Companies can also be slightly dearer as they have long term business plans that will support warranties for 25 Years. Many of the cheaper Solar Brands have no intention of providing after sales service, and have a short term business model of sell as many as we can and get out.